This book starts with a fulsome tribute to the thespian giant Badal Sircar who left us only the other day-there is an attempt to provide profiles of the Indian Avant-Garde who have marked the frontiers of our threatre and made it what it is. The author has deliberately omitted the successful stage-cum-cinema actors of the land-particularly the alumni of National School of Drama (NSD) like (the late) Manohar Singh, Om Shivpuri, Naseeruddin Shah, Raj Babbar, Surekha Sikri, Uttara Baokar, Himani Singh, Raghuvir Yadav and a host of others-for sheer lack of space.
Then comes the Language Scene which lends a vision of what the contemporary theatre scenario is, in all the major Indian languages. These have been followed by Short Vignettes of Plays that have been staged in Kathmandu, Dhaka and Delhi in major Indian languages, as of late, to make the language-vision complete. Then are provided short summaries of some of the Major Festivals. In a land of perpetual festivities, such festivals hold a mirror of a collective view, necessary to gain a perspective.
For Window on Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh which begins our look at the neighbourhood in the sub-continent, the schema is the same in miniature: Theatre Scene, Avant-Garde, Short Vignettes of Pakistani Plays staged in Kathmandu and Delhi, and Major Festivals.
For Window on Overseas, the final section, the author had to fall back on the fine quality of foreign plays-from Europe, USA, Latin Americas, Central Asia, Asia-Pacific and South Asia-staged in the recent global festivals held in Kathmandu, Dhaka and Delhi. While Short Vignettes have been provided, neither 'Overseas Threatre Scene' nor `International Avant-Garde'has been attempted, which would in no case have been either comprehensive or representative. Still, the flavour of the overseas-plays should be stimulating enough for the readers and should whet their appetite for more. |
