On Completion of 15 years of  “ Theatre of Relevance”

A
Maharashtra State Convention
On
“Theatre of Relevance”
28-30 November 2007
Was organised at

Manav Seva Kendra, Nasik

 

On the morning of 28th November, when every other citizen of democratic Republic of India was busy in their day-to-day struggle, 50 passionate young theatre performers from different parts of Maharashtra were writing history by organizing and participating in the first state convention on “ Theatre of Relevance” at Manav Seva Kendra in Nasik.

This convention is historical in the following sense

• After IPTA`s formative years and little later, theatre people heard about state & national conventions and later it stopped.
• In Maharashtra, Marathi Natya Parishad organizes “ Natya Sammelan” and not convention.
• In the modern era of Globalization no theatre forum talks or practice a theatre, which is committed for social change.

So keeping the above-mentioned reasons this state convention is a new beginning in the Modern global era – political, economical, social and cultural scenario it requires courage and conviction to stand on own feet to fight for justice, equality, peace and humanity.

As on the banks of RAVI in 1930 - Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Indian National Congress resolves for “ Puran Swaraj” similarly the delegates of “Theatre of Relevance” convention passed the resolution on 30th November 2007 that states:

Resolution

“ We theatre performers/ practitioners and believers of “ Theatre of Relevance” resolves collectively that we will live & practice the values, principles, concept, method and processes of “TOR” in our life and take it to the masses for the upliftment of Humanity. We will provide theatre as a platform of expression to the exploited, marginalized and the poorest for equality justice and Peace. We will practice theatre to evolve as better human being and to make the world more “ Better & Humane”.

Fundamentals of Theatre of Relevance

• A Theatre that commits its creative excellence to make the world more “ Better & Humane”.
• That is relevant to the context of the society and owes its responsibility, not to Art just for the Art sake.
• Which caters to human needs and provide itself as a platform for expression
• Which explores itself as a medium of change and/or development.
• That comes out from the ‘limits of entertainment’ to a way of living

In 3 days participants explored themselves through the understanding of fundamentals, principles, concepts and processes of “ Theatre of Relevance”. They experienced and defined their own understanding of “ TOR” as per their own immediate realities of grassroots, villages, towns and metro cities day-to-day happenings and challenges of globalization. Some broad understanding:

 

• Audience is the first and foremost theatre person.
• Auditorium is not theatre. It is a performing venue. We the performers can create theatre and our own stage anywhere. Theatre exists with in us.
• Theatre is not captive of resources. Creativity and the urge to communicate is the fuel of theatre. Theatre is primarily not to showcase art or aesthetics but to communicate the truth because “ Satyam is Sunderm, Sunderam is Shivam!”
• The essential requirement of theatre is a performer and an audience when they meet theatre is created.

There is no doubt in the mind of “ TOR” practitioners that theatre has the ethos of revolution and theatre empowers its practitioners. Change is the core element of theatre. ETF has proved the same by different experiments all over India with different sections of society. It is high time for the intellectual class of India to acknowledge the experiments and support us in our theatre movement rather than indulging in the debate of  “ To be or not to be.”
ETF since 1992 has been acting as a laboratory of theatre experiments (in contents, form, stage, presentation, technique, set, costume, make up & all aspects of theatre in relation with the experiments in society, i.e. political, economic, social, cultural & religious) & implementing each and every aspect of “Theatre of Relevance”.

 ETF has evolved herself as a centre of theatre movement without sticking into a trap of huge infrastructure & financial assets. ETF is a people’s organisation of theatre that caters their challenges of day-to-day life (communal riots, child labour, economic reforms & globalization, female feotus, domestic violence, violence on women, unemployment, education, HIV, basic human rights, natural calamity like earthquake & Tsunami) through theatrical performances & processes.

The passionate young, adult & child performers living in different parts of India are the reliable resource of ETF. These performers have immensely contributed in terms of performance, dedication and commitment to build this organisation. They did not let down the organisation even in financial crisis (Though they themselves are hand to mouth). Salute to all the dedicated performers of ETF!

 

The challenge is to how to fight for the cause? What are means to be adopted? “ TOR” creates an urge to rebel. But the revolt is sensitive. The answer came as to see us as “ Sensitive Rebel” – Sensitive Bandkhore - that means our ways are going to be sensitive and not violent or forceful exhibitions. The role of deprived will be in the forefront of the struggle and we will facilitate them for the struggle.

Being educated does not mean civilized, being civilized does not mean humane. Science itself per -say does not guarantee safety for humanity. It is the way we use it i.e. atomic bombardment on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and homicide of female fetus in India. We have to continuously work sensitively and peacefully to be humane!

The convention was organised by Mico Employees Forum and convened by Sachin Malegoankar. The delegate contributed his or her own resources towards the cost of the convention. It was not funded or sponsored by any corporate or donor.

Raju Naik from Nasik and Trupti Diggikar from Aurangabad – the senior practitioners (10 years and 5 years experience respectively) of “ TOR” presented themselves as role models of change through “ TOR”.

Uttam Kamble – group editor – Sakal addressed the delegates about global challenges and prospects of change through “ TOR”. Rajkumar Kamle- a key ETF member informed the participants about different experiments, programme and performances of “ TOR” all over India.

Manjul Bhardwaj –(Who initiated  “ Theatre of Relevance” in 1992) presided and facilitated the three-day convention. 

