Akhu Chingangbam, Sachidananda Angom, Riki Chingangbam and Raju Athokpam are collectively known as Imphal Talkies. They got together in Imphal in the summer of 2008. The band now is based in New Delhi. The band has supported several social causes, been charged with associations to political factions, and a couple of the members even hold PhDs. Imphal Talkies is an interesting act, to say the least.
We caught up with vocalist/guitarist Akhu Chingangbam.
“How did the name Imphal Talkies come about? It definitely has some connect to cinema or the movies,” I ask over the phone to an unnervingly calm Chingangbam. He tells me that as a child and later in his teenage years, he spent a lot of time at a theatre in Imphal known as Imphal Talkies. “The theatre only screened adult films and adapting that name for the band added a protest feel to the idea of the band.” Of course it was contextual. “As a group of guys, we just wanted to make music; ideologies to our music formed much later. When I ask him about why they do only protest songs, pat comes the reply, “When you grow up in a society which has problems, you want to speak out, be heard.” He confesses that initially, they had no idea they would be doing protest music per se.
We talk about the band’s debut album, Tidim Road, and how it came about. Chingangbam tells me they put the album together with the scholarship money he had received for his PhD. “I had no money to produce the CDs after recording the tracks. I spent all of it on the studio and recording the tracks.” He describes the coming together of the album as a “long process” but sounds proud and almost triumphant at the end of the story. The band performs in both English and Manipuri, so when I ask him if language ever becomes a barrier at shows he tells me (here, I can picture him smiling) how, oddly enough, it had never been a problem. “I explain to the people what the song is trying to convey, and then the music does the rest of the talking itself.”
“Some people are very supportive, while some are not. In fact, lots of Manipuris think I’m associated with political groups – that’s just disappointing,” Chingangbam expresses his concerns when we talk about how people react to Imphal Talkies’ music; knowing it’s protest music and conveys messages of the people who belong to a society that is not really given the first hand. “Yes, but I believe in my causes,” he says. We go on to discuss the several issues his music deals with ranging from Irom Sharmila’s fast to the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA). He recalls how, as a child, he marched for Irom Sharmila on the streets and now, when he sees the national media not giving her any importance, he feels disappointed. As for the AFSPA, he says, “They (the army) shoot at will, rape our women and just get away with it because its a special powers act. It’s ridiculous.”
Chingangbam finds it odd, but also lucky, that he has never been involved in a concert that has been disrupted or cancelled. He pauses for a while here and says, “But, last year, I was to perform back at home in Manipur, for Irom Sharmila. The police, to avoid violence, cancelled the show.” Somewhere, in his clear voice and tone, you understand that the man is incredibly self-aware; almost as if to say, in this context, that he wouldn’t want violence disrupting the cause of non-violence and music. The band had a song, called ‘Eche‘ (meaning sister), for that show which they recorded soon after and shared via the internet. It spread.
As we talk further of show and concerts that Imphal Talkies plays, he tells me they often get invited to protests, marches and peace walks to perform and they are happy to do so. He recalls a specific concert at National School of Drama, New Delhi in 2005 as a special one. “It was just a special performance. Nothing earth shattering… Also, I once performed at this college in New Delhi – all the students were extensively supportive and interacted and, cheered me on. To me, that was a special moment as well, when I realized that music is truly powerful.”
“Currently, I have an album in the works,” he informs me as we come to the end of what has been an enlightening talk with the frontman of a band that is deeply rooted in its cultural heritage and causes. “We want to tour India, but only after the album is done. I’m trying to tie up a couple of NGOs that will make it happen.” As he hangs up, I walk to my desk in the office and put on my headphones to listen to the band’s music again. Truly, there is an honest force behind that voice, which is mellow, but firm in its objectives.
Check out this video of Imphal Talkies’ ‘Qutub Minar’ as showcased on The Music Project by Tehelka.
Stream music from Imphal Talkies here.
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