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| A scene from the play Gaatha — The First Text |
Guwahati, April 23: As a minibus rolled out from the city at the break of dawn today — unannounced and unnoticed — theatre in the Northeast embarked on a previously uncharted road.
A bunch of enthusiastic theatre activists set out with a common goal today: to connect the people of the Northeast through theatre. The unique concept, Theatre on Wheels, is the brainchild of highly acclaimed theatre troupe Jirsong.
During the tour of the Northeast, Jirsong will stage its much acclaimed play, Gaatha — The First Text, in every nook and corner of the region. It will also interact with local folk artistes to develop a common theatre platform for the region.
In fact, Jirsong won rave reviews when it staged Gaatha at the prestigious Bharat Rang Mahotsav, the annual theatre fiesta of the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi, in 2004.
The tour, spanning nearly two-and-a-half months, will cover a distance of 8,000 km, covering the remotest corners of the region. Aizawl is the first destination in Jirsong’s itinerary. Its journey will culminate in the Assam capital by July.
“The role of theatre is not just to entertain the masses. Through the powerful medium of theatre, we want to connect the people of the entire Northeast and bring them together under a single umbrella,” said Robijita Gogoi, director of Jirsong. “Through the journey, we are also trying to find out possibilities of growth and development of theatre in the region. We are also hoping to create artistic understanding among people of all hues in the Northeast through the theatre tour.”
Jirsong’s entire trip has the support of several groups, including the North East Network, North East Zonal Cultural Centre, National School of Drama, Mizoram Drama Organisation, Nagaland Theatre Frontier, Sanskriti Samnay Kendra, Tripura, Himalayan Entertainer and the Ban Theatre, Assam.
But it is not only the capital cities of the northeastern states that Jirsong will visit. Some of the remotest and little visited places, like Tenga and Rupa in Arunachal Pradesh, will also see the group publicising the strength and power of drama.
Members of Jirsong who are part of the mission include Mrinal Jyoti Goswami, Kabindra Das, Manab Kalita, Rimjhim Deka, Moushmi Bharali, Manoj Rajkonwar, Suro Saikia, Umakanta Sonowal, Jitu Kumar, Dhiraj Kumar, Dipankar Goswami and Joinath Deka.
“The entire region is rich in folk theatre. But except for Assam, Manipur and Tripura, the rest of the states are yet to develop their own theatre culture. So, through the trip, we will encourage folk artistes of the region to develop and bring into focus their age-old theatre culture,” said another member of Jirsong.
Some of the famous productions by the troupe have been staged at several national and international festivals, including Bharat Rang Mahotsav. These are Ranpharpi Rangbe, based on a Karbi rebellious woman of the same name, a historical play, Dhruvaswamini, Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter and the recent creation, Jatra Subha Hokh.