Theatre is a mirror, a sharp reflection of the society. The greatest playwrights are moralists, said French playwright, actress and novelist Yasmina Reza.
India has a very old and rich theatre tradition. Indian theatre has a history of over 2,000 years, almost contemporaneous with Aristotle’s Poetics. It covers Margi Natya, mentioned in the Natya Shastra ascribed to Bharata Muni, to Desi Nata enacted in temples in the countryside. The presentation style of theatre has changed over the years, and modern Indian theatre has adopted some elements from foreign plays. It is acknowledged that theatre often reflects the present state of our country and its burning issues.
Many government and private institutions have come up in Odisha to help theatre survive in the state and to teach the many aspects of theatre to upcoming artistes. Organisations like Canmass, Paradip and Utkal Sangeeta Mahavidyalaya, Satabdira Kalakaar, AJIT, Mukti, Uttar Purusha (all from Bhubaneswar) are all engaged in giving full-time/part-time/crash courses to aspiring theatre workers round the year. But have they succeeded in their objectives? How many students trained by these organisations are totally committed to theatre? Ahead of World Theatre Day, Orissa POST traces the future of theatre in Odisha and looks at what ails the theatre scene.
In order to promote the rich culture of the state, the then Chief Minister Biju Patnaik established the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya (USM) in 1964 on three acres of land in the heart of Bhubaneswar. In the beginning, the institution functioned under the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi but in 1982, the culture department took over. Affiliated to the Utkal University of Culture, the college offers a Bachelor of Music course in four departments – vocal music, dance, instrumental music and drama.
The illustrious gurus who taught here include Sangeeta Sudhakar Balakrushna Das, Pandit Ksethramohan Kar, Pandit Markendeya Mohapatra, Padmashree Guru Pankaj Charan Das, Guru Deba Prasad Das and Sri Ajit Das.
On the alumni list are Padmashri Ileana Citaristi, Padmashri Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, Hara Patnaik, Amiya Moharana, Rai Mohan Parida, Vaswati Basu, and Harihar Mohapatra, among others.
Former principal of USM Nabin Kumar Parida said that no facility exists in the state to train students in drama at grassroots level. “In Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, a student can get training from Plus II onwards. However, a few years ago, the government started appointing art teachers, especially those who have passed from USM, to inculcate art and culture in school students. This apart, some private theatre troupes have introduced short-term courses for youths interested in acting or direction. A few other institutions such as the National School of Drama and Kendra Sangeet Natak Akademi also organise workshops once a year to allow interested participants to brush up their acting skills. This is certainly benefiting the cause of theatre.”
Nabin agreed that acting is an inborn talent, but it can be honed through training.
Asked about the commitment of the trained theatre workers, Nabin regretted that the theatre industry in the state has so far failed to provide the means for a decent living to workers. This is one reason many theatre actors and directors are moving towards television or cinema, though they enjoy doing theatre most. They neither get money nor fame from theatre, he said.
However, there is no dearth of committed actors in theatre. “I have seen people acting in cinemas and serials and still managing to find time for theatre. It is all about sacrifice and meeting their need for creative satisfaction,” he added.
Nabin explained that theatre training may not make one a great actor or director, but it will help a person in life in quite a few ways. Citing an example, he said if someone is studying English literature, it is not necessary that he or she would go on to become a Shakespeare. One could become a teacher in the field. The same applies to theatre. One may not succeed in making a career in acting or direction, but one could still have the knowledge to be a critic or a demonstrator and share or enjoy the experience with others, he said.
Nabin felt that unless there was adequate fund-flow into theatre production, one shouldn’t expect cent per cent commitment from theatre workers.
Eminent cinema and jatra actor Raimohan Parida, an alumnus of USM, echoed the same sentiment. Raimohan earns his livelihood by acting in jatras and films. However, what he enjoys the most is when he gets a chance to act on a proscenium stage, said the actor who has appeared in over 100 films. Had he got the money to run his household from theatre, he won’t have looked at other mediums, he added.
