Issues of the masses in theatre

Expressbuzz, June 20, 2009

IN a non-descript village near Pallahara town of Angul district, an old man of a tribal community was having a heated argument with a young man of his community. “Don’t blame the elephant as an enemy of the human beings, for, they enter into our territory occasionally and damage our crops or houses. Ten years ago, they were not like this. Humans and elephants were friends forever till then. Rather it is we – the humans – who destroy their habitat and render them homeless. When your neighbour illegally occupies a few inches of your land -, you revolt. Why should not animals react when you mercilessly occupy their territory – the forest.”

As Subodh Patnaik, the founder-director of the touring Natya Chetana theatre troupe, overheard the debate, he had his inspiration and the idea for his new production “Bana” (forest) that was premiered in the Capital City last week on the World Environment Day before being taken for a state-wide presentation under its familiar initiative – Antaranga Natya Jatra (intimate theatre trip) that is currently underway in Kalahandi region and will move through Kandhmal, Boudh, Sonepur, Angul and Keonjhar districts.

The play, spread over 80 minutes, poignantly portrays the issues of deforestation, forest rights, rights of the wild animals, role of the government agencies thereof, the greed of the multi-nationals to occupy forest land and resources for mining projects, the role of politicians elected from the same tribal community, the politics of religion to occupy the forest region and the crisis confronted by the tribals and animals for whom the forest is a secured home. Young theatre director and actress Sujata Priyambada has directed the play with a Midas touch too. “She has followed the principal features discovered by Natya Chetana to establish the style as a contemporary Indian theatre style that helps the audience to relate to the settings,” explained Subodh, known for his innovative approach that makes the production simpler and makes the audience more intimate to it.

The play has a variety of characters – a politician, a bureaucrat, (a forest officer, the politician’s daughter, a foreigner, a Father of the Church, a tribal girl and a tribal boy, a Hindu priest and a musician. Interestingly, the troupe members are from diverse backgrounds – from the professionally groomed troupe of Natya Chetana, an actress from The Netherlands and some from the villages where the troupe had its research on the issue before producing the play. Though these village boys were acting on stage for the first time in their life, it was incredibly natural that received appreciation from stalwarts like Bijay Mohanty and Ajit Das, both prominent actors and theatre personalities, who launched the play at the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya auditorium in Bhubaneswar.

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