The Graduate Show organised by National School of Drama (NSD) every year is a window on the oeuvre of students developed in the course of their studies. Do they follow conventional theatrical mode of production of plays? Have they evolved a distinct aesthetic vision and a contemporary sensibility to reflect changing time and its inherent contradictions? The opening piece at this year’s Graduate Show entitled “Civilization on Trial” at Abhimanch auditorium this past week reflects a creative spark which is at once provocative, disturbing and entertaining. It is also a bold attempt to conceive a political theatre without being didactic. Satire is its main vehicle to expose the anti-people design of neo-colonialism.
Conceptualized, written and directed by Sweety Ruhel, it is a complicated task to deal with present day colonialism with the device of conventional play treated in a realistic style. The effectiveness of her play lies precisely in the way she has treated her subject. She has intelligently followed a non-realistic style-a kind of blend of cartoon and caricature with fast tempo. The neo-colonial forces act like cartoons which make them ridiculous.
The play projects the naked and unprovoked American aggression on Arab countries, particularly Iraq for oil. America’s attempt to control world economy through dollar also stands exposed. There are hideous acts to appropriate intellectual property of the developing countries and the promotion of market culture that results in debasing cultural heritage.
At another level, the production lampoons the way Planning Commission grapples with the issue of defining poverty and specially those who are said to be below poverty line. Uncle Sam and his lackeys are projected as cartoons. The characters belonging to India are treated in a realistic manner. We watch a character running his tea stall. He frequently refers to what his grandma has prophesized about him, a better future. The use of voice-over to convey his grandma prediction makes the production more effective in terms of style. The future of tea stall owner changes for the better when he happens to be the sole witnesses to a rape case committed by a sexually depraved person using the cloak of religion. However, the small rise in his future is short-lived when the sexual offender is caught in yet another rape case.
There seem to be two different themes the play seeks to deal with. With a view to unite these different themes the director-writer devises a situation in which the tea-seller interacts with the lackeys of Uncle Sam and finally with the boss himself. The men and the women of Uncle Sam get detailed information about the secret of tea preparation of the tea stall owner. With the technique of the tea-making having thoroughly mastered, the tea-stall owner is produced before Uncle Sam. For the tea-seller it is both a moment of elevation and as well as ruination. This is a kind of metaphor to indicate the plunder of raw material and intellectual property of the people of developing countries by neo-colonialism.
The director-writer has not developed the conflict to the point of reaching a climax. The character of the Arab ruler fails to offer stiff resistance to the aggressor. In the case of tea-seller, he hardly resists the attempts to rob him of his tea stall. Only the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist which should keep on intensifying makes the script dramatic and its resolution absorbing. Ruhel has designed her production with ingenuity. The proscenium theatre has been transformed into an intimate one. The space for performers to act is shared by audience and the seating space in the auditorium has been covered with a thick piece of cloth. A makeshift bridge is made that serves as the exit and the entry from the main gate to the sitting-cum-acting space. The props on the stage include military tank which is used to destroy the feeble resistance of the Arab countries. The illusion of the bomb blasts is effective enough to strike terror. The use of vocal music enhances the lively tone.
All the lackeys of Uncle Sam are in outlandish costumes and to create the image of cartoons they keep moving their eyes wide open with eyelids moving in different directions. There movements are stylised and so is their delivery of dialogues, imparting vitality to the production.
