Diversity of Indian theatre: from ancient traditions to contemporary experiments

This article was provided by Sophiya Karanjia, expert on India's cultural heritage and contemporary culture.

Indian theatre is a multifaceted art form that includes ancient traditions such as "Sanskrit dramas", folk and traditional theatre as well as independent theatre associations. Some have adapted European theatre forms, while others create unique cultural experiments by combining different styles and movements.

An example of the temple theatre tradition of south India, Sanskrit dramas theatre, is Kutiyattam. It is one of the oldest theatre forms in the country.

What belongs to folk theatre?

The traditional/ folk theatre group includes live performances that combine storytelling, music, drama, comedy, sometimes satire, and an element of audience involvement in the action. Often these performances combine entertainment and educational aspects. In the states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab this type of performance is called nautanki, in Bengal it is "Jatra", and in Maharashtra it is "Tamasha".

In North and Central India, during the autumn festival of Navratri, there are nine- to ten-day evening performances of Ramlila, based on the Ramayana, the ancient Indian epic about the hero Rama and his faithful wife Sita.

Centres of theatre life

For a long time there was a common belief that the centres of theatre life are only the capital of India and its major cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bangalore, but the reality suggests otherwise.

For instance, Manipur, a state in northeast India, is astonished by the number of quality theatre productions despite the size of its population.

"But this phenomenon is no longer surprising when you see how closely theatre is linked to people's social activities. Almost every temple in Impala (the capital of Manipur state) has a mandap (covered space) adjoining it, which is used for all sorts of social events, from religious festivals and meals to secular performances organised by numerous Manipuri cultural organisations," The Telegraph wrote in 1993.

Growing interest in India's artistic culture

The last two decades have been a time of intense interest in India's artistic culture and heritage. Curiosity has embraced not only professionals in the field but also people whose pursuits are far removed from the arts. It is particularly noteworthy that the attention is active among the youth of India.

One indicator of the growing interest is the specialised theatre and cultural festivals with a theatre component. These events make it possible to track both the development and changes in the ancient and at the same time modern theatre art of the country.

It is worth noting that current Indian playwrights, in addition to drawing on India's rich literary and cultural heritage and the work of Shakespeare, are increasingly drawing inspiration from the works of Anton Chekhov, as well as contemporary sources and events, using them as the basis for theatre productions.

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