Keya (Chakrabarty) and Ajitesh (Bandyopadhyay) used to sit at this table. I brought it from the Nandikar office in north Calcutta,” says Sohini Sengupta, as she fondly rests her hands on the legacy furniture. The satisfaction in her voice stems from not just the piece of wood but is also rooted in the building in Salt Lake where the conversation takes place. The daughter of Rudraprasad and Swatilekha Sengupta has built the structure brick by brick, just as, year by year, the theatre group that she nurtures and that nurtures her has developed Nandikar Festival into a significant event in the city’s theatrical calendar. She speaks to t2 during a break from rehearsal ahead of the 42nd edition, which started on December 16.
You call this building Naataca. What does that stand for?
It’s an acronym for Nandikar Academy of Theatre and Communication. This is a space for practice of art for art’s sake. These days many do art for other ulterior motives — how much visibility I will get, how much I will earn. But that is not the responsibility of art. Can you quantify the effect of reading a good book?
You named the rehearsal space after your mother.
I built the boundary wall with money from Ma. When she could not move about, she would sit in a plastic chair holding a walking stick and watch every brick getting laid, scolding the masons for any slip-ups. But since we ran out of funds, she could not see the building in her lifetime. That we have accomplished it is a big deal for a theatre group. This building also carries memories of my grandma (sculptor) Meera Mukhopadhyay, my father, Ajitesh, Keya... I have never seen Ajitesh, but I smell his sweat when I stand on stage. I sense the presence of Keya, Usha Ganguli, Swatilekha… we are all connected.
When did you first get on stage?
I was three years old then, playing the prince in (Bertolt Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle). I would be eating chop and roaming. When my turn came, Chhaya mashi would come to look for me, saying: “Ei chol chol. Ekhono chop khachchhe!” Then I went on to do Football, Natyakarer Sondhane Chhawti Choritro (Six Characters in search of An Author by Luigi Pirandello). In Feriwalar Mrityu (Arthur Miller’s Death of A Salesman), I played my father’s girlfriend.
Nandikar was known for adaptations of foreign plays in those days...
Yes. Now a lot of other things are done. Right now, however, we are rehearsing Bertolt Brecht’s The Exception and the Rule, for Saurav Palodhi’s festival, Ichchheymoto Parbon, which will be staged on December 31.
Nandikar Festival was started to mark the group’s silver jubilee, right?
Yes. Nandikar was established in 1960. The first edition of the festival was in 1984.
You would have been too small then.
I remember everything. I was in Class IV. I came to the opening wearing Satyajit Ray’s mother’s sari, which Ma had worn in Ghare Baire. The scene in which she first walked out of the andarmahal; it was that red silk sari. The people who were attending were my uncles, being my father’s friends. Later, I realised they were people of the stature of Habib Tanvir, Shreeram Lagoo, Amol Palekar. They would come home for lunch. I grew up witnessing domestic scenes involving them, like Ma hurrying Ratan Kaka (Ratan Thiyam) having luchi torkari, saying: “Ei Ratan, taratari kheye ne. Tor natok achhe! Oto bokbok korish na (Hey Ratan, hurry up. You have a play to put up. Don’t chat so much).” Earlier, there used to be such a large variety of plays across India. That is increasingly missing now. But good theatre happens in Bengal even now. In recent years, I have focused on showcasing that.
Did the festival always happen at the academy?
Yes. Sombhu (Mitra) Jethu used to come on the first day.
That means no other good venue for theatre has come up in 42 years!
Academy can stilll be hired at a reasonable rate. Places like Kala Mandir are beyond our means. Booking of government halls is allowed only once every two or three months. The Academy gives us a lot of space. People can chat and have food. The festival has settled there.
Which plays from your repertoire will you put up in this edition?
We will do Madhabi, in Ma’s direction (on December 20). Baba acts in that. He is 91. This is the only show he does. Baba has a habit of tapping his foot while acting. That is not allowed now (for health reasons). Panchajanya is an audience favourite (on December 25). Our new production is (Bijan Bhattacharya’s) Nabanna (on December 25). Saptarshi (Maulik, her husband) directs Ek Theke Baro (on December 21). All these will be staged this time.
What about the invited plays?
Chandanda (Sen) will stage Meghnad after a long gap (on December 22). Rwito (Rwitobroto Mukherjee) is in that. We are also felicitating Chandanda. He was with Nandikar. Chandanda r ekta dukkho je amar Baba naki kora katha bole okey bhagiye diyechhe. Shei Chandanda je amader prochondo adorer… He is the kind of senior who would hold a junior’s hand and show him (or her) the way. He is a big influence on me and Saptarshi.
What about the other productions?
Lots of young people are trying to do their best. I am so proud that they are not giving up, being disgruntled about lack of earning opportunities here. Babanda (Koushik Sen) ra Hamlet korbe (on December 21). Riddhi will perform (in the title role). Bidipta (Chakraborty), Laalda (Suman Mukherjee), Debshankarda (Halder) are in Bhanu, an adaptation of (Anton Chekov’s) Uncle Vanya (December 16). Rahul (Arunoday Banerjee) has written Je Janlagulor Akash Chhilo. Saurav (Palodhi) is directing it (on December 19).
Yes, that play has created a stir. How does the selection take place?
Groups from across the country send us video recordings of their productions throughout the year. The standard of such entries has fallen drastically over the years. Even those that we like, we often cannot afford to invite within our budget. If we get more sponsors may be we can call the productions from Bombay which charge a lot. Otherwise, we keep our ear to the ground. If we hear ei natok ta ebar phatiye diyechhe... in the districts, especially. Aksharik (Aneek’s play staged on the opening night) did not apply, for instance. Many groups are scared to approach us. Many groups do not know how much they should charge. Some ask for such small amounts that it is clear that they are unaware that they can ask for more. I tell them that they deserve more and henceforth should ask for more when they perform. If a group with a big cast asks for ₹20,000, I first ask them who had paid them only ₹20,000! They should find out how much their play draws in ticket sales. There is transparency then. It is our duty to guide them as a senior group.
You have also kept a bouquet of three plays for children on Christmas morning.
We hold a Sunday class at our Rajabazar Science College premises for children, aged four years and above. We want children to take an interest in theatre, not just as actors but as spectators of the future.
There are two groups coming from outside Bengal, right?
Yes. We tried to bring the main NSD (National School of Drama), but they charge too much. Sikkim NSD is coming. Earlier, the EZCC used to support theatre festivals. From this year, I was told that the zonal cultural centres have received a government directive to stop offering such support to theatre. Things are becoming difficult. We have to earn while keeping the questioning mind alive. It is a difficult dichotomy. I run a group on which 25 families are dependent. So sometimes I have to keep my mouth shut. Still, thank god that I was born in Bengal. So I can still speak my mind to some extent on stage. The day there are such restrictions that I cannot, I will look for something else to do. Maybe I will teach theatre.