Chapter 1

Introdution

Indian theatre has an unbroken history of over two thousand years.

Almost contemporaneous with Aristotle's poetics, ancient India produced
an encyclopaedic manual on theatre called Natyashastra ascribed to
Bharata, which became the basis Indian performances genres for
centuries to come. This means that there already a rich tradition of
performance practice long before such a work appeared. The aesthetic
theory of rasa briefly but cogently expounded in Natyashastra influenced
Indian aesthetic theory and practice for more than a millennium.

This was the second phase of the evolution of theatre in India, which was
based on oral tradition. This form of theatre was being performed from
about 1000 AD onwards up to 1700 AD and continued further till today
in almost every part of India. Emergence of this kind of theatre is linked
with the change of political set up in India as well as the coming into
existence of different regional languages in all parts of the country. The
classical theatre was based on Natyashastra was much more sophisticated
in its form and nature and totally urban oriented. On the country, the
traditional theatre evolved out or roots and was more simple, immediate
and closed to the rural milieu.

It was during 15-16th century that the folk theatre emerged forcefully in
different regions. Indian folk theatre can be broadly divided into two
broad categories religion and secular giving rise to Ritual Theatre and
theatre of entertainment respectively. Most often the folk and tradition
forms are mainly narrative or vocal i.e. signing and recitation based like
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Ramlilia, Raslilla, Bhand and Nautanki without any complicated gesture
or movement and elements of dance. India is also rich in ballad singing
tradition such as Pubuji-ki-pukar of Rajasthan and Nupipaalaa of
Manipur.

While most of these theatrical styles have their own unique form
dependent on their local customs, they differ from one another in
execution, staging, costumes, make-up and acting style although there are
some broad similarities. The south Indian form emphasis on dance form
like Kathakali and Krishnattam of Kerala and actually qualify as dance
drama, while the north Indian forms emphasis on songs like Khyal of
Rajasthan, the Nacha of MP, the Nautanki of UP and Swang of Punjab,
Jatra of Bengal, Tamasha of Maharashtra and Bhavai of Gujarat stress
on dialogue in their execution, the latter two emphasise on comedy and
satire.

After the breakdown of Sanskrit classical tradition in North India in the

10th century, there was a reflowering of the of the performance tradition
in South India. It was first manifested in Kuttiyattam of Kerala, the only
surviving performing tradition of Sanskrit drama. Kuttiyattam found
place in large Vishnu temples performed in Temple theatre called
Kuttambalam. Kings provided the patronage to the theatres. Later, in
Kerala itself in the 16th century, there developed two highly evolved
forms - Krishnattam, an eight-cycle play on the life of Krishna which
found place in large Krishna temple of Guruvayur. Along with this,
Kathakali with its highly codified performance elements also developed.
Kathakali too, found patronage from the kings and the temple. Similarly
in Karnataka state there evolved in the 17th century Yakshagana which
performs stories from the two epics. All these forms retained recitation

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and story-telling format which have been the roots forms of the Indian
performance tradition.
Traditional Theatre

An important point needs to be made at the very outset: the word

tradition
carries within it a contradiction charged with repercussions. In its primary
tradition

tradition represents an attempt at mummification, the preservation of

external forms at all costs inevitably concealing a corpse within, for any
vital correspondence with the present moment is entirely absent.1

Tradition
religious or moral practices, transmitted from century to century,

legendary information, related to the past, primarily transmitted orally

from generation to generation.

So in essence Tradition is concerned with the transmission of a body of

knowledge on the spiritual evolution of man, his position in different

1
Article on Peter Brook and Traditional Thought , by Basarab Nicolescu Translated
by David Williams. (This essay was originally published in French in Les Voies de la
Cration Thtrale, Vol. XIII (CNRS Editions, Paris, 1985, edited by Georges Banu).

Page 18 of 261
knowledge is therefore unvarying, stable, permanent, despite the
multiplicity of forms assumed in its transmission, and despite those
distortions brought about by history and the passage of time. Although its
transmission is usually oral, Tradition can also be conveyed by means of
the science of symbols, by various writings and works of art, as well as
by myths and rituals.

Traditional knowledge was established in ancient times, but it would be

futile to loo
concerned, Tradition could be conceived to be outside both space
(geographical) and time (historical). It is eternally present, here and now,
in every human being, a constant and vital wellspri
Tradition can only be metaphysical. By addressing itself to what is
essential in mankind, Tradition remains very much alive in our times.

One can find a precise point of contact between Tradition and theatre in
vital immediacy a quality reflected in its oral
transmission, in its constant reference to the present moment and to
experience in the present moment.

happens at that precise moment when you perform, that moment at which
the world of the actors and the world of the audience meet. A society in
miniature, a microcosm brought together every evening within a space.
te of
2

2
Article on Peter Brook and Traditional Thought , by Basarab Nicolescu Translated
by David Williams. (This essay was originally published in French in Les Voies de la
Cration Thtrale, Vol. XIII (CNRS Editions, Paris, 1985, edited by Georges Banu).

