Safdar Hashmi And The Theatre Scene By Vidyadhar Date

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Safdar Hashmi And The Theatre Scene By Vidyadhar Date

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Apri l12 m arks t he bi rt h anni versary ofSaf dar H ashm i ,t he radi calt heat re act or,w ho w as m urdered by Congress support i ng goons near D el hii n 1989 duri ng a st reett heat re perf orm ance.The day i s observed as t he nat i onalst reett heat re day. cl e cam e al ong and asked a cobbl er Thatbri ngs back som e m em ori es.Som e t i m e ago i n M um baia pol i ce vehi

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si t t i ng on t he f oot pat ht o getoutas a socal l ed VI P m ot orcade w as arri vi ng.Surpri si ngl y,t he t one w as not
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very rude butt he order t o hi m w as undem ocrat i c enough.

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O bvi ousl y,al loppressi ve rul i ng cl asses are af rai d ofcom m on peopl e .I nt he very f i rstscene i n Shakespeare s pl ay Jul i us Ceasar,Fl avi us shout s atcom m on peopl e,cal l i ng t hem i dl e creat ures.I m peri alCeasar i s aboutt o arri ve i n at ri um phantprocessi on. .Lat er,Fl avi us t al ks ofdri vi ng aw ay t he poor f rom t he st reet s,cal l i ng t hem vul gar.

A cobbl er i nt he crow d i s m ore t han m at ch f or t he arrogantFl avi us.W hen conf ront ed he descri bes hi m sel fas a surgeon ofol d shoes,a m ender ofbad sol es.I can m end you,he says.

The syst em i st ryi ng t o m ake t he poor i nvi si bl e,t ryi ng t o dri ve t hem aw ay i n reall i f e and i nt he m edi a.I nt he f i sh,consum eri sm obsessed upper num erous si ckeni ng t el evi si on seri al s dom i nat ed com pl et el y by vul gar,sel cl ass,even t he dom est i c w orker i s bani shed.As i ft hi s parasi t i calcl ass does notdepend on t he t oi l i ng peopl e.

The quest i on i s w here can t he l i ves oft he poor be ref l ect ed i nt hi s setup ? They have t o creat et hei r ow n spaces,t hei r ow n pl ays,t hei r ow n w ri t ers.The i ssue unf ol ded t he sam e eveni ng as t he Presi dent s m ot orcade w hen Iat t ended t he rel ease ofa book on st reett heat re w ri t t en by Avi nash K adam and presi ded over by reput ed f i l m and st age di rect or D r Jabbar Pat elatBhupesh G upt a Bhavan atPrabhadevi .

Kadam has done rem arkabl e servi ce w i t h hi s book gi vi ng a l otofi nf orm at i on and som e real l y sat i ri cal ,com i c and seri ous scri pt s.The book appropri at el y has on i t s cover a pai nt i ng done by M . F.H usai n on t he ki l l i ng of act ordi rect or act i vi stSaf dar H ashm i.

he The st reett heat re i st rul y a dem ocrat i ct heat re,i ti s perf orm ed f ree,i nf acti ti nvi t es t he peopl et o see t perf orm ance ,i tassert si t s ri ghtt o a publ i c space and i tgi ves voi ce t o peopl e s probl em s general l yi n a hi ghl y ent ert ai ni ng w ay.Q ui t eaf ew oft hese grow as partofpeopl e s st ruggl es and cam pai gns.

The M arat hit heat re i st he m ostvi brantt heat re i nt he count ry butnotevery body i s happy w i t ht he st at e of af f ai rs. W e have notcreat ed a si ngl e m aj or pl ayw ri ghtaf t er Vi j ay Tendul kar,decl ared Prem am and G aj wi , hi m sel fa radi caldal i tpl ayw ri ght ,i n M um baisom e t i m e ago.

H e sai d Tendul kar quest i oned t he est abl i shm entand pai dt he pri ce f or hi s rebel l i on.There has been no real chal l enge t ot he est abl i shm entsi nce Tendul kar,w e have f ai l ed t ot ackl et hem es l i ke t he pl i ghtofM usl i ms and t he at t ack on t he W orl d Trade Cent re,G aj w isai d.

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D r Shreeram Lagoo,em i nentact or sai di n 1973 he w as al ready a bi g nam e i nt heat re butw hen he approached producers w i t h G. P.D eshpande s si gni f i cantpl ay U dhw ast a D harm ashal a no producer w as ready t ot ake i tbecause i tdi d nothave t he com m erci alel em ent . .U l t i m at el y,Lagoo and ot hers t hem sel ves di dt he pl ay bri l l i ant l y atChhabi l das experi m ent alt heat re i n 1974.I st i l lrem em ber t he product i on show i ng

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04-05-2013

Safdar Hashmi And The Theatre Scene By Vidyadhar Date

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t he t ragedy ofa radi calprof essor w ho i s subj ect ed t o an i nqui ry by t he uni versi t y because ofhi s radi calvi ew s.

