Byron Aihara has spent four and a half of the past 11 years living and traveling extensively throughout India and Nepal. He is a graduate of the UCLA School of Film and Television with a degree in production. In 2013 he completed his first feature film documentary Marriage in Chanderi, a film set in rural Madhya Pradesh, India. When not living and researching on long term documentary projects, Byron lives in the California Bay Area. His work has been published in Surfer Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler (India), The Hindu, Hindustan Times, Times of India, and other publications. Byron currently has a profile and gallery sponsored by LensCulture.com.
Byron Aihara’s current long term research is large in scope. It’s current working title is, The Manipur Project. Its mission statement is the recording and documentation of the many traditional dance musics and rituals of Manipur and the Northeast Indian states. With a focus on those which are endangered or are in need of immediate protection. With the first phase of research completed, Byron has spent 16 months in the field, amassing an archive of over 40,000 photographs and over 100 hours of video and sound field recordings.
The book, Dance Music and Ritual in Manipur, is the first product of this project.
In Dance Music and Ritual in Manipur, the book focuses on the Meitei and Chakpa communities of Manipur, who are the largest ethnic group of the state. The main chapter is centered around the yearly festivals known as Lai Haraoba. They are the celebration and remembrance of Manipur’s sylvan deities and ancestors known as the Umang Lai. The second chapter of the book focuses on the Classical Dance tradition known as Ras Lila. The final chapter of the book then focuses on daily life and rituals in Manipur and has a small overview of the many hill tribes of the state.
Find more at this
Website: http://manipurbook.com/
facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/ManipurBook/