Page 19 of 261
 Ritual Theatre

Scholars say that the ritual theatre emerged as result of the Bhakti
movement in medieval India. Unlike orthodox Hindus, followers of the
Bhakti movement believed that man could approach God directly, rather

name was considered an act of faith. Thus theatre becomes the perfect
vehicle for communicating that faith through depicting the act of god,
both for those performing it as well as those witnessing it. The Ramlila,
Krishnalila and Raslila, performed in various north Indian states, are
excellent example of this kind of theatre; other example includes the
Prahlad nataka of Orrissa, Teyyam, Krishnattam and Muttreyllyu of
Kerala and Terakutu of Tamil Nadu among other.

Rise of Modern Theatre

Against the background of this rich tradition, Indian drama was reborn
during British colonial interregnum in 18th and 19th centuries. The
impetus came from two sources: the rich heritage of Indian drama and the
exposure to Western dramatic classics through English. Translations
started appearing simultaneously of Sanskrit classics and Western
classics, particularly Shakespeare. Till now drama had not developed as a
major literary genre in Indian languages. Drama now began to flourish as
a cherished literary genre alongside the modern genre of fiction, also a
response to Western influence

The development of Modern theatre in India may be attributed to change

in the political set up in India. The 200 years of the British rule brought
the Indian theatre into direct contact with the western theatre; the seeds of

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modern theatre were sown in the late 18th century, with the consolidation
of British power in Bengal, Maharashtra and Tamilnadu. It was in the
thriving metropolises of Bombay, Calcutta and madras that they first
introduced their brand of theatre, based on London models. The initial
purpose of the British, while introducing modern theatre in India was to
provide entertainment for the British soldier and citizens trying to
acclimatize themselves to a foreign country. For the first time in India,
the writing and practice of theatre was geared fully towards realistic or
non realistic presentation. The themes also underwent a drastic change.
They were no more woven around big heroes and gods, but had become a
picture of common man. Initially most dramatics works were composed
in three languages Bengali, Tamil and Marathi. But later plays begin to
be written in other languages like Kannada, Guajarati, Hindi, Omiya,
Urdu and English.

But Bengal in its Jatra form had vigorous indigenous theatre. Vidya
Sunder, dealing with the story of two young lovers, was quite popular
among the locals at the time. Regretfully, this was rejected by the
intellectuals and the aristocracy on the ground of obscenity in the
performance.

In some languages, however, dramatics created modern drama on the

model of indigenous forms. For instance, in Hindi, Bhartendu
Harishchandra was the first dramatist who wrote plays on the model of
traditional forms like Rasalila. He also wrote a play Vidya Sunder based
on the story popular in Jatra. In another theatrically strong region,
Maharashtra, Vishnu Das Bhave wrote first modern Marathi play Sita
Swayamvar in 1843 taking inspiration from the indigenous form
Yakshagan of Karnataka as prevalent in the Sangli region of Maharashtra.

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According to Suresh Avasthi the first proscenium theatre was built in
Calcutta in 1860, forcing frontal view of the performance on the
spectators. This totally changed the aesthetics of reception of a theatrical
performance and also broke close and intimate relationship between the
actors and spectators. Indian audiences had traditionally seen
performances often by moving from different angles and levels, having
multiple perception of a performance. Sculpture on the other walls of the
temples is also meant to be seen by making parikrama
(circumambulation) because it is only then that the sculptures make their
full dramatic impact on the viewers.

However, independence in 1947 generated a process of decolonisation of

our life, arts and cultural modes. Senior directors like Habib Tanvir in
Hindi, Sombhu Mitra in Bengali in the North ,B.V. Karanth and K.N.
Panikkar in the South and Kanailal and Ratan Thiyam in Manipur, took
the lead to have an encounter with the tradition, and to match the intensity
with which the modern theatre had arisen with violent rupture from the
indigenous theatre. This encounter has given rise to 'new' contemporary
theatre with some distinctive features. The emergence of new theatre has
been prompted by quest for identity and search for roots. It has also led to
the creation of two streams in modern theatre.

Contemporary directors, heirs of a glorious tradition, are remaking the

idiom of theatre by drawing on resources of old traditions and of the
electronic age. Performed in 24 major languages and in many tribal
languages and in English, Indian theatre today has infinite varieties and
potentials, which is still attracting audiences in spite of the overwhelming
popularity of its rivals-cinema and television. It is therefore one of the
most potent expressions of contemporary India and the world.

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 Music and Movements

As per Shri Suresh Avasthi mentioned in his article that with the decline
of naturalistic theatre and the emergence of new theatre following the
performance practice, music and movements have been brought back. It
was Habib Tanvir who in mid-50s in his theatre used music, songs,
movements, dance and poetry, which were practically exiled from the
naturalistic theatre. His production of Agra Bazar, a play constructed by
himself on the poetry and life of popular poet Nazir of Agra was a
celebration of life on the stage. He put on the stage a whole Bazar scene
with hawkers selling their goods and singing Nazir's poems. Later Tanvir
did this play again in local dialect with the folk performers of Nacha
form of his region Chhattisgarh.

Music has now become so important and integral to the performance that
it has acquired the status of a theatre language like that of the dramatic
text itself. It has its own channel of communication. From the
Natyashastra to the other treatises, all have laid great emphasis on music
in drama. In all traditional forms music and movements are integral to the
performance.

