LIVING TRADITIONS IN MOTION: PRESERVATION, TRANSMISSION, AND INNOVATION IN BISHNUPRIYA MANIPURI FOLK SONGS OF NORTH-EAST INDIA

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This article examines Bishnupriya Manipuri folk songs as living cultural expressions within the framework of “living traditions,” focusing on processes of preservation, intergenerational transmission, and adaptive innovation in North-East India. Rooted in the socio-cultural landscapes of Assam, Tripura, and adjacent regions of Bangladesh, Bishnupriya Manipuri song traditions encode collective memory, ritual cosmology, agrarian rhythms, and ethical values. Drawing on qualitative ethnographic methods, including participant observation, interviews with tradition bearers, and close reading of selected song texts, the study argues that these songs continue to thrive through oral transmission and community performance while also adapting to contemporary stages, recordings, and digital circulation. The article situates Bishnupriya Manipuri musical practices within broader regional folk ecologies of North-East India and within global debates on intangible cultural heritage. It demonstrates that preservation is most effective when embedded in everyday practice; transmission depends on relational pedagogy and linguistic continuity; and innovation enables cultural relevance without eroding inherited aesthetic cores.