A Socio-Political History Of Marathi Theatre: Thirty Nights by Makarand Sathe

Makarand Sathe's A Socio-Political History of Marathi Theatre: Thirty Nights is described by Kumar Ketkar, in the introduction, as part discourse and part keertan, a didactic form of storytelling employed in Hindu temples (p. xxiii). Using a meta-framework of narrative dialogue between a clown and a playwright to trace the history of Marathi theatre, Sathe does a magnificent job of keeping readers aware of regional and national narratives occurring in colonial/post-colonial India by drawing parallel influences between theatre and national politics. He offers several insights into Marathi theatre while simultaneously acknowledging noteworthy contributions made by those overlooked by the mainstream. The book details substantial historical information intertwined between the history of India in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, excerpts from plays that deepen the reader's understanding of the work, critical analysis, and commentary. A Socio-Political History of Marathi Theatre grapples with a core question of "Who am I?" over three volumes, spread over a course of thirty nights (which are presented as thirty chapters). Sathe's examination explores the psyche of playwrights, their contributions, the surrounding social politics, and political ideologies which helped shape theatre in modern India.

Volume I begins with the period 1843–1947 and focuses on the theatre of the colonial era. Beginning with the debate over which play counts as the first official Marathi play, Sathe introduces the "First Three" with information regarding structure, themes, and social influence: Vishnudas Bhave's Sita Swayamvar in 1843, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule's Truteeya Ratna in 1855, and Kirloskar's Sangeet Shakuntal in 1880. He adds V. J. Kirtane's Thorale Madhavrao Peshawe as a key contributor for its simple and realistic approach to language. In a country where mythological drama is still relevant to unifying values, Sathe's study on historical farces is eye opening. He illustrates how the plays bridge people from across the classes, with Brahmins coming into contact with the poor and working class. He notes that while the early farces in Marathi were a collection of formulated pranks, lacking in structured scripts, they evolved to include deep social commentary. N. H. Bhagwat's Mor L.L.B. Prahasan in 1882, for example, serves as the first of its kind to intermingle social issues via the treatment of its satirical dialogues.

Volume I continues within its examination of the intersections of drama and national issues, especially issues of gender. The topic of women's rights emerges as significant in the plays serving as social reforms via the discussion of works by N. B. Kanitkar and Govind Ballal Deval. Volume I also notes how many of these plays were written in a prose format. For example, Shankar Moro Renade's Adhikardan Vivechana athava Sthanik Swarajya Vataghat is almost entirely prose, with very few songs. The language of this play is realistic, employing the use of English and Marathi. The play deals with complex political issues: the nature of British rule and resultant socioeconomic and cultural conditions, colonial education, and native governance. An important aspect in the advancement toward modernity was the concern of issues toward the individual in the Ibsenian form. Andhalyanchi Shala written by S. V. Vartak is an example of the shift to this type of modern drama.

Sathe illustrates how Bal Gangadhar Tilak's rise as a national leader (1880–1920) was critical in how Marathi theatre established a Tilakite identity. Tilak was portrayed as the chief protagonist in many plays, several writers of the times were his supporters, and Tilak himself also supported many theatre companies. These political works deepened with Krishnaji Prabhakar Khadilkar, who according to Sathe, paved the way for the golden age of political Marathi theatre. Volume I also introduces readers to the origins and early concepts of experimental theatre with playwright Ram Ganesh Gadkari, who often broke from social norms.

One of the most interesting features in Volume I is a discussion of the theatre before 1930 which deals with women onstage as well as in the audience. The theatre at the time was no place for women. The lack of inclusion was challenging for women given the social expectations vis-à-vis women's roles in Indian society. Volume I culminates with its focus on women's issues, which prior to 1930 had been spoken of as a collective, but in the modern era attention was shifted to individual cause. After the 1930s, sexuality and other feminist ideas were being incorporated in the writing of plays. However, this was not without resistance. P. K. Atre wrote Gharabaher and is quoted for his patriarchal stance, "One can gain independence by accepting to be a slave" (p. 435). Sathe also shines light on the conflict between the differing Hindu ideologies and their approach to Gandhian philosophy. B. V. Alias Mama Warerkar's Sonyacha Kalas, Madhavrao Narayan Joshi's Sangeet Giraniwala, and Ganeshshastri Phatak's Mazi Jamin discuss Gandhian philosophy and its connection to Marx, weaving significance to the stories of the labor class and communism. Sathe notes that although Marathi plays were being revolutionized, many continued to see theatre as entertainment and its ideals were not to be replicated in the general sociopolitical sphere.

Volume II focuses on 1947–1975 and examines the postindependence era. The core question "Who am I?" maintains its central focus, but Sathe turns an even more critical eye toward theatre and class consciousness. Playwright Anna Bhau is a key player in this opening segment. His critical contributions came through structural changes in his work with Tamashas, a traditional form of Marathi theatre. Sathe offers a wide discussion of several contributing playwrights, such as Bapat, P. L. Deshpande, and Niloo Phule who explored similar subject matter via socialist agendas, topics, and treatment.

The work of playwright Vijay Tendulkar as the founder of modern Marathi theatre is hugely important in Volume II. Sathe documents Tendulkar's work through different developmental phases, illustrating the evolutionary process in Marathi theatre. Tendulkar directs audiences towards the hypocrisy within the middle class, a dominant theme in his writing. This is a major shift from the sociopolitical viewpoint of other dramatists: themes of physical and psychological violence also appear in Tendulkar's work. Gidhade, for example, was controversial because of the strong physical domestic violence in its content.