It is a special feature of the new theatre that several directors are also
music composers and compose music for their productions in relation to
the dramatic text and movements. K.N. Panikkar, B.V. Karanth and Ratan
Thiyam are the senior directors who compose music for their productions.
One may say that a new class of theatre music composers has emerged. In
the credit list for a theatrical production, the name of music composer is
given along with other technicians.

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 in his production of Sanskrit plays make entrances and
exits in highly stylized gait set to tala and accentuated by the drum. This
greatly increases the impact of the entrances and exits of the actors. Both
Panikkar and Karanth use swar patterns and bols as music. Karanth also
uses alap, chant and humming for musical effect. In new theatre, music
rather than being ornamental has become functional and organic.

Along with music, dance like movements are also added. Some directors
use the services of dancers and choreographers to work on a scheme of
movements and their names are given in the credit list.

Ratan Thiyam's famous play Chakravyuth which was full of movements

and rhythm and was based on Abhimanyu story from the Mahabharata
heralded the beginning of the new theatre. While this production made
great impact on the audiences used to spoken theatre; it was disapproved
by the directors who still practiced realistic theatre. They commented it
was ballet and not theatre. They did not realize that Indian tradition did
not exclude movements and rhythm from a theatrical production.

Indigenous Theatre Style A New Theatre

One of the several features important for the understanding of the

aesthetics of new theatre is the rejection of the proscenium theatre by
most of the directors. They use variety of performance spaces to bring
about a closer relationship between the actors and spectators, and also
provide a new perception of the performance.

It is paradoxical that in a theatrical tradition which provides a great

variety of spaces with most exciting environmental features, the modern
theatre that arose during the mid-nineteenth century chose for itself
proscenium theatre. The flexibility of the performance space is utilized
for mounting production in different designs. More and more, younger

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directors are using simple open spaces and the space determines the
design of the production.

It was in the west in the early 1960s that the theatre directors revolted
against the proscenium theatre in order to experiment with their
productions. In proscenium tradition the viewing is fronted and is found
to one unitary channel. It was to break this monotony of unilaterity of
frontal viewing in proscenium theatre that necessitated architectural
changes. This resulted in the creation of thrust stage, arena stage and
theatre-in-the round. These varieties of stages brought about closer
relationship between the actor and the spectators with possibilities for
manipulating the relationship and providing multiple perceptions of
performance. The monotony of production design conditional by the
proscenium theatre format was thus broken and enabled the directors to
shape their productions in relation to the type of stage they used.

An important feature of the new theatre is the endeavour to get back to

the classics. In Maharashtra, with the singing of the shlokas in the style of
Sangeet Natak (musical form), the classics also became part of the
Marathi Sangeet Natak, which is a special feature of the Marathi theatre.

Panikkar's Madhyam Vyayog made great impact on the audience and

marked the beginning of rediscovery of in theatrical terms.
Panikkar was followed by Ratan Thiyam who also did successful
productions of Urubhangam and Karnabharam in Manipuri putting
strong imprint rich performance culture. These productions
completely negated and proved meaningless conventional text book
productions of Sanskrit plays. His actors make strong and prolonged
entrances and exits with dance-like movements. His compositions and
groupings are pleasant and powerful. Speech of his actors is almost

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explosive inspired as it is by Wari-Liba, the story-telling form of
Manipur.

Theatre based of Folklore

As a result of encounter with the traditional theatre, several directors

following Tanvir's example started working with the mixed group of folk
performers and urban actors often using folk legends and community
myths. As a result a new theatrical genre called folkloric theatre has
emerged. The credit of eliminating the great divide between modern-
urban and folk-rural theatre goes to the senior theatre director, Habib
Tanvir. With his new folkloric theatre, working with the performers of
Nacha form of his region, Chhattisgarh he blurred the line between these
two worlds. Nacha performers are brilliant singers and dancers, and
perform with great gusto. Habib Tanvir produced his famous Charandas
Chor based on a folk tale of Rajasthan.

The power of traditional themes, music and dance used by the directors
made these folkloric performances quite popular with the audience. For
instance, cutting across linguistic barrier Habib Tanvir's Charandas Chor
has been receiving large enthusiastic response from the audience in
Kolkata. Similarly, Waman Kendre in Mumbai has developed into a
bright young director after his successful production of Zulva during one
of such festivals. Zulva is based on a powerful story concerning the
Yellamma community. Jaishri from Bangalore has two presented a
brilliant play Lakshapati Rajan Katha by M.S. Nagarajan.

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As part of folkloric theatre movement, several directors are now working
with mixed cast of urban and folk actors. Neelam Man Singh Chaudhary
working in Chandigarh has professional Naqqals of Punjab in her group,
who had with great virtuosity dance and movements to all her
productions and act as female impersonators and work as stage hands too.
She did Raja Bharthari, a traditional play, imparting it a contemporary
idiom. Later, she did a production of Lorca's Yarma in adaption by
Punjab's famous poet Pattar. The production of Yarma was greatly
admired for its strong images echoing the agony of Yarma's barrenness.
Later, she did Girish Karnad's play Nagmandal based on two Kannada
folk tales. With complex weaving of the thematic material, the play
moves on several planes. She mounted the production with moving
ritualistic images and put a strong imprint of Punjab's rich culture of
traditional arts and crafts. Mena Gurjari by R.CPakih and directed by
Jaswant Thakart where element of Bhavai is used. In Nag Bodas play Nar
Nari, Khabsurat Bahu is based on the Nautanki Style.

