Gujarat had a rich tradition of writing and performing Sanskrit plays till 14th century, when a folk singer of religious narrative stories Asait Thaker launched folk participatory theatre called Bhavai, using mythological and historical themes and characters, creating awareness in the audiences on the social issues. He is said to have written about 360 'veshas' (acts) which he performed all over Gujarati - speaking western India. This live interactive theatre tradition was however ignored by the Bombay Parsi enthusiasts and in mid-ninetieth century imitating the English theatre traditions by the then British masters, developed a typical Parsi theatre formula - in the improvised auditoria with Proscenium Arch, hanging curtains, drop - scenes etc. For this they mingled the Sanskrit and European dramaturgy.

The first such auditorium - "Royal Theatre" - was built by Jagannath Sheth in 1842; but by 1868, thirty such troupes were in existence in Bombay, owned both by so-called 'Hindus' and Parsis, led by K. Kabaraji, Adalji Khori, Dadabhai Thuthi etc., who attracted the middle and higher middle class Gujaratis and Parsis, with mythological plays and 'clever' adaptations of some plays by Shakespeare. Playwrights like Ranchhodbhai Udayram wrote original popular plays on mythological themes ("Harishchandra" etc.), preached social reforms in "Lalita Dukhdarshak" (Lalita's manifold Unhappiness), and established Mehtaji Natak Mandali.


First Theatre Troupes

Then entered three writer-owners desiring to initiate social reform - Dahyabhai Dholsaji, and (both brothers) Vaghji and Mulji Asharam Oza. They brought various new theatrical elements like the use of dance form - Garba, tableaux etc. and also some newer social themes. The theatre in those days was melodramatic, overacted with fashionable attire and painted two - dimensional curtains. But the fresh air started blowing when actors like Amrit Keshav Nayak and the actor - pair Bapulal Nayak and Jayshankar 'Sundri' came to the centre - stage with their typical acting styles and commendable under
standing of the medium.

The dramatists, now already neglected, again tried to assert their role in theatre, and attempted forming their own companies to avoid exploitation by owners. They were Phoolchand Master ("Malti Madhav", "Mudra Pratap" etc.), Narsinha Vibhakar ("Meghmalini", "Madhu Bansari" etc.) and Jaman ("Soneri Jal" - The Golden Net) who, not conversant with the "theatre economics" had finally to give in to the theatre owners, marking the final surrender of the dramatist for next
half a century.

Dramatists

Slowly, the role of ‘director’ was carved out by Bapulal Nayak, Mulchand Mama, Mulji Khushal etc., who directed great actors like Asharaf Khan, Anandji "Kabutar", Munnibai, Miss Motibai etc. in the plays by Raghunath Brahmabhatt ("Buddhadeva" etc.), Prabhulal Dwivedi ("Malavpati Munj" - Munj, the King of Malava; "Vadilo Na Vanke" -(For The Faults of Elders), Pragji Dosa ("Ghar No Divo" - The Lamp of the Family) etc. The music had already acquired very important position in making the theatre popular.

Theatre in late twenties, with cinema capturing the audiences, had two parallel trends, both independent and misguidedly opposing each other. For the so-called "old" (better known as "Parsi Theatre" outside Gujarat) professional theatre, this period was marked by money-investors owning or controlling theatre companies, where each element (including the script) was hired and sold to public. Performances generally continued to be caught in the old over-sentimental rut, finally leading to closure of many companies, and by fifties pushing the remaining troupes to travel in the small towns and villages for their sustenance. On the other hand, between the Quit India Movement and Independence, barefoot folklore research by Zaverchand Meghani, poetry by Umashankar Joshi and "Sundaram", novels by Pannalal Patel and short stories by Chunilal Madia etc. had provided a realistic base to the portrayal of rural Gujarat. Life in the state was generally full of sense of sacrifice and hope. Quit India was followed by the well-known naval revolt in Bombay. The old Gujarati
theatre had however remained blissfully unaffected.


Amateur Troupes

PParallel to this ran a movement of so- called "new" (amateur) theatre with missionary zeal. Individual actor/writers were by now forming their theatre groups - (Indian People's Theatre Association-IPTA (Bombay and Ahmedabad) ; Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Indian National Theatre-INT, Rangbhumi (Bombay); Rang Mandal, National Theatres, Roopak Sangh, Nat Mandal (Ahmedabad). This decade also saw the launching of three theatre teaching institutions (Natyavidya Mandir, Ahmedabad - 1949; Music College of Baroda University - 1950; Saurashtra Sangeet Natak Academy, Rajkot - 1956); publication of short-lived theatre-magazines ("Natak", "Nepathya", "Gujarati Natya"), beginning of State Drama competitions (1955) of the then bilingual Bombay State, and Centenary Celebrations of Gujarati Theatre (1953) - helping the spread of modern theatre consciousness.
However, the most important theatre event of the period was the performance of C. C. Mehta's biographical play "Revolutionary Poet Narmad" (1954) by Jashwant Thaker (IPTA).
This was followed by "Allabeli" (portraying the revolt by Mer community of Saurashtra against colonial rule) by Gunvantrai Acharya, directed by Jashwant Thaker. Playwright C. C. Mehta had already given a slogan that "actors also should be paid adequate remuneration", and "their troupes should have permanent performing places of their own". His vision of the rise of "New" Theatre was well delineated in his play "Dhara Gurjari" (The land of Gurjars) written in 1944, played in 1955.


The Rise of ‘Director’

This period was further marked by good one-act play writing but it did not create the "full- length" theatre. Only Chunilal Madia gave a full- length political satire in "Ramlo Robinhood" (1962, played in 1971 by Jashwant Thaker). Well- known actor Jayshankar "Sundri" after his retirement from his old company theatre, settled down in Ahmedabad during this period; and establishing the first theatre training school, and experimental troupe "Nat Mandal", he directed "Rai No Parvat" (1950), and then "Mena Gurjari" (1953) and also "Mithyabhiman" (1955) introducing the actor Pransukh Nayak - all of them were most important theatre events. Nat Mandal's academic approach inspired Rasiklal Parikh to write "Sharvilak" (1957), based on "Mrichchhakatikam" by Shudrak.
A beginning was thus made with original plays being performed, but the theatre troupes in Bombay soon turned to translations and adaptations - most performed of them were "Rangilo Rajja" (1954, by Dhansukhlal Mehta) and "Manu Ni Masi" (Charlie's Aunt, 1951). The annual State Drama Competitions in Bombay encouraged formation of many theatre troupes, which also later produced translations and adaptations mainly imported from Piccadilly/Broadway, via Marathi
stage.


Actor-Managers

The theatre troupes of the early sixties (Indian National Theatre-INT, Bahuroopi, Natya Sampada and Rangbhoomi etc.) threw up many actors and actor-managers like Vishnukumar Vyas, Pratap Oza, Madhukar Randeria, Damu Zaveri, Lalu Shah, Vanlata Mehta, Pravin Joshi, Kanti Madia etc. in Bombay, while troupes like Rangmandal, Roopak Sangh, Darpana and Javnika in Ahmedabad brought forward actors like Pransukh Nayak, Dhananjay Thaker, Kailash Pandya, Markand and Urmila Bhatt, Damini Mehta etc. Adi Marzban and Firoz Antia were very active in Parsi comedies, the community which has all through enriched Gujarati and Urdu theatres.
The "boxed action" on the lighted platform behind the proscenium arch with European theatre conventions and the "adapted" lifestyles had affected the live actor- audience relationship. The "old" stage rarely translated any play, while the "new" stage now only thrived on adaptations, after the initial zeal died down, with commercial interests
getting the upper hand.


The Parallel Theatre

Writers also soon realized this, and creative pens like Labhshankar Thaker began experimenting beyond absurd in "Vriksha" (The Tree- 1981) and "Mansukhlal Majithia" (1983), both fine studies of degenerated human values. Credit for this attitude to the language of theatre should go to Madhu Rye ("Koi Pan Ek Phool"-Name any flower, 1969), who had gathered some poets and playwrights in an informal self-training group- "Akanth Sabarmati" (1972). Rye’s next play "Kumar ni Agashi" (Kumar's Gallery- 1973) directed by Pravin Joshi, hit the headlines.
Newer voices of the period included Shrikant Shah ("Tirad", The Crack, 1972), Hasmukh Baradi ("Kalo Kamlo" The Black Blanket, 1975), Raghuvir Chaudhary ("Sikandar Sani, 1976), Chinu Modi ("Navalsha Hirji", 1977). The noticeable trend of this phase in the original writing for amateur theatre is towards stylization - specially in Labhshankar Thaker ("Pilun Gulab", The Yellow Rose, 1982), Sitanshu Yashashchandra ("Kaho Makanji"-Tell me, Makanji, 1985) and Hasmukh Baradi ("Janardan Joseph" and the full- length verse play "Jashumati", both 1981).
The contemporary trend in production style, except commercially "sold out" shows by "professional" theatre troupes, is also towards stylization; and a search for elements fresh from the performing traditions of the soil is going on. The rich heritage of performing folk-expressions like Bhavai, musical-dance form like Ras-Garba, story narrator form -Man Bhatt etc. had definitely contributed to it. Kailash Pandya, Bhadrakant Jhaveri and Janak Dave etc. extensively used folk elements in their productions.
In the magazine "Parab" of the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad, the critic Vinod Adhvaryu evaluated the decade of nineties as the "most notable decade of play writing". Earlier Niranjan Bhagat had forecast in his "Sahitya" quarterly that the "Gujarati play is emerging", while publishing plays by Labhshankar Thaker, Sitanshu, and Baradi.


The ninities

During this period, Bharat Dave, Nimesh Desai, Paresh Nayak etc. were active in Ahmedabad, performing original plays and some classics. Kapil Dev Shukla etc. adapted novel for stage, setting a notable exmaple.
The decade was also notable for two other trends: realizing that in the scheme of things of the professional - commercial theatre troupes in Bombay and their counterparts in the cities of Gujarat, there was no place for new or socially relevant writings, the playwrights themselves had to turn to performing (Madhu Rye and Labhshankar Thaker with "Darpana", Subhash Shah and Chinu Modi in "Visual Arts", Baradi in "Garage Studio Theatre". These efforts did benefit their search for theatre language.
Another remarkable trend of the decade is the emergence of street theatre movement (troupes like Samvedan, Garage and Lok Kala Manch in Ahmedabad, Parivartan in Baroda etc.), in their efforts to take theatre to people in streets, middle-class housing colonies or open public places.
Alongside this, the commercial theatres in Bombay performed mainly to "sold-out houses", contract shows arranged by their commission agents, ringing the final death-bell of the box office. They sell mystery, tears, jokes and even ideals in their high-speed rhetoric "thrown" by the smartly costumed actors, in the fashionable "flated" decor, in the plays proudly imported from abroad or Marathi.
Not that everything there is trash, but it is not Shakespeare, Bertolt Brecht, Anton Chekhov, neither Badal Sircar, Girish Karnad nor Mohan Rakesh. It is international allright, but neither Gujarati, nor Indian.
All this and the onslaught of TV have also affected the output of directors. The actor/directors now find fast buck and glamour in the electronic media, not realizing that it cuts both ways - the theatre loses and the television does not benefit. In the absence of even the semblance of research or the serious theatre criticism, most remarkable works get discouraged and go unnoticed.
Most important theatre event of recent past, having a singular effect in creating the right theatre consciousness are the efforts of Govardhan Panchal, doyen of Gujarati theatre, who, alongside researching in the classical theatre traditions, organised productions (himself as Sutradhar) of Sanskrit plays in the original Bharat Natyashashtra style, involving young actors like Raju Barot, Harikishan Varma etc. in "Dootvakyam" (1990) and "Prabuddha-Rauhineya"(1993).
The Central Sangeet Natak Academy scheme to encourage young directors also threw up, in last half a decade, talents like Aditi Desai, Janak Rawal, Manvita Baradi, Prabhakar Dabhade, P.S. Chari etc. National Festivals organised by Rajendra Bhagat, till recently almost every year, brought fresh air and a glimpse of newer experiments of the sister theatres. Let us hope all these will help create conducive

Three Kinds of Gujarati Theatre

There are, according to me, three distinct kinds of theatres in Gujarat commercial theatre in Bombay with Broadway adaptations, double meaning dialogues, contract shows, generally weekend viewership, with easy formulae - like Hindi films, from Hindi films.
The second is the amateur activity, generally centred in the cities like Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat, Rajkot and a little in Bombay ('Chhabildas' movement, productions by Mahendra Joshi etc.). These groups mostly produce original plays, some follow method acting of Stanislavsky, others follow Bertold Brecht.
The third kind of theatre is people-oriented, socially relevant attempts by non-Govt. Organisations- NGOs and committed drama /theatre troupes like "Parivartan"(Baroda), "Garage Studio Theatre" etc. They conduct theatre workshops and perform thematic plays for social awareness; they are inspired by Badal Sircar of West Bengal, Augusto Boal of Brazil etc. in which the audience is allowed equal partnership. There is great hope in this movement in the atmosphere of present mass media hype.
An overview, however, makes one feel that no great drama evolved either from the non-violent palmful of salt or self-suffering fasts. The empty-bellied remained miles away from the thick walls of the theatre halls in the urban centres. Similarly, the division of the country, recurrent communal disharmony, long shadows of rising fundamentalism, child- labour, exploited class- relations also have NOT inspired any notable theatre expression. The untouchables are made "Harijans" (God's People); the "Trusteeship" principles, and now privatization efforts, have further corrupted the economic and cultural relations between classes; the disagreement with the establishment (for example, in 1974 reformatory "Navnirman Movement", etc.) has also been assimilated within the political system.
Yet, the road to relevant and vibrant theatre is very long : revival of box office - most of the theatre going is by "sold-out" shows; better actor-audience relationship - reflection of local and culture-specific themes; close ties between writers and theatre troupes - for stageable play-writing; re-organizing actors' troupes- for consistent meaningful theatre ; theatre troupes owning their performance places; useful theatre research; insightful theatre criticism; reach of theatre to wider audience who are facing an all-out onslaught of media, specially "open-sky" policy; and the emergence of a director who does not just direct "actors", but also directs "theatre" as a whole.
(written in 1995)