From being an admirer to being the face of Indian folk music, the story of Mangka Mayanglambam reiterates the marvel-ous saying, “With great powers, comes great responsibilities.”
“Folk music should be nurtured and promoted in every community. Keeping such so pure and holy and performing it on world-stage, gets challenging at times” says Mangka Mayanglambam, a Pena musician and performer of Manipuri folk music.
Mangka once dreamt and worked to participate in beauty pageants such as ‘Miss Manipur’; little did she know, that she was to become the torch-bearer of Manipuri folk music, representing the art and the nation on multiple global stages. She was honored in 2017 with the Prasar Bharati Doordarshan Annual Award and recognized as an “A” Grade folk singer of All India Radio Imphal and an ICCR Empanelled Artiste.
Mangka Mayanglambam has been engaged with the Laihui Ensemble since 2013 as a musician, researcher, and folk music educator. She holds a Master’s in Sociology from IGNOU.
Coming from a culturally-decorated family, Mangka embarked upon her musical journey when she was merely 8 years old and is now a Visharad in Manipuri dance from Shree Shree Govindaji Nartnalaya. She has acquired the skill of Manipuri folk music from her father since she was a little child, but she has also received instruction in a variety of Manipuri folk genres from renowned Gurus including Guru Langathel Thoinu, Padmashri Guru Khangembam Mangi, and Guru Khumanthem Sundari.
“Being an artist, a Woman, I am proud of myself, proud of my skill” – said the young artist in an interview with Kangla Online (2016), talked about the importance of the support of family – in an individual’s success, along with the hardships and challenges she faced along the way and how her persistent strive and genuine zeal to achieve her dreams led to her earning a name for herself and her art.
In an exclusive interview with Indian Express, Mangka Mayanglambam expressed her feelings about representing India at International music festivals.
“It’s an honor” – she said “to be representing all of India, especially coming from a small state like Manipur. However, I have a great responsibility as a folk musician. I first represented India abroad in 2014 when I was chosen from all over India to participate in one of the biggest radio festivals in the world. That is a memory I will always treasure. I’ve always wanted to teach the next generation about Indian folk music in order to conserve and promote it.”
Mangka Mayanglambam calls her children, her students – her biggest accomplishment even with global collaborative gigs such as ZIRO FOCUS, produced by Ziro Festival of Music under her name, displaying her humble nature and simple outlook towards life.
