SINGING FOR MANIPUR

For over a decade, folk-rock ensemble Imphal Talkies and the Howlers have turned the sound of protest into melody, chronicling the realities of Manipur through song. Meet its frontman Akhu Chingangbam.

- ADITHI REENA AJITH

MUSIC, for many, is about love, longing, or loss. For folk-rock ensemble Imphal Talkies and the Howlers, it’s all that—but also about home. About Manipur, a state that has lived under the shadow of violence and the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) for decades. Formed in 2009, the fivemember band has built their sound on protests, turning protest into melody, besides storytelling of insurgency, racial violence, and everyday survival.

Last week, the group performed in Delhi at the Voices of Diversity festival, organised by KNMA, at Sunder Nursery. Akhu Chingangbam led on vocals and guitar, accompanied by Jimbo Ningombam (bass), Charanjit Lairenjam (electric guitar), Binodkanta Ahanthem (violin and pena), Mocha Kangjam (drums), and Amarjit Pebam (saxophone). For Chingangbam, the band’s founder and frontman, being back in Delhi felt like returning to an old chapter of his life.

Chingangbam began the band during his time as a PhD student at Jamia Millia Islamia in the 2008. “I’ve not been in Delhi for over a decade. It’s nostalgic, especially in autumn, in October. My friends were mostly activists—they really shaped my music and my understanding of the world, so it’s fun to be back and sing all these songs in Delhi.”