SAS Theatre Journal (37th issue) and a Few Untoward Observations
SAS in its
just published 37th annual number is yet another important addition
to the list of Bengali theatre journals as well as is a feather in its own cap
for keeping up to its character of contributing to the repertoire of Bengali
plays that SAS has a tradition of publishing. This voluminous issue has eight
plays of which four are original works, two are adaptations, and two are
translated. Apart from the plays the issue has as usual a number of significant
articles. Presently I would be discussing about the articles only.
Amongst the
essays, the first one is a bicentennial tribute to Michael Madhusudan by the
academician and writer Tapodhir Bhattachraya. A very scholarly treatise that
would surely help those working on Dutta and his work as well as readers like
me who have scanty knowledge about the great poet and his times. But the
accompanying picture of a poster of a performance of Meghnadbadh Kabya
by a group is a bit misleading as the piece has, naturally no reference of the
production.
The next
article is yet another tribute item on the centenary of one of the architects
of modern Indian theater, Habib Tanvir. Kaberi Basu’s treatment of the subject
is interestingly a bit off the usual mode of eulogy. She has tried to dissect
out the master’s theatrical being from his own writings and words, and thus has
shown him from a perspective which is purely her own. This gives the readers
some food for thought.
Just to add
a personal note I would love to mention that in the 70’s on an invitation from the
then Vice-Chancellor of Visva-Bharati, the eminent anthropologist, Prof.
Surajit Sinha, Tanvir had come down to Shantiniketan with a few of his Chhattisgarhi
actor of Naya Theatre and had staged Charandas Chor, with Govind
Ram Nirmalkar playing the lead role. He needed a whole lot of actors to participate in the play which he
built in the Nach idiom. I, doing my final year PG, was fortunate enough to be
included in the batch of students that he picked to be part of the
presentation. He showed us a few simple steps and gestures for us to perform.
It was simply an exhilarating experience, that I would treasure all along.
Getting back
to the discussion, it is interesting to note that the third piece of this
volume is the first instalment of a supposedly serial entitled Bharat
Rahasya Sandhane, which loosely translates into In Search of the Mistry
of Bharata is a dissertation into the enigmatic personality (or
personalities), and the time(s) of Bharata Muni and his Natya Shastra.
The author’s conjectures are no doubt thought provoking especially for readers
like me, who have very sparse and shallow idea about the subject. His
speculations, like many other authorities, on the historicity of Bharata, is
indeed an intriguing point. In this regard, I remember Kapila Vatsyayan’s
comments that I came across in an article on a different context. She argued
that there are strong indications in the text that perhaps it was a work of a
single person. It has also been suggested that Bharata may be a generic name. Whatever,
the readers certainly and eagerly await, (knowing well that it would be a long
wait – yet another year!) the next instalment of this article by Siddartha
Chakraborty, but with a request of a meticulous proof-reading.
Nirmal
Bandopadhyay has written a very important article dealing with the problems of
penning the history of the modern Indian theatre and of building an archive in
his article. The writer has discussed the problems in reference to the
political and cultural perspective that makes it a very noteworthy piece.
Another very
significant article is the one by Rahaman Choudhury on the state of theatre practice
in Bangladesh. This article has obviously been written before the recent
upheaval in that country. It traces the journey of Bangladesh theatre post the
’72 liberation. The author has been very candid in his observations. He has
traced out the theatre atmosphere during Mujib’s time and also during Jia’s
rule and has pointed out the dependence of the groups on the government, in recent
time.
Five
different genres of theatre in the recent Calcutta stage have been discussed by
me in my article and on which I can make no comments, except that it has been
printed with no printing mistakes. Apart from these, this volume has a drama
review by Anirban Manna and a short note on a national festival of intimate
plays held last year by Bibhaban.
Before
ending I would like to comment on the Editorial piece which surprisingly has
nothing regarding the issue or for that matter theatre, but is a very candid
piece on the R.G. Kar issue that has recently tormented the State. I certainly
appreciate the honest approach that the Editor has taken in calling the spade a
‘spade’, though I personally may not believe it to be a ‘spade’. This frankness
of the Editor regarding the state of affairs in our state is laudable and he
has not been elusive to speak out what he feels. But his drawing of an allegory
with Arturo Ui is very far-fetched. Quoting someone’s WhatsApp entry he tells
the story of the Brecht’s play in such a way, that one who is unaware of the
play may think the Brechtian plot did have an episode of a young doctor being
raped and killed, and the place being ransacked by hooligans. However, this
bold approach of the Editor as a critique of the State government, is what is
most striking in these times of duplicity where people hide what they believe
in.
But this
blatancy is diametrically opposite to the so-called ‘protests’ that were staged
in the city and some urban places of the state where it was like coquetry in
the guise of modesty, because it was not the R.G. Kar episode that took the
centre stage ultimately, but a blatant negation of what the state government
had been patiently offering repeatedly. One found a naked show of defiance and
insolence, and a direct affront to the basic health care system that affects the
common man. And this ‘protibad-utsab’ or ‘protest-festival’ of the
Alimuddin-Lenin Sarani-patronized so-called ‘non-political’ front was
particularly a mouth-watering recipe for the leading partner of the Godi Media here
in Bengal, to devour upon.
This last
part of my blog piece may seem out of place in my blog. But I believe I had to
bring in political comments as many people from the theatre world had made it
their vocation, it seemed, to indulge in anti-government sledging through out
the period. As a fall-out some theatre personalities even felt it proper to
return the honours that the state government had bestowed upon them as a token
of protest. Though I do not believe in this mode of protest, but I do respect
their individual decisions. But it was equally surprising to see one amongst
them who also happens to be a very senior Left-oriented playwright, enjoying
the kudos that were ushered on him by the BJP leadership just after in
renouncing of his award!
But the
most depressing fact about the whole episode has been the way a section of
senior doctors who have their careers well established and members of the
so-called ‘civil society’ together with a number of political parties instigated
the juniors to go on for a head-on clash with the state government, risking
their budding careers.
That is
THEATRE in real life, where the playwright, the director and the actors could
be identified easily.
Before signing
off I would once again get back to SAS and would like to say that eagerly I wait
for the next issue with all its treasures.