He takes pride in being a USM alumnus and said that whatever he has achieved in his life is because of the thorough training process that the college offers.
“Acting may be an inborn thing but its refinement through training is necessary to make it perfect. We have seen people playing instruments or singing in hotels, but they are not regarded as great artistes. They can achieve more with proper training. Therefore, honing inborn skills is very important,” Raimohan said.
Actor Antaryami Panda, who is also an alumnus of USM, said theatre education changed his lifestyle.
“When I took admission in USM, I already had a Natya Mandli (theatre troupe) comprising working class people. Often, I had to bear the anger of my parents for my involvement in drama. But I decided very early that I cannot do anything in life except drama. So, I stuck to the medium and that changed the course of my life,” said Antaryami.
Training at USM made a big difference in his life, said the actor who is famous as Puntu Nana, a character he plays in a popular television serial. He has also acted in several films and theatrical productions.
Antaryami was appreciative of the initiative taken by many private organisations to train theatre workers.
“Though USM is the biggest institution in the state, we shouldn’t undermine the efforts of the groups working in other parts of the state like Rourkela, Sambalpur, Balasore or Nayagarh. Such efforts could put the state in the league of theatre-rich states like West Bengal, Maharashtra or Delhi,” he added.
Dhirendra Nath Mallik, the founder of Satabdira Kalakaar, one of the oldest theatre troupes of Bhubaneswar, and a former secretary of Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi, said many well-known drama directors have started giving theatre training. Apart from his own group, AJIT, Mukti and some other groups in Cuttack and Paradip offer short-term acting courses and are getting a good number of students. However, he felt that students are joining these courses not due to their love for theatre but for glamour and money.
“We started a six-month course with 25 students in 2007. We have been producing at least 50 artistes each year for the last 12 years. Students from various backgrounds like engineering, MBA and journalism have joined our acting courses, and many of them have earned fame by joining the television or cinema industry. I would say it is a good sign from the point of view of the students as they are able to earn their livelihood after getting such training,” Dhirendra said.
Theatre education has remained an integral part of education since the times of Aristotle, the Greek philosopher of 4th century BCE and Indian theatrologist Bharat Muni, said Simant Mohanty, playwright, director and designer and an alumnus of USM. During post-independent era government and private institutions started imparting methodology for each and every aspect of theatre. While self-taught artistes learnt the skill instinctively through their experience, their spontaneity evolved through regular practice. But there is a need to integrate both methodology and spontaneity to achieve artistic excellence, he added.
Theatre is the first love of eminent cine actor and retired USM lecturer Ajit Das. A few years ago, when his students wanted to celebrate his birthday, he told them that if they really want to honour him, they should stage a play on his birthday instead of performing mundane formalities like cake-cutting. So, a theatre troupe named Abhinaya Jagruti Institute of Theatre (AJIT) was formed and Ajit’s students under his guidance have staged many plays in Odisha and other states.
“After my retirement, I started teaching theatre to the youths who were interested. Mine is more like a tuition class unlike other organisations which offer short-term courses. I have some students who can’t afford to pay fees. Apart from theatre training, I have offered them free accommodation at my home,” said the actor.
Ajit said that the dedication to theatre, which used to be strong among students when he joined USM in 1976, is missing now. The new breed of actors is more interested in learning acting to get a chance in TV serials and cinemas. But he doesn’t blame them because it is well-known that theatre in Odisha cannot be a source of sustenance for theatre workers, he said.
When asked if there is any solution to this, he said: “I recently met the culture department secretary and requested him to allow drama troupes to sell tickets to boost their earnings so that the actors and others involved in a production can be better-paid. Government grants some funds and offers discounts on auditorium rent, which is not enough to meet the expenses of a production.”
There is a need for all the theatre groups in the state to take a joint decision to sell tickets to better their financial condition. Top directors and theatre workers should motivate the audience to buy tickets. This apart, there is a dire need for more auditoriums and rehearsal halls like those in Kolkata so that the audience gets more opportunities to watch quality productions, added Ajit.
BIJAY MANDAL, OP