It's rich local ethos that have make Assamese Theatre what it is: Patgiri

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Nov 6: Assamese playwright, theatre actor and director ren Patgiri has made an unequivocal comment, that too when two of his counterparts from West Bengal were sharing the dais with him, and contested the age-old belief that 'Assamese Theatre has its roots in Bengal Yatra'. Erasing this notion in no uncertain terms, Patgiri made it known in no uncertain terms that 'it's the local ethos, which Assamese Theatre is rich in, that has made it occupy an envious position in the world of drama in India. Assamese Theatre, he said, is deep rooted into the culture and ethnicity of Assam.

Patgiri was talking at a programme med 'tya Sambhar' at the 17th North East Book Fair at Chandmari field in the city on Thursday when, besides a local theatre persolity, a playwright and a dramatist from West Bengal shared the dais with him. The talk was conducted by Sahitya Akademi.

Citing the example of Manipuri genius Ratan Thiyam, Patgiri said: "As Thiyam pioneered the movement 'back to roots' in Manipur, many dramatists of Assam have made the movement successful by reaching every nook and corner in the State to exploit the local ethos in their theatres. Drama is always anti-establishment. Drama is the strongest of all the media. In its live performances, drama always favours pluralism in society. What theatre exalts is 'we' and not 'I'. Nobody can stop the pluralistic fabric of theatre."

Quoting great theatre persolities Utpal Dutta and Sanghamitra of West Bengal as openly admitting, Patgiri said: "Utpal Dutta and Sanghamitra did mention in no uncertain terms that the Assamese mobile theatre is unique on many counts like theatre-goers being gathered in hordes. The craze for mobile theatre in Assam is not seen elsewhere in the country."

Cine artiste Utpal Dutta and Sanghamitra, according to Patgiri, said this when they were called to Assam by Dr. Bhupen Hazarika in the silver jubilee celebrations of taraj Theatre in late 1980s.

Earlier, dramatist Aprita Ghosh from Kolkata gave a pen picture of theatre in Bengal, especially in the post-xal movement in 1970s. "Theatre is an art form that reflects what society is. Kolkata theatre has had a paradigm shift after the xal movement in West Bengal and in the globalized India. The rapid changes in society in 1990s has led to a sort of chemical changes that have got their reflection in Kolkata theatre. This is a period when experiments on theatre were dymic. Kolkata playwrights are complementary to each other even as this happens unknowingly among the dramatists."

Ghosh feels the necessity of documentation of theatres so as to make them immortal like the cinema. Another playwright and dramatist from Kolkata Sekhar Samaddar said: "Utpal Dutta didn't do much dramas after 1983-84,and the Left Front came to power in the State in 1977. After 1985, government funding for theatre was not up to mark. After 1990, the dramatists in West Bengal were to an extent a self-contented lot, without giving the needed recognition to theatrical works elsewhere in the country. However, after 2011 drama in West Bengal made a resurgence due to the huge government funding for the purpose. This is the time when the competition in West Bengal Theatre became neck and neck."

Samaddar, however, cited the cinema boom in Kolkata as one of the reasons for theatre not thriving in the metropolitan city the way it should have been there. Maybe, the playwright wanted to make the contrast between Assam Theatre and West Bengal Theatre. Cinema is a failed industry in Assam, and maybe that is one of the reasons behind theatre, especially Mobile Theatre, reaching every nook and corner in the State.

Samaddar concluded his speech with the expression of his wish that let theatre, to be precise, Indian theatre, live long. He, however, said that documentation of theatre is not an easy task to get accomplished. "Mere videography of a theatre doesn't necessarily mean documentation of theatre. Often, the camera cannot capture minute live expressions that are seen in live performances in the theatre. This is an area where, unlike a cine actor, a theatre actor cannot make his performances immortal," he added.

The talk was conducted by dramatist yan Prasad.