Organised
efforts to stifle people's theatre movement
Indian Express–New
Delhi, Monday, December 30, 1991
Shamsul Islam
Street theater as a voice of the
voiceless emerged around 1967, both as a medium of communication and as a
vehicle of change in a society which was in a state of total stagnation.
Political, social and economic
institutions were not only declining but also degenerating, and the media-the
press, the radio, the TV and even the established theatre had become the
mouthpiece of the ruling classes strongly resisting any signs of change.
It was in these circumstances
that this new theatre campaign emerged as a platform for the anti-establishment
forces providing them not only with a forum to experiment in new forms but also
to express their dissenting opinion. It was not only an alternative theatre
conceptually, but also had a political message. It stood for an alternative
social set-up; the establishment of a more humane, egalitarian society.
Such an instrument of change was
bound to become a target of attack for all those who wanted to maintain the
status quo. The most obvious way out was the physical liquidation and
repression of these activists.
Theatre activists like Prabir
Datta and Subha Rao Panigrahi were killed in the late 60’s by goondas in
connivance with the police in West Bengal and
Andhra Pradesh respectively. Similarly, Rajan and a theatre worker were
liquidated by the police during the emergency in Kerala. In 1982, the Kerala
government taking recourse to the notorious anti-communist Travancore Cochin
Act (1984) banned street theatre. In Basti (UP), the police picked up an
actress in the midst of a performance and allegedly gang-raped her in order to
teach her a lesson.
Safdar Hashmi and his troupe, the
Jana Natya Manch, too were attacked by goons in the outskirts of Delhi which
resulted in the death of Hashmi and Ram Bahadur, an onlooker. Only in
September’91 the well-known theatre activist from Punjab,
Sukhdev Preet and his wife were hanged in Amritsar
for daring to preach communal harmony through plays and songs. These are just a
few instances of the never-ending torture of the activists.
However, the real attack on the
street theatre has come at the ‘ideological–theoretical level. Realising that
sheer force is not enough, the ruling classes have orchestrated a campaign to
confuse, adopt and co-opt the peoples’ theatre movement.
The gurus of the
pro-establishment theatre are working overtime to decry street theatre as “no
theatre”. It has been described as an insult to theatre, ignorant of art and
aesthetics, gutter theatre and what not. It has also been argued that all
sensible artists should move out of it. The gurus were even willing to teach
these reformed artists art, histrionics and real theatre.
In fact, not long ago, the Indian
National Theatre (SRC) established in 1950’s to counter the growing influence
of Indian People’s Theatre Association, in collaboration with the Ford
Foundation, a US outfit in India, organised a week-long seminar on folk and
people’s theatre in India.
They also sent out feelers to the
street theatre groups that such agencies were willing to sponsor their plays
provided street theatre got rid of its political bias.
However, the hypocrisy of the
ruling classes was most clearly exposed in the Safdar Hashmi issue. Suddenly,
one day, Mandi House was named as Safdar Hashmi Marg. Gursharan Singh, who was
once described as Commander-in-Chief of peoples’ theatre was recently been
nominated as President of Sangeet Natak Academy by the Punjab Government.
By adopting and co-opting such
voices of dissent the ruling classes have achieved two objectives in one
stroke. They have been able to impress upon the people that they are part of
the same heritage and that Safdar or Gursharan Singh are their own people. Thus
whatever they did or are doing are in conformity with the views of the martyrs.
This is bound to create confusion about the credibility of such voices of
dissent. On the other hand they also want to encash on the credibility of such
activity. Thus by seemingly aligning with the street theatre movement they want
to cover up their barbaric face.
The peoples’ theatre movement
will have to face this challenge but time is fast running out.
(The author is Leftwing street theatre activist associated
with Nishant Natya Manch.)
[This article also carried a
photograph of a street theatre performance which is not reproduced here.]
