NCPA ChairmanKhushroo N. Suntook

Director, Marketing, Sales & AdminDeepak Bajaj

Editor-in-ChiefRashna Bilimoria

Deputy Editor-in-ChiefRadhakrishnan Nair

EditorsAnindita PaulOishani Mitra

Consulting EditorEkta Mohta

Editorial Co-ordinatorHilda Darukhanawalla

Design DirectorKapil Batus

Assistant Art DirectorsNikita Rao

Shilpa Mathur

Advertising SalesFarah Ghadiali

Tulsi Bavishi

Production DirectorMark Pereira

Cover CreditSHP

Published by Deepak Bajaj for The National Centre for the Performing Arts, NCPA Marg,

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Contents

12An Odyssey of Passion As the SOI gears up for its next season, NCPA Chairman Mr. Khushroo N. Suntook talks to ON Stage about the struggles and joys of creating India’s �rst symphony orchestra

16Devotion in DanceWith one foot in an ashram and the other on a stage, Sattriya’s recognition as a classical dance form has been a long time coming, discovers Ranjana Dave

1925 Greatest Jazz SongsAs we get into the season of jazz, Sunil Sampat lists the 25 jazz songs that everyone, both beginners and a�cionados, should have in their collection

06Orchestrating ExcellenceOn the eve of his visit to Mumbai to conduct the Symphony Orchestra of India, Charles Dutoit reveals to Phil Sizer what motivated him to become a conductor, and talks about the repertoire he will be performing

08Breaking BoundariesLior Shambadal talks to Phil Sizer about the repertoire for the SOI concert, and the importance of developing a unique sound with every orchestra he conducts

09Of Maestros and MusicMarat Bisengaliev talks to Akhil Sood about the upcoming SOI season and his vision for the orchestra

10Forward BoundZane Dalal talks to Akhil Sood about the whole fabric that is the SOI, returning for another season to prepare the orchestra and conducting its debut in Pune

06

Symphony Orchestra of IndiaConcert Season September 2013

19

Contents Letters to the Editor23Poorab on the RiseThe true thumri, Meena Banerjee tells us, looks to the east not just for inspiration, but also for its heart and soul

26 AAPRO at the NCPAZane Dalal lends his perspective on the forthcoming AAPRO Summit hosted by the NCPA from 19th to 22nd September, 2013

28Letter from London:  Di�erent NotesAshutosh Khandekar writes about how opera in the UK is throwing its doors open for some summer sun

32Indie PartyDhvani Solani makes the case for creating more platforms in Mumbai for independent cinema

34From the Archives: Simple FolkChandrasekhar Kambar highlights the di�culties a modern playwright faces while borrowing from folk plays

36A Fine BalanceRajita Gadagkar talks to photographer K. Madhavan Pillai on how the camera is becoming a lens, a mirror, a crystal ball of our times

40Programme GuideAll of September’s events at the NCPA

52What’s NextWhat to look forward to in the coming months

58Trivial PursuitHow well have you read the magazine?

What a wonderfully brought out story on Dr. Jamshed Bhabha. I had heard that he was supposed to be an incredible man, but after reading the feature on him, I have no doubt about it. You have paid him the glorious tribute he truly deserves. My only regret is that I never had the chance to meet him personally. Also, I was not aware that the NCPA stands on reclaimed land. I learnt a lot from this story and, more importantly, how well the NCPA is carrying on with the tradition of disseminating culture to all of us. Kudos to the NCPA. – Freny Taraporewala

As you are aware, I have been reading and contributing to your magazine regularly. This time, however, you have outdone yourselves with the August issue. Please accept my hearty congratulations. It is the most all-encompassing issue I have read so far. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I read some of the stories more than once. And the tribute by Anil Dharker was so touching. It made me wish I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Bhabha at least once. But now, I feel as though I know him slightly – thanks to your story. And the next time I come for a show to the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, I am sure I will feel a sense of pride knowing the history behind it. I also loved the story on Kumudini Lakhia and her photograph with Dr. Bhabha was beautiful. Please do keep up the good work, and I believe you will have a tough time ahead, now that you, yourselves, have raised the bar. Good luck. – Sanjana Dalve

