Children's theatre in the Capital is gradually but surely coming of age. We have the National School of Drama's Sanskaar Rang Toli (TIE Company) and V.K. Sharma's Khilona, which presents professionally high quality productions round the year in auditoriums and schools. Under the direction of the late Rekha Jain, Umang made a niche for itself too. There are theatre workshops for children being organised by various cultural bodies annually. Folktales and stories from the Panchtantra, which once dominated children's theatre, are now being replaced with serious issues like communal riots, grabbing of land by industrialists to construct huge malls and factories, and the flawed education system that stifles their creativity. Innovative means are used to improve the quality of productions to sustain the interest of the audience. Two plays presented by Shri Ram Centre at its auditorium recently are yet another creative step to reinforce the new trend in children's theatre.
The opening play of the evening was “Jab Papa Bhi Bachche The”, which reflects the world of adults through the eyes of children. The protagonist is a child which plays the role of papa to be. The situations are treated with a light touch, bringing the comic elements to the fore.
Another aspect of the production is that it presents in an unaffected manner a child's naive worldview. The play does not treat the theme in a pedantic manner. This approach makes it thoroughly enjoyable. Whoever wields a little influence in the society — the central character gets fascinated with that individual. His encounter with the watchman of the locality, who displays authority, makes him his ideal. Seeing an ice cream-seller surrounded by a large number of children makes him think the vendor is more powerful than the area watchman. Discovering that people are scared by a dog, he presumes the dog is the most powerful of all, and it becomes his icon. The jubilant boy goes to his father, tells him excitedly about his discoveries and what actually he wants to become. The father tells him, “Son, you are free to become whatever you want. You have many options and opportunities, but remember one thing which is very important — you should be a human with compassion and awareness of civic responsibility.”
The message is conveyed without acquiring a loud didactic tone. The children conceived this theatrical piece in the course of the theatre workshop. The dialogue, the situations, the conflict reflect children's psyche and their wonderful world.
Land grabbing
The closing play of the evening was “Bhopu Baaz Bhagat” directed by Chandrahas Tiwari, a graduate in film acting from FTII, Pune, who has worked with several repertories, including SRC, Delhi. The play deals with an issue that has become a source of torment in the urban milieu:the greed to grab land in the name of building temples to various gods. What is most annoying for the people of the area is the blaring of loudspeakers with a cacophony of bhajans. The deeds of the greedy priest not only infuriate the devotees but gods and goddesses also, who have no peace in the midst of the deafening noise emanating from temples.
The dramatic action shifts from human habitation to heaven and the court of Lord Vishnu. When the priest dies and is questioned in the court about his conduct during his lifetime, he is shocked to find condemnation for his acts of land grabbing and use of loud speakers.
The play offers hilarious moments, conveying the message that civic society should assert itself to prevent land grabbing and noise pollution till late night by temples. The director has given enough space to the children to improvise and act in a spontaneous manner. In both the plays, children observe a world that is familiar to them, and this renewed encounter with reality enriches their sensitivity and broadens social consciousness.
