Ground Reality

Here to stage Harshingaar at the TFT Winter National Theatre Festival,which he’s directed,conceived and also given the music for,Sanjay’s group The Nirman Kala Manch has taken theatre to the interiors of Bihar,staging plays which encompass the spirit and element of folk dance,music,language and stories and themes which are simply ours. Harshingaar is a flower that blooms only for a few hours at night,spreads its fragrance and withers away. “It’s a metaphor and the play is about conflicts,in relationships,between a man and woman,the oppression of Dalits and you can see the entire Bihar. The state has a rich culture,and vulgar Bhojpuri films and songs are not a representation of Bihar,our theatre is not about a project or nirman but vikas.”

“Drama is local,we steer away from hypocrisy,propaganda and simplicity is our mainstay,the struggle continues,but the satisfaction of making a difference and getting creative satisfaction is worth all the effort,” Sanjay’s plays are a mix of fiction and docu-drama,are personality-oriented and explore our rich literature and music. Also running a small repertoire for which they get a salary grant Sanjay now hopes to take his theatre to the villages of Bihar,describing it as a voyage that will revive the ‘parampara of natak’ in villages. “A friend has donated a bus and we’re all set to go,motivating village artists to join the project,” Sanjay considers his biggest achievement working in a basti of criminals in Patna,mostly with children and through theatre,transforming their lives and conditions. “This was in the ’90s,when I’d come back from NSD and now these kids have grown up,with four of them in the NSD,some teachers,others working with us. The third generation of this Nandnagar Colony is involved in our orientation programmes and we never have a dearth of audiences or actors,” Sanjay talks of the importance of following your dreams and heart.

At the recent celebrations of 31 years of the Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai,five plays of The Nirman Kala Manch were staged as part of the Festival,”it was an honour for us and people couldn’t believe that such theatre came from Bihar. We continue our journey,one that never takes us away from our roots,yet paves the way for progress of the spirit and mind.” So long.