The Evolution of Performing Arts in India- A Brief Glimpse |Storytelling, Poetry & Theatre|
Performing Arts is greatly influenced by the society it originated from and currently resides in. To be relevant, art and artists need to modify their approach to their art form. While people still crave for traditional art forms, the focus has shifted to contemporary themes. Independent India needs diversification in terms of art and the artists are trying to deliver in every way they can. The access to advanced opportunities, the means to cultivate and propagate each art form are a few ways in which modern India is progressing.
Kumar Vaibhav from Art Culturati points out, “After India’s Independence, art has been commercialized. The artists are at the very bottom of the ladder, losing their enthusiasm. Art is intended to strike a balance between the soul and the outer world and it is essential to revive such a raw form of art in today’s world”.
This article, in brief, shows the evolution of five art-forms from pre-independent to modern-day India. (in two articles, a continuation of sorts)
Storytelling:
The steps of Jama Masjid, in the 1800s, saw a crowd gathered to listen to a “dastango”(a storyteller), who would enchant their audience with stories of fantasy and folk traditions. Decades later, this adventure is being recreated by Mahmood Farooqui and Danish Hussain, celebrated storytellers who bring alive the stories of Urdu Writer, Manto.
Oral storytelling is an experience that connects the psyche of the storyteller to their audience, making it a deep-seated and personal experience. The traditional form of storytelling in India, known as ‘Katha’ involved religious storytelling. As one empire took over another, the stories started incorporating praises for the King, his valour and generosity. Following the Muslim Conquest, Urdu was introduced to India from Persia and Arabia. Poets, writers and the audience quickly adapted to Urdu, especially the Sikh and the Hindu communities and stories flowed gracefully within the community of art lovers.
After British Colonialism, authors resorted to writing and narrating stories with cultural and well as political themes, ideologies meant to fuel the struggle for freedom. Drama writers such as Jaishankar Prasad and Makhanlal Chaturvedi wrote political dramas such as Ashoka(1912) and Chandragupta (1931), which were later taken to stage by prominent theatre artists.
Storytelling, as an art-form, is still not widely accepted. Post-independence, storytellers have taken the liberty to incorporate two or more forms of storytelling, sometimes in a contemporary set-up. The opportunities given by various online as well as offline platforms such as Art Culturati, Tape a Tale, Stories on Toast and Kommune India are encouraging storytellers from all walks of life to make use of this platform that will help them reach millions of people. Artists such as Jeeva Raghunath are taking this culture ahead as she entertains people with her stories of the past and the present alike. Actors such as Naseeruddin Shah and Ashish Vidyarthi are often seen narrating tales at various social events, mainly classics such as Chugtai. Ashish Vidyarthi set up the ‘Avid Miner Conversations’ that helps in personal as well as professional development through storytelling.
Theatrical performances of stories by Premchand and other notable authors in social gatherings and public events have found its audience. The Kathalaya Academy of storytelling by Geeta Ramanujam aims to “the bridge the gaps between the Teacher and the Taught” and also holds the Limca Book of Records for organizing the first storytelling festival in India, back in 2005. Storytellers such as Dushyant Singh, Kamal Pruthi, Priyanka Chatterjee and Vikram Sridhar are reaching out to the younger generations through various online platforms to bring storytelling to their personal space, an experience that has been appreciated immensely. These stories, ranging from traditional tales to modern-day dark humour are not just narrated, but ‘performed’ and their proceeds fuel the storyteller’s passion and certain NGOs fighting a variety of crisis including COVID-19.
Poetry:
Poetry follows the same trajectory as storytelling. The poets wrote primarily in their regional language which was later followed by poems in Hindi, Urdu and finally, English. Poetry, with its lyrical properties, is widely read and is an effective means to bring history and mythology back into the modern lifestyle. As the poets reminisce the passage of times, it instils a feeling of nostalgia among the readers, old and young alike. Mirza Galib, a prominent Urdu poet during the Mughal Empire still resides in the hearts of millions.
Eminent poets such as Gulzar, Amrita Pritam, Arundhathi Subramanyam, Jeet Thayil fluently navigate between subtle observations and the complexities of human emotions during the past as well as the present. Rabindranath Tagore majorly introduced modern poetry (both in Bengali and English) into the Indian society, as a result of his foreign education and a quick grasp of English. Other prominent poets in the pre-independence era, known for their writings on the social and political aspects of the society, include Kazi Nazrul Islam, A. K Ramanujam, Sarojini Naidu and Kamala Das. These poets drew their inspiration from traditional and ancient poetry but they used a language that was easier to understand, making their poetry more accessible to the common people.