M rG . P.D eshpande sai dt hatt hough M arat hidram a had m uch a m uch bi gger i m pactnat i onal l yt han t he M arat hinovel ,M arat hidram a w as notgi ven enough i m port ance i nt he l i t erary di scourse.Presi dent i al hisahi t ya sam m el ans som et i m es di d noteven ref er t o M arat hidram a. addresses atM arat

Pl ayw ri ghtShaf aatKhan sai d w e are i n such a si t uat i on t hatour grandm ot her sf ai ry t al es sound t rue t oday butrealst ori es i nt heat re and t el evi si on sound f ake. Lastyear I spenta l otofm y ow n m oney t o part i ci pat ei n a sem i nar on t heat re spaces att he f am ed N i nasam ,

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dram a t heat re com pl ex,i n a ruralarea i n Shi m oga di st ri cti n Karnat aka.

Thi s sem i nar i n Karnat aka w as di f f erent .I tw as hel di n very basi c,si m pl e surroundi ngs.M ostoft he com pl ex w hi ch i ncl udes dram a t heat res and t rai ni ng i nst i t ut e,does w i t houtf ans and I heard t hatf ans w ere speci al l y

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i nst al l ed i nt he cam pus f or t he f i rstt i m ei ni t s hi st ory f or our benef i toft he sem i nar.

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The part i ci pant si ncl udi ng m any W est erners and reput ed I ndi an t heat re personal i t i es, w ho at e si m pl e but t ast y veget ari an m eal s served by a very court eous st af f .

nnovat i ve,dem ocrat i c vent ure.Setup by K annada t heat re personal i t y Subanna hal fa Ni nasam i s a very i cent ury ago and nurt ured by st al w al rt sl i ke Si varam Karant h ,i thas broughtseri ous i nt ernat i onalt heat re and ci nem a t o vi l l agers.Vi l l agers enj oy t he bestofShakespeare and Sat yaj i tR ay and D e Si ca,l ocal l yt rai ned young st udent s enactpl ays l i ke Chekhov s Seagul li n K annada w i t h al otofi nnovat i on.The barri er bet w een t he audi ence and spect at ors i s broken.O ne day w e saw an enact m entofChekhov s Cherry O rchard i n w hi ch w e shi f t ed our chai rs bet w een scenes,w e saton t he ot her si de oft he t heat re and so i tw as cl ean,good

14, 340 peopl el i ke Count er cur r ent s. or g.

enj oym ent .

Ni nasam i s setam i dstgreenery near Sagar t ow n i n Karnat aka i n one oft he ni cestareas i nt he count ry.I had al ovel yj ourney f rom H onavar i n coast alKarnat aka by bus t o Sagara,pastt he f am aous Jog f al l s.

The odd partoft he sem i nar w as t hatm uch oft he del i berat i on w as subm erged i n so m uch bom bastand j argon t hatIcam e aw ay i n di sm ay af t er t w o days i nst ead oft he schedul ed f i ve days.I had t o cancelm y t rai n
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reservat i on and spend m ore m oney i nt he process.O ver t he years,I have heard so m uch hi ghf al ut i n nonsense atsem i nars t hatI am now l osi ng m y pat i ence.Butt hi si s notsom et hi ng t hatbot hers m e ata evelonl y.W hatshoul d bot her al lofus i st he t rem endous nat i onalw ast e ofresources t hatt hese personall sem i nars i nvol ve.So m uch needl ess expense,especi al l y w hen t he sem i nars are heavi l y sponsored w i t h ai r t ravel ,accom m odat i on i nl uxury hot el s,l avi sh m eal s and so on and of t en t he qual i t y ofdel i berat i ons i s qui t e m edi ocre.There are a f ew sem i nas organi zed ata l ow costas t he one organi zed by geography schol ar Sw apna Banerj ee G uha att he Tat aI nst i t ut e ofSoci alSci ences a f ew years ago.The di scussi ons w ere hel di n cl ass room s,so no expendi t ure on ai r condi t i oni ng and every one pai df or hi s or her ow n l unch i nt he f ood st al l si n t he com pl ex.W e desperat el y need t ot ransf orm t he w hol e sem i nar cul t ure.I am agai nstcom pul si on and censorshi p butt here i s real l y a seri ous need t o ask som e oft he academ i cs t oj ustshutup f or som e t i m e and rom t he si n oft al ki ng i na st artspeaki ng i n al anguage w hi ch peopl e can underst and.Lef t i st s are notf ree f hi gh f l ow n l anguage w i t hj argon.I rem em ber a shortst ory by l ef tw i ng w ri t er R anganayakam m a i n w hi ch a sym pat het i c courtacqui t s som e arm ed revol ut i onari es oft he charge ofvi ol ence butconvi ct st hem f or anot her of f ence -speaki ng i n al anguage w hi ch peopl e cannotunderst and.

Vet eran t heat re cri t i cs Rust om Bharucha and Sadanand M enon expressed seri ous reservat i ons over t he l anguge oft he present at i ons oft he N i nasam sem i nar.I ti st rue t hatsom e oft he present ers w ere hi ghl y t al ent ed peopl e butw hati st he use ofal lt he i nt el l i gence i fone cannotcom m uni cat ewi t h com m on peopl e d ofcom m uni cat i on ? and w hen one i si nt he f i el

Vidyadhar Date i s a seni or j ournal i stand aut hor oft he book Traffic in the era of climate change. Walking, cycling, public transport need priority.

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