RANCHI HAS been the land of struggle. The fight for Independence, the movement for the upliftment of tribal population, the agitation for separate state and the unstable political scenario have kept this land of mines and natural resources throbbing in its molten form. Keeping the spirit of cultural activities alive in such state of affairs surely requires a braveheart. Theatre director Ajay Malkani’s passion and extraordinary commitment to his craft have kept the flame of art and culture alive in Jharkhand.
This NSD alumnus, who describes the Delhis and the Mumbais of the world as “strangers with cold vibes,” went back to his roots in search of something rare — happiness. “I come from a society where people are emotionally knitted together. Big cities are impersonal like a machine. My happiness lay in tilling my own land. I believed that if I dug it deep enough, I would surely hit water, however hard or delayed it might be. I wanted to explore the cultural opportunities in my roots and while doing this, I wanted to stay happy. I believe that the best place and time to begin is here and right now,” says Malkani.
Apart from putting up shows for the urban audiences of Ranchi and other cities, Malkani has also worked with tribal groups, such as Nagpuri and Santhali. His group, Nav Yuvak Kala Manch, has defused marshal art, classical dance, mardnai jhoomar and Nagpuri dance with his theatre. His stage journey started with nukkad shows based on social issues. “The exposure to nukkad helps an artist to shed away shyness and evolve as a complete theatreperson. But now, NGOs have captured this art form and use it only for the purpose of aides and grants,” he says.
Malkani believes there is no shortcut to theatre. When he works with new faces, he frankly states, “There is no capsule course in theatre. There is no fixed roadmap. It requires active cognition, consistent fine-tuning and life-long imbibing of skills to capture the essence of this art form. This can happen only when the theatre worker is strong-hearted and carries a pure soul dedicate to the craft. However, the youngsters of today have not seen the struggles that their elder generation had to go through. Unfortunately, this has produced a generation of extremely practical-minded young people whose aversion to risk and perversion with comfort somehow has locked their aggression inside them. They don’t speak out even for things that may directly affect them and their nation.” Further elaborating on the situation, he quotes the example of Jharkhand: “18 out of the 24 districts of Jharkhand are declared unpeaceful and theatre has the power to restore normal conditions, but the young theatre worker of today wants police protection before he or she even starts thinking about performing there to educate people about the real issues.”
“I check my actor’s sensibility-level before I start working with them. First, I work on their minds and then body, voice and speech. After we are aligned, I tell them about the importance of unlearning. For any actor, ‘unlearning the perfection acquired during specific production is a must to learn the fresh elements of shows.”’
Malkani’s family has played a vital role in the fulfilment of his dreams. His father had a deep sense of appreciation for literature and art and his sisters were active in the theatre wings of the city. His wife, late Manju Malkani, was also a fighter by soul, who triumphed polio and became a known Kathak dancer. She established Dharitri Kala Kendra in Ranchi, now being run by their daughter Gargi Malkani.
English author Dame Rebecca West once said, “It is the soul’s duty to be loyal to its own desires.” In the case of Malkani, his soul has surely abandoned itself to its master passion.