With the breakaway from the naturalistic spoken theatre in early 1960's,
several directors of the new theatre used yoga, martial arts, circus skills,
gymnastics and acrobatics to impart physicality and plasticity to a
theatrical performance and evolved their own system of training. These
systems are primarily suited to their own production but also have wider
applicability. Some of the senior directors who have evolved their own
systems of training are: K.N. Panikkar, B.V. Karanth, Ratan Thiyam,
Kanhai Lal, Bansi Kaul and N.Muttuswami.

As part of the actor training system, K.N. Panikkar has developed

rhythmic exercises taking inspiration from some of the traditional
performance modes of his region. Rhythm is provided by actors

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themselves who chant, recite, sing or perform exercises to the tune of the
music of drum. The use of Charis is a distinctive feature of Panikkar's
production design.

Like Panikkar, Kanhai Lal has evolved his own theatrical idiom with
emphasis on lyrical images. Kanhai Lal puts emphasis on breathing and
physio-psycho impulses. In Manipur because of the strong tradition of
martial art, Thang-Ta and complex religious performance forms like
Natsankirtan, the body culture is very rich. Kanhai Lal and Ratan Thiyam
have exploited the Manipur tradition of rich body culture to train their
performers.

New theatre has produced some modern classics. Vijay Tendulkar's

Ghasi Ram Kotwal is one such play on the life of morally decadent
Peshwa ruler Nana Phadnavis and the corrupt Brahmans of Pune with
music and dance woven in the very fabric of the play inspired by
Dashavatar traditional form. These elements of traditional form sharpen
the irony of the situations. Jabbar Patel's production of the same play in
1973 is a landmark in the new theatre. The play has been performed in
several Indian languages and has enjoyed great popularity. Girish Karnad,
noted Kannada playwright, wrote Hayavadan taking inspiration from
Thomas Mann's short novel Transposed Heads which is turn is based on
an ancient Indian tale given in Kathasaritsagar by Gunadhya. The play
has been constructing using elements from the traditional form of
Yakshagan of his region. B.V. Karanth's production of the play in 1971
with music and movements is another significant work of the new theatre.
The play has been performed in several Indian languages and is marked
for its innovative structure and elements.

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Another Kannada playwright Chandrasekhar Kambar, poet, novelist and
folklorist has written several plays which have been performed in
Kannada, Hindi and other major languages. He draws upon the rich
resources of folklore and uses elements from Bayalata, a folk form of his
region. His most popular play Jokumaraswamy, which received the
national award, starts with a fertility rite in honour of the phallic deity
Jokumar, who is worshipped in the form of a snake gourd and then
consumed by those desirous of bearing children. An impotent landlords'
virgin wife feeds the snake gourd by mistake to the village rake and has a
child by him. The rake's death at the hands of the landlord is a kind of
gang-rape-cum-fertility offering. The landlord himself is literally left
holding the baby he cannot disposes off.

Similarly senior Hindi actor-directors Shyamanand Jalan in Calcutta and

late Sataydev Dubey in Bombay, both working in realistic mould, have
done several productions over the years. Their productions are mounted
with great competence. Their forte is the dramatic word, and delivery of
dialogues. Badal Sarkar's play Evam Indrajit and Gyandev Agnihotri's
Shuturmurg are Jalan's noteworthy productions in which he resorted to
stylization with great success. Credit goes to Dubey for first discovering
theatrical potentialities Andha Yug when he presented it in

Another senior Bengali actor-director, the late Utpal Dutt, committed to

Marxist ideology practiced political theatre. He is known for mounting
massive productions with large sets and crowd scenes. Dutt mostly wrote
his own plays Angar on the problems of the coal miners was a great
success and created sensation with lighting designed by Tapas Sen. Dutt
remained committed to his philosophy of revolutionary theatre and to his

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political ideas. He also wrote and directed plays for Jatra, the indigenous
popular theatre form.

Encounter with performance tradition and the rise of a new theatrical

form and idiom has led to a great debate in contemporary Indian theatre.
Those playwrights and directors who still practice naturalistic theatre
denounce these efforts and consider the use of performance elements and
conventions from the traditional and folk theatre as misappropriation. The
protagonists of the new theatre lay emphasis on return to roots to liberate
Indian theatre from its colonial moorings.

However, encounter with rich performance tradition has reversed the

process and the theatrical productions have acquired new idiom. Directors
now maximize stage sings and symbols and minimize literary sings, thus
creating a rich performance text. Traditionally, there has always been
great emphasis on creating a performance text rich in staging elements
and visual quality. Tradition even provides a separate word for
performance text. In Sanskrit, dramatic text is referred to as Kavya or
Drishya Kavya, whereas performance text is prayoga. Similarly Jatra of
West Bengal is a performance form and pala is a dramatic text. Bhand
Pather of Kashmir is dramatic text, whereas Bhand Jashna is
Performance text.

