An unknown alchemist has strained a thorough concoction for ages. She has mixed the early morning mist of the Gangetic water with the flow of the Yamuna, and sprayed the absence of the Saraswati on top, straining the mixture against the aroma of ghee-soaked wicks, thus creating an ambience called the Prayag, also known as Allahabad, the “city of God”.
For long, we have sat wondering if Allahabad is a city at all, or is it merely an expression of the alchemist’s art. This expression lends itself to the Kumbha, the greatest and the biggest conglomeration of human beings in the universe. This expression stands guard conserving the rich history of literature, music and other art forms, and as a promoter developing them. This expression’s soul has also been the nucleus of cultural activities since ever, foreseeing in its journey the transition of Indian literature, Indian art, and India itself, from being the Mecca of the traditional to the fountain of the modern.
Allahabad’s culture of theatre is unique in sharing a strong bond with literature. The modern era of the city’s theatrescape started with the foundation of the Arya Natya Sabha in 1870. The staging of Satya Harishchandra, a play by Bharatendu Harishchandra, revered as the father of modern Hindi literature, established the platform for “new-world theatre” in the city. The presence of literary legends, such as Bhagwati Charan Verma, Sumitranandan Pant, Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Dharamvir Bharti, alongside the activities of pioneering theatre personalities, such as Nemichandra Jain, Ebrahim Alkazi, Shambu Mitra, Badal Sircar, B.V. Karanth, Ratan Thiyam, Satyadev Dubey, Sachin Tiwari and Usha Ganguly, maintained the high momentum of the theatre activities in the city.
However, the world in general moves sinusoidally, and so did the creative womb of Allahabad. Whether the city’s theatrical scenario hit the trough is a matter of debate, but it is surely being pushed crestwards by the activities of Samanantar, a theatre group run by director Anil Ranjan Bhowmick. The group has recently completed 32 years of its theatrical journey, and is active in small villages and kasba of Uttar Pradesh.
Inspired by Shyam Benegal’s motion pictures, Manthan and Bhumika, Bhowmick joined the mainstream theatre movement in the early ’70s. Badal Sircar’s workshop in Azamgarh, a small kasba of UP, helped Bhowmick develop the grammar of physical theatre for his style of direction. “Parallel cinema sensitised me towards the minute elements of human emotions. I wanted to identify emotions hidden under deep layers of social obligations, and unleash them for our people through the medium of theatre. For me, Badal Sircar’s style changed the dynamics of theatre as a craft,” says Bhowmick.
Samanantar’s workshops in small towns, such as Ghazipur, Juanpur and Aazamgarh, have directed the energy of the youth towards stage. “Theatre-workshops and stage shows in small towns and villages of UP address local issues and problems. The youth gets a chance to understand and communicate their plight through theatre. This exposure generates confidence and sensitivity towards humanity among youngsters,” he says.
Bhowmick’s style of mixing the body movements with other performing arts has created a new grammar of communicating the content. He has thoroughly explored the worlds of Hindi and Bangla literature to choose his content. His famous plays — Asmanjas Babu, based on Satyajit Ray’s short story, and Topi Shukla, based on Rahi Masum Raza’s novel of the same name— highlight Bhowmick’s attempt to assimilate literature and performing arts for the communication of under-wired human feelings.
Samanantar’s shows give enough space to actors to experiment with content. “Very often, my actors improvise scenes based on what they witness in the world everyday. As a director, I am happy to appreciate this thoughtfulness and help them strike a balance between the craft and the content,” he says.
Bhowmick has also revived the university theatre culture in Allahabad. His troupe still rehearses in the campus. Being a bank employee, Bhowmick has to balance between stage and office; so his rehearsals start as early as 6.30 am.
His wife, Chitra Bhowmick, shares his responsibility in running Samanantar. Bhowmick’s workshops, festivals and shows provide an over-all ecosystem for the development of the region’s culture of theatre.
The ancient alchemist chants, smiling as she blesses her newest gold that gives her a new promise of lustre. She waits patiently for this gold to express itself, and so do we.