Poetry has evolved immensely post-independence. The Introduction of contemporary poetry and the circulation of verses through social media has brought a revolution. Diaspora poet Vijay Sheshadri won the Pultizer Prize in Poetry for his collection ‘3 Sections’. Postcolonial poets such as Meena Kandasamy and Tishani Doshi narrate the modern-day scenario, one with its own set of issues, especially ones of social injustice towards women.
Despite poetry not getting enough attention from the publishers, modern-day poets have found multiple ways to exhibit their knack for writing and reciting poetry that resonates with the mass. Poets such as Nikita Gill and Rupi Kaur are inspiring women to shed their inhibitions and stand for themselves. Open Mic and Slam Poetry are now organized in every part of the country by companies such as Delhi Poetry Slam, Art Culturati, the CLAP centre in Mumbai, etc. Poetry is flourishing in ways the audience demands and it is a welcoming change.
Theatre
Theatre in India has its highs and lows. One of the oldest forms of art, Theatre includes ‘dramatic performances’ which is inspired by the social, political, cultural and religious framework of that era. Theatre flourished before the Islamic conquest in the form of Sanskrit dramas such as Mahabhasya by Patanjali, mostly religious performances by trained priests in sacred grounds. Both literary and narrative aspects of Theatre in India depicted the ideal way of life, contrary to the realistic theatre in the West. Tamasha during the Maratha Empire and Ramlila in Benaras were popular forms of theatre practised. The Oral theatre took over after the Muslim invasion and theatre segregated itself to particular regions.
Nautanki, Rasleela and Ramleela are parts of contemporary theatre that involves oral storytelling. Rabindranath Tagore played an important part in writing and propagating contemporary theatre. His plays such as Dakghar (The Post Office) and Raktakarabi (The Red Oleander) were performed in Bengal and later translated into English. Kalyanam Raghuramaya is a pioneer artist who revolutionized the Telugu theatre industry. This form of theatre was centred around the common man and socio-political scenario meant to identify issues prevalent in society.
The Urban theatre or the Parsi Theatre, coupled western ‘Naturalistic Drama’, Opera and Folklore and made these performances accessible to the people in cities. While the common masses were entertained, the rich and influential section were dissatisfied. This led to the production of literary and amateur theatre penned by dramatists such as Jaishankar Prashad (Hindi), Samsa and Kuvempu (Kannada), Subramanya Bharathiar (Tamil) and Sreekanthan Nair (Malayalam). Bhisham Sahni wrote extensively on Social realism whereas South Indian theatre introduced the audience to communist ideals.
As the Britishers lost their grip on India, Post Independent India saw the rise of other forms of theatre such as Street Theatre, Mobile Theatre and Improv Theatre (focused on improvisation during the performance). In Kolkata, Utpal Dutt’s plays Teen Talwar and Surya Shikari and Sambhu Mitra’s recreation of Literary theatre were widely acclaimed. This was followed by the establishment of The Sangeet Natak Akademi (1953) which provided funds to directors bringing back traditional forms of Drama. The National School of Drama (1959) trained enthusiastic artists in the nuances of theatre performances and has its national Theatre festival- Bharat Rang Mahotsav. Manjula Padmanabhan’s ‘Bitter Harvest’ received the highest Greek honour. Various actors in the Bollywood film industry such as Girish Karnad, Pankaj Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Shashi Kapoor, etc. started as a theatre artist. Vernacular Theatre such as Vijay Tendulkar’s ‘Ghasiram Kotwal’ in 1972 was another popular play.
In modern times, independent theatre groups are playing their part in raising social awareness. A Chandigarh based Street theatre group (headed by GS Channi) has performed plays in Jail, on terrorism, the importance of sex education etc., an initiative that helps artists reach audience at every corner of the world. As contemporary theatre spreads its wings, talents and ideas have started to emerge and Theatre is not restricted to religious features but encompasses a plethora of themes, performed by professionals and amateurs alike. Theatre, once taken over by the Indian Film Industry, is reemerging as the audience is in dire need of something more realistic and enriching.
Look for our next post on the two other art-forms — Music and Dance.
MRIDULA GUPTA