Another feather in your cap with the August issue of ON Stage. What an amazing issue it is. I absolutely love reading your archives section – it is priceless. You must consider bringing out a consolidated book on them. They just do not get their due and your idea of publishing them each month has brought out the tremendous history that the NCPA is testimony to, so beautifully. And yoga – I had no idea about these workshops. What a great concept to conduct these workshops that step out of the traditional genres you promote. Now, you must start other such workshops for modern dance such as ballet, freestyle and jazz. I have also noticed the steady in�uence of jazz creeping into the magazine and the increase in jazz programming at the NCPA. I attended the Swing and Bebop concert and it was most enjoyable. Mr. Suntook, you have more than adequately carried the rather heavy baton that Dr. Bhabha passed on to you. With over 650 performances a year, the NCPA is, undoubtedly, a beacon of light on the cultural horizon of India. Thank you for bringing it to us. My hearty congratulations to you and your team – Jennifer Jenkins

Re�ections by Anil Dharker

Such a beautiful piece. A warm, generous and a�ectionate recollection of Dr. Jamshed Bhabha – a portrait in the best sense with the face turned towards the light and its best angles rendered to memorable and even lasting e�ect. – Ranjit Hoskote

What a wonderfully written article on Dr. Jamshed Bhabha. Not just for the prose, but also the depth of Anil Dharker’s understanding of the person who did so much for all of us. – Pankaj Baliga VP, Tata Consultancy Services

Lovely tribute. Alas, so few of our new rich have this kind of sensibility. – Abha Pandya CEO, Asian Human Services

Reading Anil Dharker’s tribute to Dr. Jamshed Bhabha, I was reminded of a line from Ezra Pound: They will come no more those old men with beautiful manners. – Jaysinh Birjepatil Marlboro College, Vermont

What a wonderfully written insight on Jamshed Bhabha. – Anjali Mathur

The tribute to Dr. Jamshed Bhabha by Anil Dharker was very nostalgic and moving. I had the privilege of knowing Dr. Bhabha too, and the article fully captured his spirit. – Karan Grover

We look forward to your feedback and suggestions. Please do write in to The Editor, ON Stage, The National Centre for the Performing Arts, NCPA Marg, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021 or drop us an email at onstage@ncpamumbai.com.

NCPA September 2013 • 5

The life of a successful conductor is a busy one, and Charles Dutoit’s is busier than most. His career, combined with his interests

in history, politics, architecture and the arts, has taken him to virtually every country in the world. In India alone, he has previously visited many states and cities, including Mumbai where he conducted the Verbier Festival Orchestra in 2003. A decade on, and he is enthusiastic about performing here again. “I am thrilled to be coming to work this time with a local orchestra and to explore what is happening musically in this part of the world,” says Dutoit. “I am looking forward to returning to this

wonderful country of ancient traditions and diverse culture, and to witness again the gentleness of the Indian people.” Having travelled to India many times, he is also familiar with traditional Indian music. “Over the years, I have met several Indian musical groups, as well as the late Ravi Shankar. I have always been fascinated by the complexity of the texture of Indian music, and by its rhythms in particular.”

A MASTER OF MANY TRADES Currently, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, maestro Dutoit’s previous conducting milestones include 25 years as the Artistic Director of

the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and a 30-year artistic collaboration with the Philadelphia Orchestra, who recently honoured him with the title of Conductor Laureate. He is also a prolific recording artist, having made over 200 recordings for many of the major classical music record labels. After starting his professional career as an orchestral viola player, Dutoit soon took up conducting full time; but what inspired him to make the transition from player to conductor? “After studying violin, viola, piano and percussion, I became fascinated by the profession of conducting as it grouped together many aspects that interested me. From orchestration – studying the musical

COVER STORY

6 • September 2013 NCPA

Orchestrating ExcellenceOn the eve of his visit to Mumbai to conduct the Symphony Orchestra of India,

Charles Dutoit reveals to Phil Sizer what motivated him to become a conductor, and talks about the repertoire he will be performing

Charles Dutoit

NCPA September 2013 • 7

range and individual characteristics of orchestral instruments; to psychology and pedagogy – how to speak to and work with a group of more than 100 musicians; to musicology – the research of a work including its socio-political context and the understanding of a composer’s ideology. The combination of all these elements led me to decide that conducting was the ultimate role in the field of music.”

