India’s sex ratio at birth has worsened considerably since 1951; however, successive governments have not taken urgent and comprehensive measures to address the issues of female infanticide (FI) and sex-selective abortion.
Sukracharjya Rabha, a visionary theatre practitioner, established the Badungduppa Kalakendra in a remote village at Rampur and was also the director of the well-known “Under the Sal Tree” annual theatre festival. His theatre practice that was rooted materially, economically and ecologically at the heart of an indigenous community, creates a distinctly different political economy, which departs radically from previous attempts by the exponents of the “Theatre of Roots” movement to indigenise theatre in India and formulates a critique of it.
Habib Tanvir, who turned 80 on September 1, is a citizen of the world, borrowing, reading, soaking up influences indiscriminately; but through a long, hard, creative struggle, he has made Chhattisgarh the prism that refracts his creative expression. He is a Midas turned upside-down: whatever he touches loses its sheen, it becomes rough and turns to Chhattisgarhi.
Habib Tanvir and his band of rural actors have been under vicious attack from the Sangh parivar for the last fortnight or so. The main thrust of the two plays which have been attacked is social amity and harmony. Habib Tanvir has vowed to carry on with the performance of the plays. For any artist this would be a remarkable act of courage. For a man of 80, it is nothing less than heroic.
There are two major bodies mainly of writers and theatre people to 'manage' the affairs relating to literature and theatre in the land of the Marathas. It is less than clear what exactly these organisations do. The net result is that the establishment seems to rule supreme.
