Forty-eight years ago in a dusty, windswept foyer I remember attending rehearsals with Barry John. This was at the newly built, iconic, one-of-a-kind Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts—a concrete monolith, rising up and above the cultural hub of Mandi House in New Delhi. Then it was called the Indian National Theatre, and the Delhi group Yatrik ran it during the initial years. Today, so many years later, it is a vibrant centre of theatre activity and I attended two rehearsals back-to-back, one by the SRC Repertory Company and the second by the year-long acting course students.
Vijay Tendulkar’s Meeta ki Kahani is getting a full-fledged production almost 40 years after it was first written. It tells the story of a young woman coming to terms with her own sexuality. When it was originally produced, Rohini Hattangadi in the lead role faced rows of empty seats and the production closed after a few shows. The time was not right to deal with such a bold theme. In an evocative movement sequence for the current production, directed by NSD alumni Sameep Singh, the heroine dances along with her female partner, celebrating lesbianism.
Next door in a circular rehearsal room, 18 young actors between the age of 22 and 26 vigorously rehearse for Jaya Iyer’s production of Urubhangam, the Sanskrit classic. Their movements based on Kalaripayattu from Kerala is being rehearsed by Jaya’s co-director Durba Ghose. The synchronisation of the actors is commendable in the Delhi heat.
They have come a long way with Jaya, first being encouraged to write a first-person narrative by any one character of the Ramayana, and then moving to this powerful age-old script. Duryodhan, the proud and obstinate Kaurava, is the central character and in this marked departure from Indian tradition, he is seen in this script in a positive light. The original Sanskrit text opens with three soldiers describing the Kauravas and the Pandavas at war. They move on to describe Bhima breaking Duryodhan’s thighs. Lying on the verge of death, he attempts to atone with all those close to him. He finally understands the futility of war.
Kavalam Narayana Panicker’s famous production of this script by Bhasa created a new character Suyodhana as a counterpoint to Duryodhan. While he called on Theyyam traditions to mount his production, Ratan Thiyam used traditional Manipuri martial arts to tell the same tale. Jaya has also taken liberties with the original script.
Yet another production is also being rehearsed, Sophocles’ Antigone by Niloy Roy. Meanwhile young children race through the building attending a Summer Theatre Workshop, just as I did many moons ago.
The brainchild of Panna Bharat Ram, the centre is now being run by her son Hemant. Besides, the strong team of Niloy, Sameep and Veena Soorma keeps the SRC flag flying high.The writer is a Delhi-based theatre director and can be reached atfeisal.alkazi@rediffmail.com