BHUBANESWAR: TIMES ARE changing fast. So are the trends in theatre and the taste of the audience. But, playwright Chandrasekhar Nanda, a much revered name in contemporary Oriya theatre scene, now nearing his 70th birthday, refuses to bend before the current of change. “There are certain values that need not change in theatre. It must serve the society and the humanity at large”, he believes.
Four decades ago, when under the obsession for everything western, all acts of creativity in the arts were celebrating the abstract and moving away from their roots, Oriya theatre too had troubled times. Oriya theatre – that was so intimate to the people of Orissa – was losing its popular appeal as it was lacking the smell of the soil. Then a young Captain in the Indian Army, Nanda decided to “do something to save the theatre of the soil” and thus was born a playwright whose spirit of an army officer keeps him active as any young man in the world of Oriya theatre.
Born and brought up at Cuttack, the-then cultural capital of Orissa, into a family that valued the arts above all, it was natural for Chandrasekhar to pursue keen interest in theatre. His father Artatrana Mishra was one of the founder members of Kala Vikash Kendra that was the cradle of cultural activities during the time. Thus, despite having his masters in engineering from Kolkata University and then serving the Indian Army as a Captain for five years, he could not ignore the call of theatre and resolved to be back in his state to serve theatre. The rest is history, as they say.
For two decades, he concentrated in writing plays that enjoyed both popularity and critical acclaims for their simplicity and mass appeal. Antah Salila, Asamlagna, Yuddha Bandi, Aitihasika e Durga Barabati, Krishna, Kasturi, Katha Kathare, Saathi and many more plays speak volumes of his success as a pioneer playwright. “I have tried to approach contemporary social issues in my plays that resulted in its mass appeal, “ he feels. While ‘Yuddha Bandi’ was on war prisoners and ‘Ahwan on Kashmir issues, ‘Saathi’ explored the psychology of the handicapped people who feel outcast. The voice of the youth - either missing or suppressed – formed the core in ‘Antha Swara”.
Nanda is known for his in-depth research and analysis prior to writing any play. “Before writing ‘Abhiman’, a play on martyr Laxman Nayak, I had to learn the Deshia tribal language in Koraput area, To know more about historical sites and evidences related to Laxman Nayak’s movement for independence, I had to visit Tentuliguma, Matili, Koraput jail, Berhampur jail and many more places to meet members of his family and villagers and checked the records to verify the facts on him. Similarly, while writing Ahwaan, I had to interview Kashmir pundits, Muslims, Buddhists, the army officers deployed in Jammu and Kashmir”, he reveals.
In an attempt to stage his plays for the public, Nanda established theatre group ‘Arohan’ in 1990 that has been staging plays for the past two decades. His younger brother and noted theatre personality Saileswar Nanda has been his greatest support, he acknowledges. As the secretary of Orissa Natya Sangha, a confederation of theatre organisations of the State, he was instrumental in consolidating the unorganised theatre fraternity besides sensitising the government about the need for its patronage for Oriya theatre.
Awards and accolades have been duly bestowed on Nanda - Orissa Sahitya Akademi Award and Orissa Sangeet Natak Akademi Award included – for his contribution to Oriya theatre and literature. “My greatest rewards have been my audience who come to watch my plays in huge numbers and appreciate my works. They endorse my innermost convictions on the theatre for the society”, confides the playwright.