NEW HORIZONSDutoit’s conducting career mainly comprises named positions lasting four years or more, regular engagements with many leading orchestras, and new ventures such as his special guest appearance with the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI). There are many international orchestras he knows very well as a result of conducting them on a regular basis. As it is not an orchestra he has conducted before, working with the SOI presents a different challenge. “As per any experience with an orchestra that is new to a conductor, the challenges are the same. One has to find a way to communicate his own musical ideas as best as possible and reach a common consensus with the orchestra. The challenge is to make this work in only three or four days of rehearsals. The aim is to find a common vision, no matter where the musicians come from, be it North America, Europe or Asia,” he says.

No stranger to performing to audiences from all corners of the globe, Dutoit expresses that there is a common goal when performing to a new audience. “Music is an emotion. It is not meant to be a hardship on the listener – on the contrary, it should naturally bring out feelings and emotions in the listener when it is performed. I don’t believe a person has to be familiar with the music in order to accept it and enjoy it.”

STRIKING THE RIGHT NOTESDutoit’s programme for the September season offers the audience a variety of musical works to enjoy, ranging from the Classical/Romantic overlap of early Beethoven to the late Romantic flavour of Mussorgsky, complete with a 20th-century makeover through the orchestration of Maurice Ravel. From the taut structures and buoyant melodies of Beethoven’s First Symphony to the dynamic vibrancy of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, via the

ethereal melancholy of the Sibelius Violin Concerto, the programme caters to a range of Western classical music tastes. All these works hold special significance for the conductor, though the same is true of many other works too. “Whatever repertoire I perform has a special meaning for me in that particular moment. Ravel has always been a source of inspiration throughout my life, because of the magical musical e�ects, superb orchestrations and the enormous palette of colours that are inherent in his work. His music procures an unparalleled joy in me when I listen to or perform it.”

Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition is something of a showcase for any orchestra, featuring a kaleidoscope of musical textures and some demanding writing for the brass section in particular. Originally composed for piano, and still a regular inclusion in piano recital programmes, the work has been arranged and orchestrated many times. The most famous and often played orchestration is the one completed by Ravel. Dutoit notes, “Ravel is a very important part of this work. He was commissioned to produce an orchestral version by the conductor and composer Serge Koussevitzky, for subsequent performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1922. Coincidentally, I am sitting in Koussevitzky’s house in Tanglewood [Massachusetts] as I say this. In many ways, the orchestrated version sounds more like Ravel than Mussorgsky. It is a very accessible work for the audience

and I believe an interesting one too, as it highlights different instrumentalists of the orchestra in a way that not many pieces do. It is colourful, imaginative and above all else, thrilling.”

Charles Dutoit will conduct the SOI on 20th and 21st September at the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre.

“Music is an emotion. It is not

meant to be a hardship on the listener... I don’t

believe a person has to be familiar with the music in order to accept it

and enjoy it”

charles dutoit’s major conducting tenures

Philadelphia Orchestra (USA)Conductor Laureate2012-present

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (London, UK)Artistic Director & Principal Conductor2009-present

Verbier Festival Orchestra (Switzerland)Music Director 2009-present

Philadelphia Orchestra (USA)Chief Conductor (after a 28-year association)2008-2012

NHK Symphony Orchestra (Tokyo, Japan)Music Director & Principal Conductor1996-2003

Orchestre National de France (Paris)Music Director1991-2001

Montreal Symphony Orchestra (Canada)Artistic Director1977-2002

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (Sweden)Principal Conductor1976-1979

