“Theatre offers a level playing field” & “Flag-bearers of development” who preserve their culture and tradition: Tribal culture in mainstream society – West Bengal

Ayan Paul, The Telegraph, Calcutta, January 2 , 2013 | To view  photos and read the full article, click here >>

When a 12-year-old street child, a tribal girl who has never been to school and a visually impaired youth take the stage at the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi, on January 14, it will be a dream come true for playwright and director Shubhashis Gangopadhyay.

Gangopadhyay had always wanted to create a democratic space on stage and Rajar Chithi-1942, his latest production for theatre group Renaissance which has been selected to be a part of the 15th Bharat Rang Mahotsav, lends a platform to people from all sections of society.

“We try to involve common people and help them grow as individuals through this form of art. I think that is the true purpose of theatre,” said Gangopadhyay, founder of Blind Opera and later Anyadesh for the visually impaired.

Two of Gangopadhyay’s earlier plays — Manasa Mangal with Blind Opera and Raktakarabi with Anyadesh — had also made it to the NSD festival. More than 85 productions, including 11 from Calcutta, will be staged in the latest edition of the festival from January 5 to 20.  […]

Sanju Oraon, 25, has never been to school, but she too enjoys being on stage. A resident of Adivasi Para in Dum Dum, Sanju’s entry into theatre happened by chance but she has since played key roles in several plays.

“A friend of mine came looking for a cassette of tribal music for a play. I was curious. So I went to see the rehearsal and soon became a part of Natapith. I was 15 then. I went on to play the lead in the play,” recounted Sanju, who has become a trendsetter of sorts in her locality. […]

Shubhas finds inspiration in Amol. “Amol is the embodiment of our imagination. He is ageless,” said Shubhas. […]

Source: Theatre offers a level playing field
Address: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130102/jsp/calcutta/story_16390739.jsp#.VysNVD-MjUO
Date Visited: Thu May 05 2016 11:07:49 GMT+0200 (CEST)

PRADUMAN CHOUBEY, Telegraph, Calcutta Tuesday , August 25 , 2009 | Read the full article, click here >>
Cultural society at BIT Sindri works on indigenous languages
BIT, Sindri students have taken it upon themselves to promote tribal culture and tradition at their institute by constituting a society dedicated to it.

Established last year during the Karma festival, the BIT Cultural Society was formed by two teachers — Pradeep Bhagat of mechanical engineering and Ajay Oraon of chemical engineering departments.

It was the first time that the tech hub celebrated Karma on campus with a string of cultural programmes such as skits, songs, dance and drama highlighting different aspects of tribal culture.

The treasurer of the society, final-year BTech student Arvind Kumar Tirkey, said the festival also spread awareness about environment conservation by worshipping the Karma tree.  […]

This apart, programmes like debate, discussion, essay writing, poetry writing were held throughout the year where students got to know more about tribal culture and languages like Kudukh, Mundari, Ho and Kharia. […]

After a series of programmes, the society gained popularity and more students joined in. The students dipped into the institute’s tribal welfare fund and organised collections internally to pay for the events.

On the significance of a tribal society in a technical institute, Tirkey said: “Techies who are the flag-bearers of development must also take up the responsibility to preserve and promote their culture and tradition.”

Source: The Telegraph – Calcutta (Kolkata) | Jharkhand | Techies delve into tribal roots
Address: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090825/jsp/jharkhand/story_11404674.jsp
Date Visited: Thu May 05 2016 11:26:34 GMT+0200 (CEST)
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