In this running account of the modern theatre which arose in the mid-
nineteenth century under the direct influence of British theatrical
tradition causing a breach with the old and living performance tradition of
the country, and emergence of 'new' theatre after Independence as part of
the process of de-colonisation and quest for identity.

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Now a day the talk on the National theatre is on its peak. In the
globalization era we all are moving towards the Atomic world and
mechanical world. It is necessary to get relaxation in the stressful modern
life, as it has been already proven so many times Art is the best medicine
and too our regional traditional form, our rituals are so strong in this
connection, then why not we go towards our roots and flow like river by
using this, we may make our impression something different in the
theatre world.

In my later on chapter I will try to study the performances done by the

directors like Late Habibi Tanvir, Shri K.N.Panicker and Shri Ratan
Thiyam where the elements of the Indian tradition are used. By using the
indigenous source material what kind of new impact have been come out
and how we can reach on path towards the new theatre and indigenous
style are on the roll or not. What kind of the improvement is required has
to be finding out.

These all three directors are different in their works for example Late Shri
Habib Tanvir was used a local dialect of Chhattisgarh and mainly focused
on the folk theatre of their region. Shri K.N.Panikkar used the traditional
form like Kuttiyattam which is the only form have Sanskrit theatres
element in it. While Shri Ratan Thiyam is using the traditional elements
of Manipur like Lai haroba, Thang Ta etc.., in his production and also the
visual formation by the latest technology without hurting the content of
the play.

There are so many directors are using the traditional and rituals elements
in their play but they all are success upto certain level. But these three
directors have kept our tradition on the highest level and world has now

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following them. If we understand this intricacies and microscopic view of
their work we can be more on the way of the indigenous style. As the
focus of my research is on Habib Tanvir, Ratan Thiyam and K N
Panikkar I will discuss about him in detail in the separate chapter but few
directors like Ebrahm Alkazi, B.V.Karant and Neelam Man Sing have a
major contribution in shaping the modern theatre using the tradition in
their own way. At some point we may say they are the pioneer, so it is to
be discussed, I will give brief detail of their biography here and in later
chapter I will discuss their work in other chapter.

Ebrahim Alkazi

If we were to choose an individual who formed the concept of Indian

theatre, it would almost certainly be Ebrahim Alkazi. But the fact that he
is the offspring of a Saudi Arabian father and a Kuwaiti mother is one of
those ironies with which theatre history bristles. In the immediate post-
Independence era, the need for a national theatre was a desperate
obsession.

The Sangeet Natak Akademi-National Academy of the Performing Arts

was born with the National School of Drama (NSD) attached to it. But it
was the then 37-year-old Alkazi, appointed the first director of NSD in
1962, who defined what the term would mean. A graduate of the Royal
Academy of Dramatic Art, London, he spurned several offers to work in
the UK and returned to Mumbai to start his own theatre.

His later achievements at NSD have tended to overshadow his work in

Mumbai, but in an era which deified George Bernard Shaw and
considered the drawing room the defining locus of modernity, Alkazi
revealed to Mumbai the riches of Sophocles, Anouilh and Strindberg.

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Alkazi served as NSD's director for 15 years, no mean feat given the
political and bureaucratic interference, staff lethargy and student
indiscipline endemic to these institutions in India. B.V. Karanth, his
student and successor to the post, barely lasted three years.
But Alkazi taught himself Sanskrit, worked with his students for 12 hours
a day and insisted on hands on exercises with meticulous attention to
detail.

His fundamental contribution was to devise a methodology of theatre

training which has continued after him, and to create a body of actors and
directors which transformed the notion of theatre at the grassroots level. It
would be no exaggeration that the concept of a professional director was
unknown in most parts of India until Alkazi's students began to return
home in the '60s, carrying with them a new sense of expertise and
dedication. Most importantly, he spurred his students to look at regional
drama.

But those close to him which, needless to add, include many of his
students - swear by his warmth, sense of humour, deep concern for people
and intense sensitivity. These qualities often prompted him to retreat into
a shell of hauteur and portentousness to shield himself from the
controversies and public criticism that his immense achievements have
inevitably exposed him to. Doors that we, in our vernaculars, did not even
know existed had begun to open. Alkazi has been accused of being
tyrannical, intolerant of difference of opinion and impatient with what he
considered mediocrity.

