Pena (musical instrument)

A Pena is a mono string musical instrument falling in the lute category.^[1] It is a traditional music instrument of Manipur and is usually used by the folk singers of Meitei ethnicity, while performing folk music. It is commonly seen in performance during the Lai Haraoba festival also. Pena performance is a dying art form in Manipur as there are only 145 active artists reported in the state. Several organizations including the Laihui Ensemble, are trying their best to preserve the endangered form of traditional art from extinction.^[2]

Pena (musical Instrument) Media

PENA, a dying indigenous musical instrument of this cultured people of Manipur, was played once upon a time as royal court music. In short it is the 'guitar' as in western world and a “sitar" in Indian style. PENA is made up of two parts viz the penamasa (body portion) and Pena cheijing (the fiddle bow). Earlier the PENA was usually played to evoke the gods and goddesses.

References

Other websites

http://manipuronline.com/culture-society/manipuri-shamanistic-music-reaching-out-to-gen-next/2010/12/23 Archived 2014-12-02 at the Wayback Machine

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[1] Pena, the sound of Manipur. 10 May 2018. https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/pena-the-sound-of-manipur/article23837060.ece.

[2] "PENA: THE ROYAL COURT MUSIC OF MANIPUR: The government must frame a policy for preserving the valuable indigenous art forms of various communities in Manipur". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29.

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