Bern Symphony Orchestra (Switzerland)Principal Conductor1967-1978

Tonhalle Orchester Zürich (Switzerland)Principal Conductor1967-1971

What is your impression of music performances in India?It’s going to be my �rst visit to India and I am very enthusiastic about it. I know that the musical culture is big and very di�erent from the west, and it is great that there is a Western orchestra in India performing these incredibly di�cult programmes. I believe the world is becoming a smaller and smaller place. The cultures are mixing and it’s not important anymore whether you are in India, Germany, the US or wherever – Western and indigenous forms of music are becoming better known because the connection between places is easier. The opportunity for Indian people to know and appreciate both traditional Indian and Western forms of music is fantastic.

You have performed with many orchestras all over the world. What qualities do you hope to �nd when you �rst start working with one you haven’t conducted before?The main thing for me is, �rst of all, to create the sound that I want. Every conductor and every orchestra should develop an individual sound. As people, we all look and

speak di�erently, so every orchestra should develop a unique identity and sound. Orchestras don’t play today like they did 40 or 50 years ago. They play di�erently. String players use di�erent bows and the instruments have developed to o�er more possibilities. To know all this and make the best with all elements – sound, instruments, skills of the musicians, modern techniques – it all allows for a greater variety of interpretation in orchestral performances.

You have spent some time as Music Director of an orchestra in Colombia – a country not steeped in Western classical music tradition. How does performing in such places compare to those where orchestral music is far more commonplace?The Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra is a major orchestra and the audiences are very educated. You don’t expect it, but while I was conducting the same Mahler symphony for two consecutive nights, the hall was packed. It was always full, even for programmes that are quite challenging for the audience. I took the orchestra to play in churches in remote places in Bogotá, to very

poor and dangerous places, where drugs are a major problem. I noticed the in�uence of music on the people. They came up to me after the concerts and said, ‘Thank you, you have changed my life.’ To me, that is more important than playing at the major concert houses across the world. This is actually the aim of what we are doing as musicians. Western classical music has enabled people from all over the world to speak the same musical language. In countries such as China, Japan, Vietnam, and now, India, the language of music is slowly becoming the international language of art and sensitivity. When commenting about why he composed music and conducted, Handel had simply said, ‘I want to make the people better.’ I believe this statement is perhaps even more relevant today than in his time.

One of the works you will be performing with the SOI is Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony. What does this symphony mean to you and what can the audience expect from your interpretation of it?For me, Shostakovich is one of the two or three most important composers of the 20th century. He speaks his own musical language which is in�uenced by the past and the circumstances in which he lived. His music is undeniably linked to the politics and events of the time. You feel it in the Fifth Symphony – you feel the jubilant feelings in the beginning and the wish for peace. But you also feel the harsh realities of the situation, particularly at the end. The extended repetition of the same note and simple chords is representative of the people in charge who are dictating such a narrow-minded regime. The composer’s o�ering a personal commentary on the events unfolding around him, and this reminds us that every composer is a modern composer in his own time. Mozart was a modern composer in the time of Mozart. Like Beethoven, Shostakovich was perhaps even more of his time than Mozart as he created something new enough to truly challenge the establishment.

Lior Shambadal will conduct the SOI on 26th and 30th September at the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre.

COVER STORY

8 • September 2013 NCPA

Breaking BoundariesLior Shambadal talks to Phil Sizer about the repertoire for the SOI concert, and the importance of developing a unique sound with every orchestra he conducts

Lior Shambadal

The experience of leading and founding the orchestra has been the highlight of my whole life,” says Marat Bisengaliev about

the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI), which he helped set up at the NCPA in 2006. As its Music Director, Marat has been responsible for developing and nurturing the orchestra right from the beginning. “Creating a new orchestra in India, where there isn’t as much tradition in Western classical music [as in the west], was a great opportunity. But it’s just one piece of the jigsaw that is the whole structure.” Since its inception, Marat has been managing the creative direction of the SOI, while simultaneously adopting a holistic approach from the grass roots level by setting up the infrastructure and mentoring teachers and students alike. For Marat, the importance of music education is paramount, since high-quality musicians are the core essence of any orchestra. He stresses the need for proper structure in music schools, something which he has worked fervidly towards at the NCPA. The school at the NCPA now boasts of highly quali�ed international musicians, who have spent time in the city to understand and absorb the culture, and are coaching Indian players. Marat emphasises the need to identify talented young musicians with high potential, cultivate an understanding and improve their skills. He supervises the

school and oversees the Suzuki training method, as well as personally teaching one of the students.