Other key highlights in Volume II credit playwrights who contributed to the commercial popularity of Marathi theatre including four playwrights who helped further modern Marathi theatre, known as the "four pillars of entertainment": Bal Kolhatkar, P. L. Deshpande, Vasant Kanetkar, and V. V. Shirwadkar. Volume II also includes the recognition of the work of playwrights G. P. Deshpande, Mahesh Elkunchwar, and Satish Alekar. Deshpande's Udhvasta Dharmashala (1973), for example, focused on the idea of rebellion and consequences, as well as perseverance. Alekar was in the first generation of playwrights from an independent India, and according to Sathe, this position gave him a unique point of view. Mahanirvan, published in 1974, is his first play that uses clerks to represent members of the middle-class. In this piece, Alekar uses Brahmin culture to attack corruption and engage cultural politics by exposing hypocrisy and absurdity through the storyline and writing.

Volume II culminates in discussion of playwright Achyut Vaze and his play Chal Re Bhoplya, Tunuk Tunuk. Published in 1974, this play has been repeatedly compared to Beckett's Waiting for Godot. The play contains multiple characters, but the two primary characters, Bandhekar and Khandekar-Dandekar, are shown waiting for a bus. Throughout the play they think they have seen it just to notice it is not "their" bus. The play thus makes a statement on the absurdity of life and the pointlessness of life's goals.

Volume III centers on the period 1975–1985. Marathi theatre reaches a level of maturity and the work of playwright Jayawant Dalvi reigns supreme due to his ability to balance commercial work with sociopolitical awareness. Dalvi also imparted a level of maturity due to three factors: his literary heritage (he was a great novelist), knowledge of sociopolitical associations, and finally the fact that he "wrote for himself." Dalvi's three representative examples are Sandhyachhaya, Barrister, and Suryasta. Barrister, published in 1977, is a period play, but interestingly does not deal with the politics of the time. This play is set in the early decades of the twentieth century. Its purpose is to compare and scrutinize the middle class and the impact of Western culture and modernity through the medium of the British rule and the colonial era.

Volume III also provides a fascinating discussion of Vasant Kanetkar's Beimaan and P. L. Deshpande's Ti Phularani, both influenced by Western playwrights. Sathe notes how these are unique adaptations and not simple translations. While the original plays were political, the Marathi works emphasize human relations. Vasant Kanetkar's Beimaan, for example, was based off Jean Anouilh's Becket. Unlike Becket, however, Beimaan's narrative focuses on class struggle.

An important part in Volume III is focused on the contributions made by the Dalit theatre. Sathe makes a critical point by stating that while the topic of untouchables has been addressed, all the playwrights involved were of the upper caste; the significance in this is that a large section of society was excluded from the cultural movement. Dalit theatre represents the untouchables of society; it is the intense expression of not being treated with equality and justice by the mainstream. This section includes the rise and fall of Dalit theatre as well as its artistic concerns, ideologies, and critiques. Sathe elaborates in great detail on the contributions of playwrights such as M. B. Chitnis, B. S. Shinde, Premanand Gajvi, Texas Gaikwad, Ramnath Chavan, and Datta Bhagat.

Volume III culminates in the manner with which the book began. The dialogue between the clown and the playwright that was initiated on "night one" is successfully maintained over the course of each consecutive night thereafter. However, the playwright at the end of Volume III does arrive at a rather revealing conclusion to his existential crisis. Sathe, in my view, finds resolution to the meta-narrative's core question "Who am I?". However, I do not want to give away the ending for interested readers, who wish to make their own discoveries.

Sathe's affirms the notion that change occurs via participation. The mid-nineteenth century was a critical period for the region with the rise of the British Empire, decline of the Peshawa rule, changing Brahmin class, and the overall shift in the value system. To counter the glorification of the dominant British ideology, there emerged a rise in mythological and history plays. This is a conscious act of revolution. Hindu mythology appears as a purposeful act of sociopolitical intervention. Mythologies provided audiences with a proud depiction of Hindu tales and Brahminical values. The influence of the mythology is to be understood as the intentional staging of a theatrical revolution that would glorify traditional Indian values. This trend would grow deeper to include historical representations of Indian leaders, and later to profound explorations that investigated via representations a complex colonized psyche. The local regional collective participated with the national collective for cultural influence and change. It is also interesting to consider that a purposeful construction of Indian identity on stage was occurring alongside a simultaneous construction of an Indian audience. Sathe's core question "Who am I?" speaks to this constructed identity that challenged the self and the environment.

Fact and fiction need each other for several reasons, but mainly because it keeps people interested. The framework of storytelling is innate to India's folk traditions, and Sathe employs this methodology with finesse. He also maintains a linear historical timeline based in rich and complex facts that run parallel to the fictional aspects of the clown and a playwright that begin the three volume journey. The book is missing visual references that could have added a richness of the existing details. Nonetheless, Sathe has done a great service to the field of Marathi theatre, but also to Indian theatre history in threading together materials, traditions, practices, and critical commentary. He has laid out a rich examination that is unified in its approach to understanding the history of a region, as well as a nation. The contribution of the work of playwrights, such as Tendulkar and Alekar, has been critical to the national theatre platform but absolutely vital to the internal developments of regional Marathi theatre. This work is important for those who are interested in Marathi theatre, but also for those interested in Indian theatre.