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 B.V.Karanth :

Babukodi Venkataramana Karanth is a popular name in contemporary

Indian theatre. Popularly known as B. V. Karanth, was nationally
recognized for the rich variety and high quality of his achievements in
various languages. He was also famous for directing plays, composing
music, conducting workshops, translating or adapting, and heading
prominent cultural organizations. B. V. Karanth also scored music for
cine directors like Mrinal Sen and Girish Kasaravalli, and contributed

B.V.Karanth was born in Manchi, in 1929. That is a small village in

Dakshin Kannad district of Karnataka. Karanth first acted in the title role
of Kuvempu`s Nanna Gopala i.e. "My Gopala" at the age of 7. While
still in school, he left home to join Gubbi H. Veeranna`s company named
Gubbi Company in 1944. He was there for six years. After this, he
developed his interests in theatre, music, and literature. Gubbi sent him to
Varanasi for higher studies. There he completed his MA in Hindi
language at Banaras Hindu University and learnt classical music from
Pandit Omkarnath Thakur. Subsequently, he enrolled at the newly
established National School of Drama (NSD), worked in Delhi for a
while as a school teacher and participated in theatre with Dishantar, and
came back to his home state in the late 1960s.

By that time, a new theatre movement was taking shape in Karnataka of

which he first became a catalyst and later a protagonist. From 1967, B.V.
Karanth directed plays, often at a feverish pace, travelled to different
parts of Karnataka, and soon created a large following for his brand of
theatre and music. The festival of plays he directed in Bengaluru during

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1972 stands as a landmark in Kannada Theatre. By 1977, he was well
known outside the Indian state of Karnataka and was nominated Director
of the NSD during 1977-81.

Neelam Man Singh

Neelam Man Singh was born on April 14th, 1951 in Amritsar. Her father,
Dr. Man Singh Nirankari was an eminent ophthalmologist, who retired as
the principal of medical College Amritsar. He was also a theologist and
used to write poems. It inspired Neelam Man Singh for art and literature.
She went to Sacred Heart High School in Amritsar for schooling and then
did M. A. in History of Fine Arts from Punjab University, Chandigarh.
After this she went to National School of Drama for formal training of
drama, which was a hobby till now. After completing three years, she
went to Mumbai.

After a short stay in Mumbai where she trained children in the arts of
theatre, she moved in 1979 to Bhopal, working with the Rang Mandala, a
repertory attached to Bharat Bhavan. In 1984 she moved to Chandigarh,
forming a theatre company of her own under the name The Company.
That is the city where she has stayed since, teaching at the Department of
Indian Theatre of the Punjab University since 1990, and heading it for a
time as its Chairperson.

number of major national and International Festivals. Among them have

been The London International Festival of Theatre ( 1993, 1995,1997)
The Uzbekistan International Theatre Festival (1993), The Festival
dAvignon ( 1995), The Festival of Perth ( 1999,2000), The Singapore

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Arts Festival (2002), The Laokoon Festival in Hamburg ( 2003), The
Japan Festival of the Arts (2003 and 2007 in Tokyo and Kyoto ), The
Zanani Festival in Lahore (2004,2005,2006), and the Sadler Wells
Theatre Festival in London (2009). The plays produced by her repertory,
The Company, have for the most part been based upon great classics of
the western world, rendered into Punjabi by the eminent poet, Surjit
Patar. For many of them the music was composed by B.V. Karanth.

Dr. Neelam Man Singh Chowdhry, whose doctoral work was on Situating
Contemporary Punjabi Theatrical Practice in the Context of the Trends in
Modern Indian Drama 1970-2007, has been the recipient of several
awards, The Padma Shree 2011, the Sangeet Natak Akademi award
(2003), and The Shiromani Bhasha Vibhag Award in 2004. She is a
member of the Academic Council of the National School of Drama, and
serves on the advisory panel for theatre for The Indian Council for
Cultural Relations. She has also been a member of the General Council of
the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi.

This indigenous style I feel will only be achieved by studying the work of
these directors.
understand the root of rich rituals and tradition. Our rituals and tradition
so powerful that any script can be fitted into it without hurting the
original thought.

understand in brief the Traditional theatre form of India.

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 Traditional Theatre Forms

Bhavai :

Bhavai is the popular folk theatrical form of Rajasthan and Gujarat. The
pioneer of Bhavai was a Brahmin known as Asait Thakore or Ashram
Maharaja, who lived in a village of Gujarat called Unjha. Initially, the
Bhavai performance was presented as a religious ritual to propitiate the
Goddess Amba and it took place only during the religious festivals of
Navratra. Very soon it got converted as an important form of the theatre
of entertainment. The Bhavai has a series of playlets known as Vesha or
Swanga. Each Vesha has its own plot and locale. There need not be any
continuity of homogeneity among them. The Veshas has four broad
category of themes i.e. mythological, social, royal Rajput and
contemporary. The Veshas of Krishna and Gopi, the Veshas Zanda-
Zulana and Chhela-Vatau, the Vesha of Ramdev and the Veshas of
Vanazaro and Purabio are examples of each of these categories. Asait
Thakore wrote over 360 Veshas. The music is a combination of classical
tunes rendered in folk style. The musical instruments used are Bhungala,
Jhanjha and Tabla. Dancing is an indispensable feature of the plays and
has its own style, which is quite different from other dances of Gujarat.
The dance, which is a combination of Rasa and Garba with traces of
Kathak, is used as a connecting link between Veshas and also between
different incidents within one Vesha. The performers are called
Bhavayas. Till the 20th century the men played female roles. The
Sutradhara or anchor of the Bhavai is known as Nayaka who sings, acts
and directs. He is also the producer of the performance. As a folk
dramatic form, Bhavai is specially known for its social plays, which are
full of humour. It is not merely a theatre form to be seen, but an
atmosphere to be experienced with the players themselves. The Bhavai of
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Rajasthan is more musical and less theatrical when compared to that of
Gujarat.