HOMEBOUNDThese days, Marat has also taken charge of the Almaty Symphony Orchestra in Kazakhstan, recording ‘Abai’ by Karl Jenkins with them at the Angel Studio in London. In addition, he has been performing solo concerts as a violinist across the world – “I’m giving more priority to my violin playing,” he says, even though the SOI remains a priority. Marat is back for the new season, and he is brimming with excitement. “This season,” he says, “we have a very interesting repertoire. It is very diverse. I think the audience will get what they want out of it. And one important thing is that we have very good conductors.” The new season features three di�erent conductors: Charles Dutoit, Lior Shambadal and Zane Dalal. “I’m sure they will be great,” says Marat, talking of the high stature of the conductors. I would say that the listeners will be very moved by the performances.”

Marat will be performing this season, which sees the SOI making its debut in Pune. “I’ve heard good things about the venue in Pune, and I’m looking forward to playing there,” he says about the performance. “I know the Pune scene well because I have done a few concerts there. The city has a strong music society and I’m sure we’ll get a full house.”

DIVIDING HIS TIMEMarat spends four months each year in Mumbai, and speaks highly of the facilities at the NCPA – “There is practically everything that is required for good music-making available. It is an oasis created by Dr. Jamshed Bhabha, and the legacy is now being carried forward by Chairman Khushroo N. Suntook, who is really the heartbeat behind it all.” Marat sees great potential in the growth of Western classical music in the country, highlighting the rapid growth of the middle class, which has led to a progressively increasing demand for quality classical music. He points out how India’s economic growth has helped sustain and develop a genuine interest in classical music. “We are working on widening the variety of people who come to the concert halls – that’s something we still need to improve on, but we’re constantly working on outreach.” Marat has been relentless with his work at the SOI, and he asserts that the most important aspect is the constant growth in quality. “We are working on representing the SOI abroad and touring. We are also trying to get recording contracts with good recording labels,” he says, outlining future plans for the orchestra.

Marat Bisengaliev will perform as soloist in the Sibelius Violin Concerto on the 20th and 21st September at the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre.

COVER STORY

Of Maestros and Music

Marat Bisengaliev

Marat Bisengaliev talks to Akhil Sood about the upcoming SOI season and his vision for the orchestra

NCPA September 2013 • 9

Zane Dalal has been the Resident Conductor for the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) since 2007. Under his guidance, the orchestra

has consistently grown in strength and stature, and he continues to be excited as ever about the new season. He reveals his thoughts on touring Pune this year, the progress of the SOI and the state of Western classical music in India in this conversation.

Can you take us through the growth and progress of the orchestra since its inception?Over the years, we have consistently worked to capitalise on our strengths. The string section with its �air for virtuosity and Russian music has gelled into something quite marvellous – and the more our players return to play together, repeatedly, the more we are beginning to emerge with a synergy of our own.

Have you seen a steady increase in the number of patrons or in the quality of the musicians? These two things are closely linked. We have always strived to maintain standards, even when some would have preferred we accepted orchestra members based on local nationality and not international merit. We maintain our base of supporters and have increased our international presence precisely by not compromising on the essentials of good sound. I think people respond extremely well to that, and will continue to do so in the future.

Do you see Western classical music growing and reaching out to a wider audience in India?Western classical music is not capable of competing with Indian classical music, nor should it try on home ground. The important point is – if India takes its place on the international stage – which is certain – there will be a populace expecting an international choice, and the age of the provincial viewpoint will be over. If presented in the right way, just as Indian music today has a renaissance in the west, so can Western music come of age on the Indian subcontinent.