Elaboration of “ Theatre of Relevance” process impact:
·        A child labour was daily abused by his employer. After participating in TOR process. The child performed in the play “ Mera Bachpan” at the same place where he was working. His oppressor, Employer was one of the audiences. After the performance the employer clapped. The child was surprised. He could not believe that the same man who thrash him daily from morning to evening, who humiliates him every moment is clapping and applauding his talent, potential. This reaction of employer has ignited the child’s mind. The revolution happened. The child was empowered. He said to him, “ I am not borne to serve the society. I am a human with equality & dignity.” TOR process struck the chord at tandem with the oppressor & oppressed. The ethos of theatre broke the cocoon of Entertainment and brought Revolution.
·        A landless daily wage labourers questioned the powerful officer in front of the tehsil office in Khurja, a block in Bulandshahar district of Uttar Pardesh from the stage in between the performance. This one question touched the ego of the officer or the power of the mighty was questioned. This sense of being in power of questioning was generated in the labourers by TOR processes.
·        TOR put the challenges in front of the creator, the most effective behavioral scientist to intervene & perform. The angry officer was ready to destroy or to use his power or command his man to shoot at sight. The behavioral scientist held the hands of the angry officer and said to him,” Your anger is their satisfaction!” The behavioral scientist emerged a leader in the likes of Subasha Chandra Bose. The officer was reformed. The daily wage labourers were empowered. The system & society greeted each other for this bloodless “ REVOLUTION”.
·         TOR processes in BHEL GM – programme triggered the feeling of ONENESS: Participants were divided into four groups.  They were asked to envision (visualize) some thing and execute it together in their respective groups.  The groups separately prepared for 15 minutes and then executed it one by one.  The intra-group process was fantastic – visualizing individually, taking the risk, and sharing with group members, selecting one out of so many alternatives, making improvements over others’ ideas involving decision making, persuading, and a number of behavioural processes occurred providing valuable opportunities for learning. 

·        Finally, a display by the groups, one after the other followed.  Every presentation aroused positive feelings not only in the participants but the observers themselves.  Leadership, follower ship, replacement of leader, replacement of followers – the emerging feelings, impact on group effectiveness – provided intense learning opportunities in most interesting ways.  The members of different groups broke their barriers – it so happened in a couple of displays, that one or more members from one group joined another group’s displays to make it more attractive.  The feeling of ‘inter group competition’ had transcended to ‘inter group collaboration’. 

·        Workshop on Rehabilitation of Women and Adolescent Girls in the Red Light Areas of Mumbai
Far away from the dingy brothels of Kamathipura and Falkland Road, the screaming brothel owners and madams, the mean and selfish customers, was the serene and calm environment of the workshop for the rehabilitation of women from the red light areas of Mumbai.  The Workshop was organized to bring about social change and transformation through theatre i.e. TOR processes. The aim of the workshop was to generate a sense of dignity, self-esteem, and selfhood in the women.  A dried leaf, a broken stem, a flower, a piece of stone changed the self-concept.  The women experienced Naya Jeevan (a new life) for themselves. 

·        A HIV infected sex worker was ready to jump from a hill in Khandala to kill herself. IN the TOR process she realized her space. She participated in the improvised scene about her life. The process brought her back from the jaws of death to life.

 

Manjul further elaborates on the philosophy of “Theatre of Relevance” as follows:

• Theatre of relevance is an internal sound of a human being.  It is a sound of self-realization.  It has a method of uniting different parts into one despite striking against one another, which gives out a voice of oneness. 

• Theatre of relevance is within a human being.  It brings out the theatrical performance from within an individual and the perceptions of an individual are expressed in a group and made a part of his personality.  It prepares a ground where a person being in a group is an individual and being an individual he feels himself to be in a group. 

• Theatre of relevance perceives the various facets of theatrical performances such as: stage play, street play, folk play, etc. congruent with one another as they all manifest the originality of theatrical performance.  Theatrical performance is not always held in theatre or on stage but it is within an individual round the clock i.e., for 24 hours.  Stage, nukkad, or any other place is only a place where one can express himself/herself before the audience.  Stage is not a theatre on its own and medium of expression is not the destination. 

• Theatre of relevance is a self-realization of one’s own expressions.   The technique of theatre of relevance is highly developed.  It breaks the routine rudiments of theatrical performances and each day looks for new ways of expressions.  It evolves new ways and techniques of presentation and encourages the viewer to provide more space to the performer and be a part of the theatrical process to the viewer. 

• Theatre of relevance is independent of any language and words.  Though it is not related to words, yet it decides the genre of expression on its own.  These methods open up and break up the human sympathies and traditional customs, where words are not only words but also new words take birth.  For example, a child suffering from HIV/AIDS says that after performing in a theatre he has got to believe his existence along with other children.  He does not know that his parents have cheated him because he is a HIV+ since the time of his birth.  We do not know that this child would be able to tell that again after 4 – 5 years.  Theatre of relevance brings out one’s belief and also one’s broken trust and rekindles a hope of life in a living being in his tumultuous life because life is itself a real and a great theatrical performance.

• The method of theatre of relevance first works on an individual and changes his indistinctive feelings to innate feelings.  When a person turns instinctive, he is able to express himself in his own way.    Normally, any theatre workshop starts with some kind of warm up exercises, but the theatre of relevance evolves many exercises spontaneously, which suits the need of the group at that particular time, rather than carrying a load of old prescribed exercises or methods.  Further, they are evolved keeping in view the subject and target of the theatre workshops. 

• Theatre of relevance is the theatre where actors are the face of theatre but not the soul as perceived in general.  It is very important for the public to understand that they can participate much more in theatre, by demystifying the mystery of theatre. Theatre of relevance believes that audience is the first theatre person then the writer, director, and so on.  It breaks this myth and unmasks the masks of representation of actors.