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BRECHT฀I N฀WES T฀BENGA L฀ Sekhar฀Chatterje e฀ India,฀particularl y฀Wes t฀Benga l฀wher e฀w e฀com e฀from ,฀ needs฀Bertol t฀Brech t฀most .฀Th e฀reaso n฀i s฀mor e฀politica l฀ than฀literary .฀Th e฀Wes t฀Benga l฀theatre ,฀i n฀contras t฀t o฀th e฀ rest฀o f฀India ,฀i s฀on e฀hundre d฀pe r฀cen t฀political .฀Wes t฀ Bengal฀ha s฀a ฀lon g฀tradito n฀- ฀a ฀revolutionary฀heritag e฀whic h฀ grew฀durin g฀th e฀tw o฀hundre d฀year s฀o f฀foreig n฀rule .฀A฀ society฀whic h฀i s฀ridde n฀wit h฀unemployment ,฀exploitatio n฀ and฀corruptio n฀i s฀boun d฀t o฀lea d฀th e฀peopl e฀t o฀ disillusionment฀an d฀frustration .฀ We฀hav e฀tw o฀kind s฀o f฀theatr e฀- ฀on e฀i s฀th e฀commercia l฀ and฀th e฀othe r฀i s฀th e฀non-professiona l฀o r฀lef t฀theatre .฀Ther e฀ are฀abou t฀fiftee n฀commercia l฀theatre s฀i n฀Calcutta .฀The y฀ are฀jus t฀commercia l฀an d฀produc e฀stupi d฀play s฀an d฀ar e฀fas t฀ drifting฀toward s฀porn o฀theatre .฀W e฀shal l฀no t฀discus s฀them .฀ We฀shal l฀discus s฀th e฀lef t฀theatr e฀only .฀Ther e฀ar e฀abou t฀ 6000฀theatr e฀group s฀i n฀Wes t฀Benga l฀alone ,฀mostl y฀ non-professional.฀Wes t฀Bengal ,฀th e฀lan d฀o f฀Rabindranat h฀ Tagore,฀ha s฀a ฀ric h฀cultura l฀heritage .฀Bu t฀th e฀prosceniu m฀ theatre฀i s฀no t฀ou r฀own .฀W e฀borrowe d฀i t฀fro m฀th e฀West .฀I n฀ the฀ancien t฀pas t฀w e฀ha d฀ou r฀ow n฀theatre ,฀th e฀Vedi c฀theatr e฀ or฀th e฀templ e฀theatre ,฀whic h฀i s฀obsolete฀today .฀ Our฀prosceniu m฀theatr e฀i s฀onl y฀a ฀hundre d฀od d฀year s฀ old.฀I t฀starte d฀unde r฀th e฀influenc e฀o f฀Shakespear e฀an d฀th e฀ plays฀wer e฀mostl y฀historical ,฀religion-base d฀o r฀farce s฀ influenced฀b y฀MoliSre .฀An d฀thi s฀theatr e฀belonge d฀ exclusively฀t o฀th e฀ric h฀feuda l฀lord s฀an d฀th e฀higher-up s฀i n฀ society.฀I ฀mus t฀mentio n฀tha t฀ou r฀societ y฀i s฀stil l฀a ฀feuda l฀ one.฀Ou r฀econom y฀i s฀agriculture-base d฀an d฀80 %฀o f฀th e฀ population฀live s฀i n฀th e฀villages .฀Th e฀workers ,฀th e฀peasant s฀ and฀million s฀o f฀unemploye d฀hav e฀bee n฀livin g฀belo w฀th e฀ poverty฀line .฀ Brecht฀i n฀Wes t฀Benga l฀ 139฀ With฀thi s฀background ,฀th e฀lef t฀theatr e฀gre w฀u p฀i n฀th e฀ 1940s฀- ฀unde r฀th e฀guidanc e฀o f฀th e฀Communis t฀Part y฀o f฀ India.฀I t฀wa s฀th e฀cultura l฀fron t฀o f฀th e฀Part y฀an d฀wa s฀calle d฀ the฀India n฀Peoples '฀Theatrica l฀Association .฀A ฀ne w฀cultura l฀ movement฀gre w฀up ,฀son g฀squads ,฀danc e฀group s฀an d฀o f฀ course฀theatr e฀groups .฀The y฀al l฀base d฀thei r฀theme s฀o n฀th e฀ life฀an d฀struggl e฀o f฀th e฀people .฀Thes e฀group s฀toure d฀cities ,฀ districts฀an d฀village s฀an d฀gav e฀performance s฀i n฀politica l฀ meetings,฀followin g฀o r฀preceedin g฀speeche s฀b y฀leaders .฀I t฀ spread฀ver y฀rapidl y฀an d฀ha d฀branche s฀an d฀root s฀al l฀ove r฀ India.฀A ฀ne w฀culture ,฀a ฀ne w฀literature ,฀a ฀ne w฀theatr e฀wa s฀ born.฀An d฀i n฀te n฀year s฀tim e฀i t฀overtoo k฀th e฀existin g฀feuda l฀ culture.฀ It฀wa s฀onl y฀afte r฀th e฀Twentiet h฀Congres s฀i n฀Mosco w฀ that฀th e฀Communis t฀Part y฀o f฀Indi a฀spli t฀i n฀two .฀Th e฀India n฀ Peoples'฀Theatrica l฀Associatio n฀disintegrated .฀Politic s฀ were฀utterl y฀confused...

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