Street Smart

Influencing and encouraging an entire generation of young theatre activists,actors and theatre directors,Gursharan established the Chandigarh School of Drama in the late ’80s and redefined the way theatre was conceived and performed in Punjab. “Theatre for change,one that brings to fore concerns of the common man,had been Bhaaji’s mission for many decades,” reminisces Ikatar Singh,who has been an integral part of the Chandigarh School of Drama for more than 12 years now,and has worked and travelled with Singh.

Since Gursharan’s death in 2011,his group has been performing his plays in villages of Punjab and carrying on his philosophy of work and creating awareness on key issues through theatre. “But as a group we have not performed in Chandigarh since then,so we decided to do a two-day street theatre festival on subjects that are both current and relevant,” explains Ikatar,who goes back in time to recall how Gursharan stayed away from elitist theatre because he believed it has nothing to say or contribute. He used satire and humour to talk about serious issues and his theatre was aimed at making an impact on the rural development process. “The people of the villages where Bhaaji performed regularly considered him to be a part of their lives,so we continue his work there,as they support and love our work,” reflects Ikatar.

Since Gursharan believed street theatre had the power to reach a wider audience and almost no money was needed to spread the word,his group has decided to stage a street festival as a tribute to their teacher and mentor to continue the tradition.

The two-day festival will feature two of Gursharan’s plays — Berozgar,directed by Ashish Sharma and Tamasha Hindustan,directed by Ikatar. Berozgar focuses on the current issue of unemployment and how young people,with and without degrees,are jobless. The associated problems that unemployment generates,and the government’s inability to provide means of unemployment or support the jobless,creates unrest among the youth. “The two plays have not been staged in Chandigarh till now,” adds Sharma,the director. Tamasha Hindustan is a satire on the state of affairs in government departments,hospitals and public places. “The common man has no rights and no place in society. He has to constantly fight a losing battle and his struggles never end,even after so many years of Independence,” rues Ikatar.

The festival supported by the Chandigarh Administration will be staged on June 22 and 23 at the Sector 17 Plaza at 1 pm.