It needs no reiteration that 'Bhramyoman theatres' have been veritable heart-throbs and an indispensible part of the socio-cultural life of Assam. Needlees to say these theatres have indeed been a prolific source of entertainment for the theatre-goers of Assam. Alas in the last two years, owing to the menace of COVID, the Bhramyoman theatres have become inactive. Consequently, the culture loving people of Assam have been deprived of watching the soul-uplifting dramas staged by different mobile theaters groups of Assam.
Now that (hopefully) the dreaded Corona virus is on the verge of losing its menacing impact, I take a journey down memory lane to recapitulate some of the scintillating dramas presented by various reputed groups-Dramas that have remained etched in my memory despite the passage of time.
There was a time when the winter season was welcomed in our state not only for providing respite from heat and humidity but for bringing with it a season much loved by theater aficionados- the season of mobile theater. While the city of Guwahati had always been a reservoir of various recreational avenues in the domain of sports and culture the mobile theatre groups (BHRAMYAMAN NATOK GOSTHI) became a welcome boon for the entertainment- starved population from the early 70s to mid 90s.
'A nation is known by the stage', goes the English saying. The high dramatic sensibilities, lofty artistic taste of the audience of Assam coupled with their euphoric response had a telling impact on the quality of mobile theaters in the formative years. Hiring of buses to go to nearby places to watch popular plays was a familiar sight from Sadiya to Dhubri ( Barak valley excluded) during the winter season.
Traveling down memory lane, I fondly remember the sheer brilliance with which Shakespeare's 'Othello' was presented in 1979 by Kohinoor. We were simply overwhelmed by the quality of the faithful recreation of Shakespeare's classic. The professional skill and competence with which the audience was transported to the Shakespearian age was mind blowing. Tohfique Rehman in the role of ' Othello' was just superlative and so was late Mahananda Sarmah in his role of ' Iago'. The oft-quoted, immortal Shakespearian dialogue in the climax scene, 'Put out the light and then put out the light…' was brilliantly translated. The fact that the entire packed audience, many of whom were unfamiliar with the drama, were kept glued to their seats magnifies the sheer brilliance of the venture.
In the context of the present Afghanistan imbroglio, let me remind the present generation that an 'Air India jumbo jet ' was hijacked by Pakistani and Taliban terrorists in 1999 and landed at Kandahar, Afghanistan. The pitiable condition of passengers and their mental trauma was superbly presented on the stage by the mobile theatre group. Most importantly, the sight of a jumbo jet on stage was mind blowing.
'Andhakup' , a suspense thriller, remains etched in memory primarily due to maestro, Dr. Bhabendra Nath Saikia's unmistakable mastery and deft touch. Written and directed by respected Dr. Saikia, the play was exciting and had kept the audience on tenterhooks till the end. Late Suren Mahanta in the role of police inspector was simply superlative. This was in 1982.
Staging of Mahabharat, the epic was a roaring success and heralded a new horizon in technical excellence for the mobile theater groups . Watching the ' Kurukshetra war' on-stage was simply pulverizing for the connoisseurs. The sight of two arrows hitting each other coming from opposite direction and resultant flash of lightning was spectacular. Lord Krishna in his chariot giving advice to Arjuna had caught the imagination of the audience. It can be safely asserted that no Indian state could even dream of staging Mahabharat in 1983.
A milestone play titled, ' Xurongor Xeshat' ( At the end of tunnel) became ravishingly successful in the year 1984. Superlative acting by all artists, outstanding screen play, awe-arousing back ground music had all combined to make the highly tensed drama magnificent and unforgettable. Even when Akashvani Guwahati used to broadcast this drama, it was immensely popular . The visual impact of this drama was as enormous as that of all time hit films in Indian celluloid like Dr. Bezboruah and Sholay etc.
Those of us always wailing and lamenting for ' what we lack in our state' and looking at neighbouring states, need to be assured categorically that mobile theatres and their visual extravaganzas have been the embodiments of rich Assamese culture and aesthetic tradition. 'Jatra' , 'Bengal's popular form of entertainment once upon a time, devoid of modernity , bereft of technology besides being too rustic, had little impact on modern populace and died its natural death. Mobile theatres in Assam in contrast have been going from strength to strength keeping perfect balance between modernity and tradition.
As an ardent connoisseur, I feel that the first phase of the glorious journey of Assam's mobile theatre had reached its sky-rocketing climax with 'Titanic' , directed by Hemanta Dutta. At a time when the whole world was overwhelmed by the million dollar worth Hollywood movie, we witnessed Helicopter landing and the vast Atlantic on small stage !! Theatrical adaptation of 'Titanic', has received unanimous accolades across the country and even in Hollywood. Hemanta Dutta's own performance in the role of captain of the sinking Titanic has been stunning.
At the risk of being branded as an 'old timer' suffering from 'generation gap syndrome', I would prefer to watch old classics on the mobile theater stage rather than the present effort to pamper and cater to the Bollywood infatuated audience' largely steeped in decadent taste and culture. I offer my humble tribute to Acchut Lahkar, Ratan Lahkar and Krishna Roy; the stalwarts and the doyen of Assamese mobile theatre.
Gautam Ganguly
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