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Journalism of Courage
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This is an archive article published on April 22, 2010
Route Cause
In its 34 years,Kahinoor Theatre has travelled innumerable miles across Assam. Yet,it is only now that the mobile theatre group has taken the almost 2,000-km trip from Guwahati to Delhi.
In its 34 years,Kahinoor Theatre has travelled innumerable miles across Assam. Yet,it is only now that the mobile theatre group has taken the almost 2,000-km trip from Guwahati to Delhi. The road journey that took eight days has been long-awaited. Travelling is part of the experience and we are looking forward to the response of the Delhi audience. Since we are performing outside Assam for the first time,it is special, says Ratan Lahkar,producer of the group,as his crew and technicians offload equipment from three trucks loaded with tents,costumes and props,on the lawns of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA). The ambience will be just like what we have in Assam, promises Lahkar,for the productions to be staged between April 25 and 28.
The programme will have some of Lahkars best-known acts. If Aseemat Jar Heral Seema (Lost in Infinity) is based in the 13 th century,O Moi Munnai Koisu (Yes,I Munna Speaking) discusses non-violence and Sheetare Semeka Rati (On a Cold Winter Night) depicts the conflict between good and evil. It takes three to four hours for the stage to be set up,a trivial task for the group that does over 200 shows between April and August each year. While Assams mobile theatre groups usually reserve July for rehearsals,Kahinoor has made an exception for the Delhi trip.
The performances will be in Assamese but language,Lahkar says,will hardly be a barrier. After all,Kahinoors adaptation of Titanic in 1998 had attracted attention from the world over. It helped promote the concept of mobile theatre,which is restricted only to a few parts of India, he recalls,adding how he has also worked on adaptations of foreign works,apart from those from Assamese literature and a vast repertoire of original screenplays. Cleopatra was presented in 1982,followed by Ben Hur,Hamlet,Othello,Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Jurassic Park. Not everyone in Assam is familiar with the original works. After watching the movie Titanic,someone came to me to tell that James Cameron had copied me, laughs Lahkar.
Kahinoors performance in Delhi does not come with the usual fanfare that precedes its performances in Assam. There are no posters announcing their performances,but students of the National School of Drama (NSD) will be filming the shows. This is important for archival purpose. Mobile theatre is among the few local forms of theatre that is still popular, says NSD professor Sudhir Kulkarni.
Meanwhile,an exhibition of old posters,props and costumes will give the uninitiated a brief history of mobile theatre,from the Nataraj Theatre in 1963 to the present day. We managed to more than survive. Mobile theatre has continued as a profitable industry, says Lahkar. With the route of the Capital charted now,more visits might follow.
The performances will take place at IGNCA from April 25 to 28. Entry is free.
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