This season will also include a concert in Pune. Tell us a little about the repertoire that will be performed there. The important thing about touring is that it satis�es so many di�erent parameters that are excellent for the orchestra. It is a great opportunity for us to expand our audience base. Pune has a cultural bent which I am sure will be represented. We are looking forward to inaugurating their new concert hall. Also, when an orchestra tours, it plays under di�erent pressures, which make the orchestra stronger, improves its cohesion, and also the morale. For such tours, it is important to take pieces that have already been played; I have the enviable task of having my pick of the pieces of the season, and repeating them for the Pune audience. I am certainly looking forward to this concert tour, since we have been waiting for the city to develop the facilities necessary to host a full orchestra. The Susie Sorabji Auditorium has good acoustics. I am sure this will be the

�rst of several trips to Pune.

What lies ahead for the SOI? To understand what may lie ahead – and there is potential for a great deal – one must take a moment to look back. I know that we have said this several times before, but it is vitally important, completely crucial to our mission and bears repeating. Marat, myself, the whole fabric that is the SOI and all the extraordinary artistic experiences available at the NCPA did not happen accidentally or on their own. To mastermind the complete operation of an arts centre, to establish it as a national centre of excellence, to thoroughly support its artistes, to maintain good initiatives, to explore new international partnerships, to provide a consistent growth in superior o�erings, to challenge the audiences with new projects, to commit to educational initiatives for all age groups, to establish a long-term vision for the city’s culture that links it with major centres around the globe – all of these are but a few of the things that the NCPA Mumbai enjoys. They are the e�orts of the last six years, undoubtedly all attributable to our Chairman, Mr. Khushroo N. Suntook. It is hard to believe that so much has been accomplished in so short a time, and that is why the future looks so very bright. I have had the privilege of having a ringside seat to all these irrefutable accomplishments and the personal pleasure of investing energy in those of which I have been a part.

Zane Dalal will conduct a Chalk Talk on the works of the forthcoming season of SOI on 16th September at the Little Theatre.

COVER STORY

10 • September 2013 NCPA

Forward BoundZane Dalal talks to Akhil Sood about the whole fabric that is the SOI, returning for another season to prepare the orchestra and conducting its debut in Pune

Zane Dalal

Simple Folk

FROM THE ARCHIVES

ON Stage brings you excerpts from the NCPA Quarterly Journal, an unsurpassed literary

archive that ran from 1972 to 1988 and featured

authoritative and wide-ranging articles.

Here, Chandrasekhar Kambar highlights the difficulties a modern

playwright faces while borrowing from folk plays

34 • September 2013 NCPA

As far as Karnataka is concerned, traditional theatre is nothing but folk theatre that has emerged as a vital expression of

the experiences of village life. All folk performances are artistic by nature as they have to achieve the dignity of the divine and imply community participation. They are always part of a religious festival or fair and never performed purely for public entertainment. As cultural gestures go, they also tend to be highly decorative, sometimes even irrelevant. Elaborately detailed costumes or songs, tolerance towards overacting and unwanted characters do not always enrich the structure of a play. But they exist like narrative hangers-on.

Since the outline of a folk play is broad, familiar, simple and clear, the performer does not have to bring to the audience its total e�ect. Therefore, we cannot expect it to have the kind of organisation or unity of experience that we would expect (and often �nd) in an art play. The plot, here, will be a well-known local myth, the characters will be stock and the attitudes will be straightforward. Technical di�culties, like the lack of stage trappings, lead the performer to use methods that

make communication easy. Any response to a gesture on stage is, therefore, already presumed by the performer.

