Prison inmates carve a niche on stage

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Long after Begum Sumroo lived and died, her dramatic story recently got a new lease of life. It was recreated on stage and playing the protagonist, Aditi Kanjilal’s stellar performance, ensured that the 18th century ruler of Sardana will enjoy a prolonged presence in the mind of the audience.
Once the curtains were drawn and the applause faded, Aditi and rest of the cast quietly walked up to the prison van, stationed to take them back to the Alipore Women’s Correctional Home in Kolkata. As they settled in the vehicle, the smile on their faces was hard to miss.
The smile perhaps symbolised a sense of satisfaction, achieved from an evening that witnessed the culmination of months of hard work.
The effort was the result of West Bengal Correctional Home Services department’s culture therapy project for prison inmates, initiated by former inspector general B.D Sharma and continued by his successor Ranvir Kumar.
And to give the project a practical shape veteran theatre actor- director, Rohit Pombra of Stagecraft theatre came in the picture.
“In my three decade-long theatre career, working with convicts was definitely a first. Yes, there was an initial sense of awkwardness and that was visible on both the sides. And it continued for a few months. As the interactions became more frequent, eventually a comfort zone was reached and the project took off,” recalls Rohit.
For the theme, Rohit opted to stage the life and times of Begum Sumroo. She started her career as a nautch girl and eventually became the ruler of Sardhana, a principality near Meerut.
Recollecting the story of Sumroo, he shares, “Quite a remarkable character indeed.
Born in 1753, she led a professionally trained mercenary Army, consisting of Europeans and Indians, which she inherited from her European mercenary husband, Walter Reinhardt.”
Besides Aditi, the project was instrumental in making Aparajita Bose, Bullu Grahacharya and Nilima Burman get acquainted with their so far untapped acting skills.
“Apart from these four ladies in major roles, 18 other inmates were accommodated in the play as well. They slipped in the various characters roles , including those who had non-speaking roles. Another eight of them were involved in making and fabricating costumes, sets, props et cetera,” the director of Begum Sumroo informs.
While none of the convicts had any previous experience in acting, the fact that the preferred language of the play was English, made the task far more challenging.
Speaking on a personal level, the theatre veteran shares, “I was overwhelmed when the idea to do a play in the English language with the inmates was suggested. It has been a wonderful journey of discovering other human beings and myself as well. I have learned so much and have become a more patient, understanding and a humane individual. It has been a humbling experience which has taught me self restraint.”
And for those who are serving their jail terms, the play brought a certain positivity in an otherwise mundane prison life. Most are surprised to discover the actor in them and one of the participants is happy that the play also provided her an opportunity to brush up her English. Once free, she hopes to teach orphan children.
“Punishment may be a vital aspect of serving time in prison, but it should not be the only one. The time spent behind bars could well serve to be a period of introspection and reform. We are set to have at least 10 more shows in the city and some outside as well. We also hope to move beyond Begum Sumroo, take up a new subject and return to the stage with another play, performed once again by the prisoners,” Rohit hopes.