MANIPUR : A Manipur University teacher is spearheading efforts to revive an endangered manuscript-painting tradition—Subika Art. His work is yielding results. He is not only familiarising people with the centuries-old, lesser-known art form but has also taken it beyond Manipur’s borders.
Dr Sapha Yumnam, who teaches fine arts, seeks to carry the tradition beyond the manuscript into contemporary artistic expression through his Modern Subika. His work has appeared in illustrated books published by Penguin and exhibitions, including one in Washington, DC.
In 2006, while pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Imphal Art College and learning about different schools of Indian art, Sapha came across “Illustrated Manuscript Painting of Manipur” by Mutua Bahadur. The book sparked his interest in Manipur’s manuscript-painting tradition.
“I had no idea about this art form before I came across that book. I asked people about it and found that they were equally unfamiliar with this art form that I found very special,” Sapha says. The discovery raised a question: why was the art form not taught in the Fine Arts curriculum? It became the starting point of his sustained effort to research, reinterpret and bring attention to Subika.
He later went to Chhattisgarh for post-graduation at the Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya, Khairagarh, and began working on Subika, although initially in a low-key manner. Since the art form was new to him, he feared that using it in his studies might affect his marks and avoided including it in his academic work.
“During the final year, I slowly started incorporating selective cultural motifs and visual elements from Manipuri manuscript painting into my artworks. However, very few people recognised those references because there was very little awareness or understanding of this art form,” he says.
After returning to Manipur, he organised exhibitions to spread awareness. He began working on Subika more intensely after joining Manipur University. During his PhD fieldwork, he came across many Subika manuscript paintings in very bad shape and felt the government was not doing enough to preserve them.
Sapha says Subika is mostly mystical and related to divination and astronomy, while his Modern Subika has a broader theme and depicts Manipuri culture. He draws on old manuscripts relating to mythology, folktales, belief systems and practices.
“Unlike traditions influenced by Vaishnavism, Subika does not mainly depict recognisable Hindu deities such as Krishna or Vishnu. Instead, it uses simplified figures, symbolic motifs, organic lines, flattened space, and restrained colours. The paintings are closely connected to the accompanying texts and convey ideas related to cosmology, astrology, rituals, divination, and traditional knowledge,” Sapha says. There are few materials in the public domain, but Sapha believes Subika manuscript paintings date from before the advent of Vaishnavite traditions in Manipur in the 15th century.
“Subika is rooted in Manipur’s manuscript tradition. These manuscripts are rare and unknown to today’s society. With the tradition considered almost extinct, I am trying to reintroduce it to contemporary society through my Modern Subika,” he says. He works with drawings and paintings found in Subika manuscripts, many of which remain outside the public domain, reinterpreting their visual language for contemporary audiences.
In 2020, Penguin engaged Sapha to illustrate a book introducing Subika to readers in Manipur and beyond. He created 24 illustrations for the 12-chapter book on mythology. He later illustrated another Penguin book.