ONE-MAN ARMYBut a folk performance is more than conventional action. What grips the audience in spite of the re-enactment is the amount of improvisation that leads to the conventions. No two performances are alike. Since there is no �xed dialogue or action, it is all a matter of the performer’s individual talent. Folk theatre, both in its origin and development, is the product of a stable and organic society. It is not the sudden e�orescence of a cultural or social revolution. Its core belongs to the pool of community experiences and, as such, tries to reach all sections of society. Religion, in its pure form, is highly individual and becomes part of a society only when it is realised as a ritual. This is why all folk plays are part of a ritual embodied in popular myth.

PARTS OF A WHOLESince the function of folk theatre is not to stir the emotions or minds of the audience but to strengthen established attitudes, it aims to entertain only in parts. Surprisingly enough, these interludes (like the humour of the Kodangi, the Fool, or a

Hayavadana is based on an 11th-century book of Indian legends, the Kathasaritsagara

comic episode about an ill-matched pair) are more spontaneous and creative than you would expect. The audience relishes them and sometimes, a performance is better remembered for such unplanned moments than for its relevance. The actor is not only a participant but also an interpreter in a very de�nite sense of the word. The dialogue becomes �exible and can be stretched out or cut short at will. Above the actor, the sutradhara (narrator) changes the direction of a performance based on his read of the audience’s needs. This way, folk theatre becomes more of an ongoing process than a �nished product.

If rural culture is part of the traditional life of our country, what is the place of folk theatre in an urban cultural environment? Is it possible then, to relate it to our contemporary and artistic needs? What can the modern literary dramatist learn and borrow from traditional theatre? He does not have the joy of anonymity that the folk playwright enjoys. Also, his needs are radically di�erent. The modern playwright believes in the perfection and �nality of his creation. Once a play is written, it is no longer open for improvement. The playwright is more consciously artistic. What, then, is the relevance of folk theatre to such a thinker who writes with a di�erent sensibility and for a di�erent (and many times, indi�erent) audience?

FOLK VIS-À-VIS MODERNThe modern literary dramatist is not only its creator but also its �rst director. He helps the actor in the form of stage directions. His audiences are sophisticated and drawn mostly from the upper middle class. The folk poet organises his theme in terms of song, music and also, as an ancillary, in dialogue, but the literary playwright organises his theme only in dialogue and directed gesture. He has none of the conveniences of a homogenous audience and has lost all communions with the folk mind. His theme is personal in conception (sometimes highly so), and becomes socially accessible only through the medium of language. Occasionally, the director is more imaginative than the playwright – the enactment might surprise the writer himself. The director then becomes a literary interpreter rather than a skilled organiser.

Folk theatre cannot possibly avoid becoming a museum piece. What, then, can the modern playwright salvage from it? Strangely, it is in its conventions that the playwright can reap some pro�t. If he wants

to borrow an element, he must assimilate it in a way that it becomes an indivisible part of the play’s structure and becomes a symbol. This is what we mean when we describe Rishyashringa, Hayavadana and Jokumaraswamy as written in the Bayatala technique or total theatre. The convention of the sutradhara introducing the

character is used in Rishyashringa to bring out the hero, Balagonda’s, lack of identity. Another instance is in Jokumaraswamy where the characters are introduced by the servants of the Gouda (village headman) in a way that they establish the ironic relation with the Gouda as also with each other. The Gouda’s wife, for instance, is introduced as his farm which suggests his property mania and possessiveness. This also suggests the themes of fertility and exploitation.

Despite this, it seems a pity that urban audiences can never identify themselves with a traditional play. They retain a sympathetic distance and view such plays as a curiosity than as something relevant and immediate. Our society, segregated as it is into so many classes, does not aid the growth of drama. When a modern playwright studies a folk play, all he can do, as Gerard Manley Hopkins said in another context, is “admire and do otherwise”.

This article �rst appeared in the NCPA Quaterly Journal in December 1975 (Vol. IV, Issue 4).

Folk theatre cannot possibly avoid becoming a museum piece. What, then, can

the modern playwright

salvage from it?

NCPA September 2013 • 35

(Left to right) Sunila Pradhan, Amrish Puri and Amol Palekar in a performance for Hayavadana

At the heart of Hayavadana is the

question: What is the seat of self – the mind

or the body?