Bhubaneswar, March 27: On World Theatre Day, culture enthusiasts in the city were treated to Ratan Thiyam's adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Staged by his group Chorus Repertory Theatre from Imphal, the play in Manipuri treated the drama not just as a tale of an individual but 'a disease of greed and unlimited desire of human being'.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Thiyam expressed his regret that theatre was not treated as a profession.

'Theatre has failed to garner money in our country. There is a serious lack of recognition when it comes to theatre. Whereas in Broadway it has created good economy,' Thiyam said.

The thespian blamed the lack of cultural policy for the situation. 'We have not created a strategy to make our culture stronger. None of the members of Parliament ever talk about theatre, or in broader sense, culture. There is nobody to support performing art in the country,' said the theatre artiste.

Speaking of a 44 per cent cut in the budget allocated for National School of Drama (NSD) this year, Thiyam, who is also the chairman of the institute, said: 'Whenever the government has to cut down budget, the first area they would do is art and culture. This way, the artistes and the art forms suffer. Earlier artistes had to rely on patronisation and these days we are dependent on the government. If they keep decreasing assistance like this, where will we go?'

Known for his 'theatre of roots' movement, Thiyam felt that theatre should be introduced in the curriculum.

'Unless it is included in the syllabus, people won't take it seriously. It is high time that we, who work in theatre, conduct more awareness programmes so that its reach expands and people get to know about the art,' said Thiyam. He further said that from academicians to scientists, it should be recognised as a profession by the society.

Theatre, however, happened by chance to Thiyam. 'I never wanted to become a performer though both my parents are into this field. I was literally brought up in the green rooms. I spent a lot of time travelling. I always felt that it was tiresome and did not have much to offer financially. However, somehow my fortune brought me to performing arts,' said the artiste.

For the audience and other artistes, the experience of watching a play by Thiyam was enriching. 'From the set design to the performance, everything about the play was magical. Although I could not understand the language, acting was superb,' said Sai Ram, a student of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya.