Gangtok: Theatre veterans, scholars, and writers at the ongoing Sikkim Art and Literature Festival drew parallels between student protests in France and at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, saying that creative forms of protest eliminate the possibility of violence.
Bishnupriya Dutt, an associate professor of Theatre Studies at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) highlighted the role of street theatre in driving political change.
Speaking during a session titled "Afterlives of Theatre" on Thursday, Dutt noted that the Cockroach Janta Party' (CJP) built its movement on a creative foundation.
"Through its artistic approach, the movement became a commitment to its own core values; it was this very commitment that allowed the students to disprove the common narrative that protests inevitably descend into violence. Creative protest eliminates the possibility of violence," the daughter of renowned theatre and film personality Utpal Dutt said.
She compared the youth-led protests in Delhi to the ongoing unrest in Paris, where students have taken to the streets over issues such as school funding and the rising cost of living, noting that "those protests have, at times, turned violent".
"It is crucial to foster political awareness among the public through such movements," she added.
The conversation between Dutt, writer Sandip Roy and filmmaker Puneeta Roy also discussed the convergence of performance space and protests in Bengali theatre, from the radical cultural interventions of playwrights like Utpal Dutt and the Indian People's Theatre Association to the itinerant, immersive world of 'Jatra'.
Roy shared anecdotes from his book, "Chopol Rani, The Last Queen of Bengal: The Life and Times of a Female Impersonator" that revisits the popular 'Jatra' actor.
Chopol Rani is the stage name of Chopol Bhaduri, the last surviving male performer in the history of Bengali and Indian 'Jatra' who portrayed female characters on stage. In the 1960s, he was considered the most sought-after and highest-paid "actress" in 'Jatra'.
Roy expressed regret that while theatre and stage artists in West Bengal receive pensions, 'Jatra' performers are treated unfairly, "as if they are stepchildren of the state".
"A pension for Chopol Bhaduri was initiated during the tenure of former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, however, the current government has discontinued it, after his name was removed from the electoral rolls following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process," he said.
Roy explained that with the entry of women into cinema and modern 'Jatra', the era of male actors portraying female characters began to fade, and Chopol Bhaduri eventually slipped into obscurity.
Bhaduri is currently bedridden due to illness, he added.
The Sikkim Arts and Literature Festival is currently underway with writers, poets and thinkers from across India, including Mamang Dai, Ranjit Hoskote, Nabaraj Parajuli, Stephen Alter, Chuden Kabimo, Yuvan Aves and Guru T Ladhakhi.
The three-day festival, held at The Ridge Park from October 28-20, featured literary discussions, poetry, live music and cultural exchanges centred on identity, memory, belonging, history and the Himalayan experience, according to a statement issued by the Students' Welfare Board (SWB) of the Sikkim government.
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