Daskathia and Chhaiti Ghoda:

Daskathia is one of the several narrative forms that flourished in Orissa.

It is a performance in which a devotee narrates a story dramatically to the
accompaniment of a wooden musical instrument called kathia. This is a
performance of two narrators, Gayaka (chief singer) and Palia (assistant)
who is the co-narrator. The Chhaiti Ghoda troupe of performers
comprises of two players on the musical instruments dhol and mohuri and
three other characters. A dummy horse is improvised out of bamboo and
cloth and the dancer enters into the hollow body and dances, while the
main singer along with co-singer delivers discourses, mainly from
mythology.

Gondhal:

In Maharashtra, the dramatic narration of mythological stories, hero-lauds

and folk legends form a part of a ritual dedicated to various deities. This
interesting ritual with its narrative performance has deeply influenced the
dramatic and narrative traditions in Maharashtra and its neighbouring
regions

Garodas:

In Gujarat the members of the Garoda community practice the art of

narrating stories with the help of painted pictures. It is performed with a
paper scroll with pictures painted in water-colours one below the other
and separated with a thick black line.

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 Jatra (Yatra):

The popular folk drama form of Eastern India is the Yatra or Jatra, as it is
known in Bengal. It assumes different forms in different regions within
the eastern parts of India, which include mainly the states of Assam, West
Bengal and Orissa. Yatra literally means a procession or a pilgrimage
from one point to another. It is generally an open-air performance. Jatra
originated in Bengal as a ritual theatre devoted mainly on themes relating
to the life of Lord Krishna. The illustrious Vaishnava saint and religious
performer Chaitanya used the medium of Jatra to propagate his teachings
of Krishna by inspiring his devotees to participate in communal singing
and dancing. Apart from the exploits of Krishna, the Jatras dramatised
the Puranic legends, folk-tales and episodes from Ramayana and
Mahabharata. In West Bengal, famous playwrights or palas attempted to
bring structural perfection to the Jatra. These palas were called by various
names like Rama Jatra, Shiva Jatra and Chandi Jatra. Later Jatra
adopted more secular themes and historical romances, love stories and
even patriotic themes during the freedom struggle were added to the
repertoire. The most famous was Bidya Sundar, which started a new trend
in Jatra. In Orissa, a unique form of Yatra known as Sahi Yatra is
performed in the by-lanes of Puri as a kind of street theatre. Jatra today is
one of the most popular folk theatres in India. West Bengal alone has to
its credit 300 Jatra companies, and Jatra competitions are held during the
Durga Puja festival.

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 Kariyila:

This is the most interesting and popular folk drama form of Himachal
Pradesh. It is most popular in the districts of Shimla, Solan and Sirmour.
The season of Kariyala generally starts after the festival of Deepavali.
Kariyala is an open-air theatre, which consists of an entertaining series of
small playlets, farces, skits, revues and burlesques. It is generally staged
during village fairs and on some festive occasions. The Kariyala
entertainment starts in the evening and goes on throughout the night
staging various popular items one after other. The square-performing
arena is called Khada. In the centre of Khada, a bonfire is lit which is
considered very sacred. A number of musical instruments like chimta,
nagara, karnal, ranasingha, shahanai, basuri, dholak and khanjiri are
used to provide background music.

Keertan:

Keertan is the most popular narrative form which is prevalent in almost

all parts of the country under different names such as Katha Kalakshepam
and Harikatha. Keertan means to laud, extol, exalt, worshipping of the
deity by chanting his praises and celebrating the praises of god with
music and singing.

Khyal:

It is a popular folk dramatic form of Rajasthan and is full of dancing,

singing and music. Khyal has assumed different names in different
regions of Rajasthan. It is also known as Tamasha, Rammat, Nautanki,
Maach and Swang.

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 Maanch:

Maanch is an enchanting folk opera of Malwa region in the state of

Madhya Pradesh. It evolved about two centuries ago in Ujjain. The
themes are usually based on mythological events or romantic folk tales.

Oja-Pali:

Oja-Pali of Assam is a very interesting form of storytelling which utilises

many dramatic techniques to illustrate the narrative and enhance its visual
impact. This art form is associated with the worship of Manasa, the
serpent goddess of Assam. The performers take many days to narrate the
story, which is divided into three parts: Deva Khanda, Baniya Khanda
and Bhatiyali Khanda. The Oja is the main narrator-singer and the Palis
are his associates or members of his chorus. There is yet another type of
Oja-Pali parties in Assam, known as the Vyah-Gowa Oja-Pali, which
narrates stories from the Assamese version of Puranas and the epics.

Powada:

In Maharashtra the narrative hero-laud is called Powada. The first

available Powada in Marathi was written on the thrilling episode of
Shivaji killing his adversary Afzal Khan. The tradition of Powada singing
was kept alive by the folk singers of Maharashtra known as Gondhalis
and Shahirs. The Powada is presented in a most dramatic manner. High
pitch singing and melodramatic acting is its soul.

