The Hills Are Alive; A talented Manipuri troupe goes on tour in the West.(The Chorus Repertory Theatre)(Nine Hills, One Valley)

Byline: Vibhuti Patel

For 40 years, the tiny hill-state of Manipur in the remotest corner of northeastern India (bordered by Bhutan, Burma and Bangladesh) has been embroiled in bitter strife between its various ethnic communities, and between Indian military forces and separatist insurgent factions. If the conflict within that state is not as well known to outsiders as the one in Kashmir, it is only because Manipur is isolated and alienated from the rest of the country: the Army is a constant presence, curfews are common in the capital city of Imphal, street violence is bloody and young men are regularly picked up for interrogation or worse. Against this conflict-ridden backdrop, however, Manipur boasts some of India's richest cultural traditions in classical dance, theater, literature and poetry in Meitei, a language that is both ancient and alive. Now cities in the West are getting a taste of the region's dazzling theatrical talents. The Chorus Repertory Theatre, the best of some 20 local performing groups, is touring its latest production, "Nine Hills, One Valley" around America and internationally. Sponsored by the Asia Society, it kicked off at New York's Brooklyn Academy of Music in October.

The play's writer, director, musician and designer, Ratan Thiyam, has long been agitated about the continuing violence in his state and has explored the problem in several previous works. Set in the present, "Nine Hills, One Valley" (the title describes the Manipur landscape) opens with seven old women, guardians of the land's cultural traditions, who confront the evil spirits of violence and suffering and ask them to leave their people in peace. In a slow-motion prologue, this chorus creates stylized tableaux with chants, reminiscent of Greek tragedy, performed in Meitei with minimal English supertitles. Thiyam chooses to emphasize the impact of his stunning visuals and the aural effect of his poetic language over translation and meaning, and he opts for poetic allegory over a conventional linear narrative plot.

But the play deals affectingly with some painful topical subjects. Seven wise men in a deep, centuries-long slumber ...