Not just a play thing

I still remember Girish Kanrad’s Odakalu Bimba and its English version, A Heap of Broken Images, both directed by him. What attracted me was the theme of the play. Manjula, a writer rejected by the readers of her own language, decides to write a novel in English, which becomes an instant bestseller. Later in a TV interview, she confronts her own image on the screen, which questions if her craving for fame is not actually a betrayal of her own identity? The play explored a subject that could be the story of any Indian author writing in English. It made me wonder how close drama is to our own culture and heritage.

There are references to uparupaka and suktas written in the form of dialogue in the Rigveda, suggesting that they were enacted. The themes include legends of Yama and Yami, Pururava and Urvashi, Indra and Aditi among others, which pre-date even the Natyashastra. During the epic period we find references to drama, dancers, musicians and actors in Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas. Panini mentions it in his Ashtadhyayi, as does Patanjali, in his Mahabhasya in the 4th century. The plays mentioned include Kama Vadha, Bali Bandhan and Sariputra Prakarana. And Kautilya mentions people “making a living from dramatic performances” in his Arthashastra.

Bhasa is considered the earliest playwright and based his work on epics, historical events as well as imaginary themes, Swapnavasavadatta and Pratimanatakam being two of his most popular plays. Other important playwrights were Kalidasa, Shudraka, Vishakhadatta and Bhavabhuti. In the South, Sangam literature (5-4 AD) mentions kuttu and nadakkam, which mean play or entertainment.
Sanskrit dramas were performed in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat until the 15th century. Sanskrit was gradually replaced by regional languages, leading to the birth of folk drama. These retained many conventions of Sanskrit drama — the narrator, the chorus, the jester, and so on. The themes were mainly mythological. There emerged Therukoothu in Tamil Nadu, Yakshagana in Karnataka. Kerala retained Sanskrit drama called Kootiyattam, but also had its own Mudiyettu. Popular folk dramas of North India included Krishna Leela and Ram Leela; Macha of Madhya Pradesh; Jatra and Kirtaniya in Bengal; Oja Pali and Ankia Nat in Assam; Tamasha in Maharashtra; Bhavai in Gujarat; Raas and Jhoomar in Rajasthan, among others. Then came Parsi Natak, Marathi Sangeet Natak and others.

The British rule introduced many radical changes in Indian drama. Not only was it influenced by the Western culture in case of techniques, but the themes also became more contemporary, many of them dealing with the political scene and social problems. One remembers the bold and seditious Keechakvadh in Marathi by Khadiker and Neel Darpan in Bengali by Dinabandhu Mitra. Drama became realistic, focusing not just on royalty, but also the common man, his problems, dreams and aspirations. Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) aimed at connecting with the masses and presented plays that portrayed political protest. Nabanno, depicting the devastating man-made famine of 1943-44, made history in the theatre movement. In Bombay, Prithviraj Kapoor, another pioneer, established the Prithvi Theatre, presenting plays that portrayed the post-war scene, with its people torn by communal strife. Deewar, Pathan, Gaddar and Aahooti were some of his best-loved plays. With the setting up of proper theatre halls — a legacy of the British era — there blossomed many other kinds of plays — poetic and lyrical plays presented by the Tagores (especially Rabindranath) and plays based on popular novels of the time.

During the late 40s, many talented people entered the field. Some were playwrights, some directors, and some who were both. Young directors like Utpal Dutt, Shombhu Mitra, Habib Tanvir, Ebrahim Alkazi and others came up with dynamic and contemporary themes, giving a distinct shape to post-Independence theatre. The National School of Drama (NSD) was established in 1959, followed by the emergence of many fresh playwrights. Mohan Rakesh’s Aashad ka Ek Din, Dharamvir Bharati’s Andha Yug, and Karnad’s Tughlaq, took the audience by storm. Other talented newcomers were Vijay Tendulkar, Badal Sircar, Adya Rangacharya, Mahesh Elkunchwar, Satish Alekar, B V Karanth and Ratan Thiyam.

Undoubtedly, there were and are many others who deserve to be mentioned. But as I am not a historian, I chose to write about my personal recollections. Karnad remains one of my all-time favourites. I still recall his Tuglaq, staged against the battlements of Purana Qila, where the events were remarkably similar to contemporary reality, with Tughlaq reminding one of Nehru, who dreamed of taking the country forward and how his efforts were thwarted at each step. Perhaps nothing touches the heart as much as a good play!