SET TO STAGE A COUP
AWAY FROM DELHI
Renowned Indian theatre personality Ratan Thiyam
interviewed by Shamsul Islam
[The Economic Times, New Delhi, 29-03-1994]
roots and the activities
of his repertory company in Manipur.
RATAN THIYAM is a rarity in the world of Indian theatre.
Apart from being a redoubtable practitioner of theatre, he is also a noted
Manipuri dancer and vocalist, a reputed painter and musician. Moreover, all these creative
dimensions give his theatre productions a distinct identity and vitality.
Thiyam joined the National
School of Dram to „learn‟ theatre in 1971, when he was already a
well-established name in Manipuri theatre
back at home. In 1986 he took over as Director NSD, but after a troubled tenure resigned
from the post in 1988, for a journey back to his Chorus Repertory in Manipur.
He was in the Capital recently on the occasion of the staging of “Thambalnu”, a
Hindi play based on Meitei folklore. The play was the outcome of a 40-day
workshop conducted by Thiyam for 2nd year students of NSD at Chorus Repertory
Complex, Imphal.
The play, which was directed, designed
and given music by Thiyam,
was highly appreciated. Excerpts from an interview by
Shamsul Islam:
Shamsul Islam: You
seem to have written off Delhi. Why is it so?
Ratan Thiyam: Dilli bahut
door hai. It is out of reach for people like me. It requires guts to be in the
Capital. Even though one can never forget one’s sincere friends, I feel that I
can attempt something creative by being in Manipur. In places like Delhi, the
creative process comes under pressure from various quarters. You are forced
to play to the gallery; you tend to behave
like a courtesan. In remote places like Manipur, however, the problem
is not so acute. Your urge for creativity is
not crippled over there.
Shamsul Islam: What is exactly the crisis of
the Indian theatre?
Ratan Thiyam: It all
hinges on the way Indian theatre is defined—as that which is modelled after
European theatre and is largely staged in big urban centres like Delhi. It is
passed off as our theatre. Moreover, there is a conscious attempt to demarcate
folk, traditional and modern theatre.
This kind of comprehension leads us nowhere.
I
believe minus this so-called folk or traditional theatre; there would be no India
theatre. Theatre is not a mechanical entity, it evolves through
the centuries, and it must have strong roots. Indian theatre can be defined only
in the context of our folk and traditional theatre which the establishment
treats as inferior and backward.
A genuine Indian theatre will have hundreds
of regional flavours and an amalgamation of as
many traditions. That will be not just Indian theatre, it will be good theatre too. Shamsul Islam: How is your
Repertory Company, Chorus, developing in Imphal?
Ratan Thiyam: Let me
clarify that Chorus is not like any other repertory company, for, apart from
theatre it is involved in many other issues like environment and water
conservation. It does not even comprise professional actors as is the case in
other repertories. Every actor has to learn carpentry, tailoring, light design
and stage design. Actors at Chorus
develop and craft their own properties which give them a strong sense of belonging. The attempt is to
develop artists with a holistic attitude towards
theater. We discourage specialization which ultimately harms the cause of theatre.
These days, Chorus is busy performing Imphal Karusi (Let us go to Imphal)
under my direction. It is a strong indictment of
the system for there is a limit to tolerance. The play opposes the
socio-political, economic and religious degeneration of Manipuri Society.
Apart from this we are also involved in developing a
children’s creative centre of Chorus at Imphal. In Manipur every activity is
adult-oriented; there is not even a small park for children. This is dangerous, for children devoid
of any outlet for their imagination are bound to play havoc with society at a later stage. It
is already happening in Manipur.
One of the objectives of our creative centre will be a
doll’s museum. We also plan to have puppetry
and painting show.
It will be a permanent set-up. I
shall request my friends to gift puppets, paintings and dolls for
this centre.
Shamsul Islam: How do you
sustain Chorus?
Ratan Thiyam: We do not get
even a penny from the Manipur government. Even President‟s Rule makes no
difference. I have been awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and Padma Vibhushan but for the Manipur government I am a
nonentity. The Union Department of Culture advances a meager fund for Chorus.
Sometimes, I feel it is good
this way. Acute shortage of funds and resources makes us more innovative. If we have to run a professional repertory and that too without
funds we are bound to be more realistic and down-to-earth.
It helps us to grow and avoid wastage. Whatever we need we collect from our audiences. Chorus has proved one thing. You can do serious theatre without the state‟s patronage; it also gives more freedom to
artists. They don‟t have to bend.
Shamsul Islam: Has the continuing violence
in Manipur affected your work?
Ratan Thiyam: When the fight for power goes beyond limits,
it is bound to wreak
havoc. The people
of Manipur are being forced
to carry a cross for the sins of other. But they have realized it is all due to
political bungling. Even after large-scale killings, our work has not been affected
for through our cultural work we have been able to
identify with the aspirations of the
people. We are respected. The people think that this is the kind of work
through which Manipur can be saved from
vultures.
[With thanks to The Economic Times, New Delhi,
29the March 1994.
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