Milestone reached, show must go on for Tagore Theatre

Rani Balbir Kaur

Don’t expect the theatre to satisfy the habits of its audience but to change them.

— Bertolt Brecht

A CITY is known not for its tall buildings or commercial towers, but by its cultural institutions, art galleries and museums. A city is known by the narratives that buzz at its art cafeterias, in the hubs where artistes, writers, intellectuals and journalists often meet. Tagore Theatre, which celebrates its golden jubilee on May 30, is a sacred space for performing arts and artistes from not just Chandigarh, but beyond as well.

It has a dynamic legacy of world-class performances from India and abroad. So, it is time to celebrate the brilliant delineations, but also to introspect.

Tagore Theatre was conceived in 1961 (and registered as a society in 1972) on the occasion of Rabindranath Tagore’s birth centenary, when the Ministry of Cultural Affairs had decided to build auditoriums in his name all over India. Yet, it stands as a soulless structure of concrete and bricks today. I would say it is merely an auditorium named after Tagore. It does not resonate with his great philosophy: “Arts are the overflow of our deeper nature and spiritual significance.” A portrait is all there is to allude to the origins.

Tagore Theatre was inaugurated by actor and filmmaker Prithviraj Kapoor, who became the first chairman of the Tagore Theatre Society. I remember one of my earliest performances there as a teenager studying in Government College for Girls. It was a high-profile function to celebrate World Peace Day. With PN Haksar among the dignitaries present, I appeared on stage dressed as Mother India and sang, “Zarra, zarra keh raha hai shanti... atma insaan ki ab jung nahin maangti”, to a rousing applause.

Among my own productions and solo performances staged at Tagore is my tribute to Pt Jawaharlal Nehru: “Ae vatan waalon tumhare pyar ko, main kabhi dil se bhula sakta nahin, yeh mohabbat is qadar anmol hai, jis ki keemat main chuka sakta nahin.” The occasion was the inauguration of the Nehru Foundation and in attendance were Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, son Rajiv and his wife Sonia. I still remember some of my productions and performances: ‘Three Penny Opera’ (1975), ‘Shubh Karman Te Kabhoon Na Taraun’ (2000), ‘Pagla Ghora’ (1980), ‘Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Hasin Sitam’ (2005) and ‘Agni Aur Barkha’ (2019).

I remember how Sadhu Ram, the curtain puller, would always keep toffees for young artistes who received thunderous applause from the audience, as his token of appreciation. I must have received several toffees, for me no less than an award or honour. Sadhu Ramji is no more and his son has stepped into his shoes.

I must also mention Jaspal Singh, the light designer/operator, and Ranjit Singh, the set creator/executor — two pillars who executed the simplest and the most complex of productions. Varied productions, from every nook and corner of India and the world over that came to perform were well taken care of, round the clock, by these two with help from the other staff.

Tagore Theatre was designed by Aditya Prakash, principal of the Chandigarh College of Architecture and a close associate of Le Corbusier. His prowess in theatre architecture was profound, his love for the arts leading him to become an actor famous for his play ‘Zindagi Retire Nahin Hoti’. Aditya Prakash was heartbroken over the demolition of his pride creation and sat on a dharna. MS Sathyu and I, along with others from the fraternity, joined him. Sathyu wrote to the Governor and the Adviser, but the administration paid no heed.

My friend Namita Singh is a brilliant architect, but I suppose she had to expand it out of proportion as per the instructions of the UT Administration. The green rooms are too large and lack a certain isolation from the main stage; they don’t give privacy to the artistes. There are no single rooms for the lead players.

My own efforts to establish a Tagore Theatre drama repertory were spread over two years. My proposal to set up a cafeteria as at Triveni Kala Sangam in Delhi and Jehangir Art Gallery and Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai, along with a bookshop, a script bank and a costume shop, too elicited no response.

Yet, there are tremendous possibilities that can enliven Tagore Theatre and the spaces within the campus. The rehearsal rooms and the small studio theatre behind the main auditorium were conceived by a committee comprising theatre experts, of which I have been an active part.

From an illustrious beginning, however, Tagore Theatre today is a building that rents out the auditorium for various programmes, including private functions, star nights and political meets, etc. Financial viability of the place seems to have taken over the promotion of arts.

Its sanctity must be upheld and it should be restricted for the deliberation and advancement of arts, crafts and literature. It should be put under the care of a committee of stalwarts from the field of performing arts, with a youthful director from the field. Under the stewardship of Chakresh Kumar, the present director, I am sure the theatre would be rejuvenated.

I am reminded of how during World War II, while Moscow was being bombarded by Hitler’s forces, Moscow Art Theatre, the world renowned institution, was performing, with the motto that the show must go on, holding the torch of hope and sanity.

— The writer is a Chandigarh-based veteran theatreperson

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.