At a time when drama troupes in Bhubaneswar struggle to fill up the theatre for their free drama performances, Udbhav, a group in the remote Sunabeda area of Koraput has managed to successfully stage ticketed shows.
Staging plays for a niche audience remains the hallmark of Udbhav. It doesn’t believe that theatre is a medium of cheap public entertainment. Moreover, the group has used theatre to promote Odia language in the hinterland of Koraput. Though students here study in Odia medium, they speak in a dialect which is different from Odia. Udbhav plays a pivotal role in promoting knowledge and correct usage of Odia language among the kids through acting and theatre education, says Biswaranjan Kanungo, the founder of the troupe.
Biswaranjan has been involved in acting since childhood and formed a children’s theatre group with the help of dramatist Manoj Dalabehera. Later, he acted in amateur plays to hone his skills and formed a group named ‘Theatre Odisha.’
Not satisfied with the group’s performance, he contacted Surya Mohanty of ‘Mukti,’ a troupe from Bhubaneswar that was involved in serious theatre and requested him to hold a workshop to teach the basics of theatre to the actors of Sunabeda. Surya, a noted theatre activist, was reluctant initially but later went out of his way to help develop a theatre culture in Sunabeda.
“Surya Sir agreed to conduct a workshop when he came to Semiliguda for a film shoot. Seven kids and 18 adults of the group had the opportunity to learn the basics of acting under his guidance,” Biswaranjan says.
While the children’s workshop was conducted in the morning, seniors attended the evening sessions. The members enacted ‘Madhusudan Nanda, Bayasa Athastari’ (Madhusudan Nanda, age 78), a play adapted from an article written by Sriram Dash. This was the time Biswaranjan formed Udbhav, a branch of Theatre Odisha, as a children’s theatre group. The children staged the translated version of ‘Mr Bagheswar,’ a Bengali play written by Sourav Gupta.
The workshop changed his approach towards life, believes Biswaranjan. “I started understanding myself and realised the importance of theatre for society,” he says.
Interestingly, Theatre Odisha was shut down, but Udbhav survived as a separate theatrical entity.
At one time, Biswaranjan used to stage plays with his colleagues and their children in the campus of the company where he works. But later he decided that the group should spread its activities. He realised that the students of English medium schools lack the seriousness required for acting. So, he managed to get them involved in acting through workshops to make them good human beings. The confidence gained from learning performing arts always helps in life and career, says the dedicated theatre artiste.
“I was fortunate to get the support of theatre gurus like Dolgovind Rath and Surya Mohanty to train the artistes,” acknowledges Biswaranjan.
Though funds are important to run a theatre group and conduct workshops, Udbhav is not dependent on government assistance. In fact, they hardly get any government grants, Biswaranjan says. Therefore, he mostly sells tickets to meet the financial requirements of the group.
The group, which now works as a repertory, takes pride in having created appreciative audiences who regularly buy tickets to watch plays.
Theatre is a medium to bring development in the region and offers a platform to create good human beings, believes Biswaranjan.
He aims to set up a permanent stage in Sunabeda and has drawn up a blueprint of the project.
“Udbhav of Sunabeda is doing a great job by organising children’s theatre shows. A few years ago, they staged my play ‘Mr Bagheswar.’ I hope they keep up the good work,” says Sourav Gupta, the creative director of Nandanik, a drama troupe of Koraput.
Famous set designer and theatre personality Ashok Kar says, “I have been observing Biswaranjan since his formative years. He has mastered so many skills and he is a very good student of theatre. I appreciate his efforts to promote Odia language in the interior pockets of Koraput through theatre.”
BIJAY MANDAL, OP