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 Swang:
The major theatrical tradition of folk entertainment in North India,
especially Haryana, is that of Swang. It is a musical folk drama which
enacts near similar stories in all its related regional variations. These
stories are in verse and are sung in different classical, semi-classical but
mostly in popular folk musical modes. A number of musical instruments
like the ektara, dholak, kharta, sarangi and harmonium put flavour to the
dialogues. Ali Baksh of Rewari, who is regarded as 'the father of folk
theatre in Haryana', is the pioneer of the Swang tradition. Pandit Deep
Chand, known as the "Kalidasa of Haryana", modified and polished Ali
Baksh style of folk theatre. Other luminaries of Swang include Swami
Har Dev, Qutabi, Dhoom, Pandit Bhartu and Pandit Lakshmi Chand.

Tamasha:

Tamasha evolved itself from the earlier forms of folk entertainment in

Maharashtra. It is known for its humour and erotic singing and dancing. It
is one of the rare folk theatre forms of India in which women play the
feminine roles. Naughty episodes of Krishna Leela are invariably enacted
in the opening part of a Tamasha play. The Lavani songs, which are sung
along with dancing, are delightfully naughty and erotic.

Villu Pattu:

Villu Pattu literally means bow-song. This form of recitation (using a

bow-shaped musical instrument) of Tamil Nadu developed in the 15th
century. There are seven to eight persons in a bow-song party who form a
kind of chorus that supports the main singer-narrator. The stories from
Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas are told in these ballad style
songs.

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 Bhand Pather:

The traditional theatre form of Kashmir, is a unique combination of

dance, music and acting. Satire, wit and parody are preferred for inducing
laughter. In this theatre form, music is provided with Surnai, Nagaara and
Dhol. Since the actors of Bhand Pather are mainly from the farming
community, the impact of their way of living, ideals and sensitivity is
discernible.

Haathras:

The meters used in the verses are: Doha, Chaubola, Chhappai, Behar-e-
tabeel. There was a time when only men acted in Nautanki but nowadays,
women have also started taking part in the performances. Among those
remembered with reverence is Gulab Bai of Kanpur. She gave a new
dimension to this old theatre form.

Raasleela:

Rassleela is based exclusively on Lord Krishna legends; it is believed that

Nand Das wrote the initial plays based on the life of Krishna. In this
theatre form the dialogues in prose combined beautifully with songs and
scenes from Krishna's pranks.

Bhaona:
Bhaona is a presentation of the Ankia Naat of Assam. In Bhaona cultural
glimpses of Assam, Bengal Orissa, Mathura and Brindavan can be seen.
The Sutradhaar, or narrator begins the story, first in Sanskrit and then in
either Brajboli or Assamese.
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 Dashavatar:

Dashavatar is the most developed theatre form of the Konkan and Goa
regions. The performers personify the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu-
the god of preservation and creativity. The ten incarnations are Matsya
(fish), Kurma (tortoise), Varaha (boar), Narsimha (lion-man), Vaman
(dwarf), Parashuram, Rama, Krishna (or Balram), Buddha and Kalki.
Apart from stylized make-up, the Dashavatar performers wear masks of
wood and papier mache.
Krishnattam:

Krishnattam folk theatre of Kerala, came into existence in the middle of

17th century A.D. under the patronage of King Manavada of Calicut.
Krishnattam is a cycle of eight plays performed for eight consecutive
days. The plays are Avataram, Kaliamandana, Rasa krida, kamasavadha,
Swayamvaram, Bana Yudham, Vivida Vadham, and Swargarohana. The
episodes are based on the theme of Lord Krishna - his birth, childhood
pranks and various deeds depicting victory of good over evil.

Mudiyettu:

Mudiyettu traditional folk theatre form of Kerala is celebrated in the

month of Vrischikam (November-December). It is usually performed
only in the Kali temples of Kerala, as an oblation to the Goddess. It
depicts the triumph of goddess Bhadrakali over the asura Darika. The
seven characters in Mudiyettu-Shiva, Narada, Darika, Danavendra,
Bhadrakali, Kooli and Koimbidar (Nandikeshvara) are all heavily made-
up.

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 Yakshagaana:

Yakshagaana traditional theatre form of Karnataka, is based on

mythological stories and Puranas. The most popular episodes are from the
Mahabharata i.e. Draupadi swayamvar, Subhadra Vivah, Abhimanyu
Vadh, Karna-Arjun yuddh and from Ramayana i.e. Raajyaabhishek, Lav-
kush Yuddh, Baali-Sugreeva yuddha and Panchavati.

Therukoothu:

Therukoothu the most popular form of folk drama of Tamil Nadu,

literally means "street play". It is mostly performed at the time of annual
temple festivals of Mariamman (Rain goddess) to achieve rich harvest.
At the core of the extensive repertoire of Therukoothu there is a cycle of
eight plays based on the life of Draupadi. Kattiakaran, the Sutradhara of
the Therukoothu performance, gives the gist of the play to the audience
and Komali entertains the audience with his buffoonery.

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SHRI HABIB TANVIR

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