[NEohioPAL]Nandikar Performance Group

[RonalWil at aol.com]

THE EVENT
Bengali Cultural Society is organizing a theatrical performance (a potpourri=
=20
of three shows in the Bengali language) by the Nandikar group of Calcutta,=20
India on July 31 at Tri-C auditorium in downtown Cleveland. Nandikar is one=20=
of=20
the three best known groups in India. Tickets are at $20. For tickets and ot=
her=20
information, please contact the following:
Ratan Maitra:  216-382-0817                        =20
Prabar Ghosh:  440-446-9064


ABOUT THE PERFORMING GROUP
On June 29, 1960 Nandikar was founded by a group of young people in Calcutta=
,=20
India =E2=80=93 among them school and college teachers, students, postal wor=
kers, a=20
shopkeeper, a tailor and others who were jobless. Nandikar was soon to grow=20
into one of the busiest and most active theater groups in India and carved o=
ut a=20
niche for itself in the country=E2=80=99s Alternative Theater Movement.
Over the last 44 years Nandikar has flourished and with intrinsic resilience=
=20
produced more than 50 productions of both little known and great playwrights=
=20
of India. Nandikar has also successfully produced plays by such classical an=
d=20
modern masters like Chekhov, Pirandello, Ibsen, Kurosawa, Bergman, and Brech=
t=20
among others.
Always keen to go beyond its periphery, Nandikar has worked for the cause of=
=20
the Society at large:
_ Nandikar sponsored the performances of Michael Meshke from Sweden, Acto=20
Latino from Columbia, Sabine Lehman from Germany and Warner Kuhn from German=
y.
_ Nandikar is at the forefront of leading, sponsoring, and organizing drama=20
workshops, theater training, infrastructural support, youth festivals, etc.
_ Nandikar has pioneered the theater-in-education project, =E2=80=9CTheater=20=
Activity=20
for Motivation and Liberation of Student Community,=E2=80=9D for children in=
 Calcutta=20
secondary schools.  Its aim is to let the student initially know his milieu,=
=20
to initiate his analysis of his own milieu, to sharpen his interface of the=20=
=E2=80=9CI=20
and the world=E2=80=9D, and help him assume the role of the world changer.
_ Nandikar initiated a research project, in collaboration with Cressida, on=20
the =E2=80=9CSocio-economic Context and Significance of Alternative Theater=20=
Movement in=20
India=E2=80=9D.  On the basis of research and practice relating to experienc=
es=20
vis-=C3=A0-vis slum and pavement =E2=80=93dwelling children and visually han=
dicapped young=20
persons authoritative writings have been published.
_ Inspired by Paulo Freire and Augusto Boal, Nandikar has experimented on th=
e=20
potential of theater for motivating educators to use theatre as a tool for=20
non-formal education.
_ As part of =E2=80=98theater as a tool for non-formal education=E2=80=99, N=
andikar has=20
innovatively been working with the prostitutes and the blind population in=20
Calcutta with a view to helping them become healthy and productive members o=
f the=20
society



hABOUT THE SHOWS
1) BARDA BY Munshi Premchand's immortal story "Bare Bhai Saab"(The Elder=20
Brother)
(NOW BEING REGULARLY PERFORMED IN CALCUTTA).
In this play an elderly gentleman -- who may be Premchand himself -- sits on=
=20
a recliner and gives an interview to a TV reporter. He remembers his elder=20
brother during their school days with fun-filled teasing affection and love.=
 He=20
recounts several small incidents, funny, sad and happy, but emotionally=20
invigorating. Premchand reveals not only his elder brother's idiosyncrasies=20=
or=20
oddities with humor and love but also touches our heart with his recollectio=
n of his=20
Bade Bhai Sahib=E2=80=99s great respect for family traditions, family bondin=
g, love=20
and esteem for the aged, his deep and sensitive care for his younger brother=
=20
and a profound respect for the earth. The elder brother's admonishment,=20
affection, concern and care bring out the intricate, complex and intense hum=
an bond,=20
which formed our family life and our tradition in yesteryears. Painfully, ye=
t=20
funnily the story of this elder brother offers a fantastic critique of our=20
conventional school education, which is essentially not much changed despite=
 all=20
cosmetic paraphernalia! A must see play.
This is a monologue adapted by Swatilekha Sengupta from  Munshi=20
Premchand's story.  Acted and Directed by Goutam Halder


2)=E2=80=9CPATAA JHORE JAYE=E2=80=9D(The leaves keep falling)  BY  Buddhadeb=
 Bose
( NOW BEING REGULARLY PERFORMED IN CALCUTTA)
The play is full of small chatter between a couple who have reached the=20
fading years of life when one has to make peace with oneself. Their daughter=
 and=20
son are married. The daughter lives in America with her husband and a little=
=20
son. The son lives in Delhi with his wife and daughter. The aged couple live=
=20
constantly in the hope that their children=20
will visit them someday. They remember their bygone days, small happenings=20
that have occurred in their lives, their sojourns on holidays, their care fo=
r=20
each other, their disapproval for each other on so many occasions, their=20
misunderstandings, memories happy and painful. The couple is on the verge of=
 their=20
journey to that land whence no traveler returns. And they are waiting for th=
eir=20
children, love and death. An important=20
aspect of this play is  that while the two are reminiscing together, they ar=
e=20
also talking almost  to themselves, as though each is lost in his or her own=
=20
world and time.  The play is almost like a song with the same images and a=20
dialogue  recurring over and over again like  musical refrains! It is the st=
ory=20
of all individuals in their hope and loneliness.=20
What happens next?  Why don't you come and see it yourself
Performed in London, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Nashville, Toronto and=20
Ottawa.
Performers: Swatilekha Sengupta & Rudraprasad Sengupta


3)=E2=80=9CKABYE GAANE=E2=80=9D(In poetry and song) =E2=80=93 A Musical
The text consists of folk rhymes, lyrics and  poems from Tagore to Jai=20
Goswami, with Subhas Mukhopadhya, Sankha Ghosh, Sunil Gangopadhyay and other=
s in=20
between and that is, the very best of Bengali poetry and lyric and folk rhym=
es.=20
In this Performance, poetry blends with theatre, acting merges with modern a=
nd=20
classical movements and dance, the urban mixes with the country, the=20
=E2=80=98traditional=E2=80=99 juxtaposes with =E2=80=98contemporary=E2=80=
=99.
Kabye Gaane is a unique presentation in which music, movement, poetry and=20
acting transcend into a great theater experience. Tall claim, but true.=20
Don't Miss it.  Come, See and Enjoy
Performed all over India, Goteburg in  Sweden, Kansas, Nashville in the=20
USand Ottawa, Toronto in  CANADA

Performers: Goutam Halder leads in accompaniment (performative and musical)=20
by Swatilekha Sengupta, Rudraprasad Sengupta, & others.