INDIA BEATS
Dramatic break
ANTARA DAS
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Inmates of the Berhampore Central Jail relish the chance to stage a play that strikes a chord with their lives.
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Testament to creativity: The play in full swing.
THIS year, the mellow winter afternoons in Berhampore Central Jail in West Bengal's Murshidabad district are coming alive with the sound of around two dozen convicts trying to breach a very significant barrier. The authorities, however, do not seem to mind, as prisoners animatedly rehearse for the staging of "Tasher Desh" or "A Kingdom of Cards", a play by Rabindranath Tagore about the inhabitants of an island whose attire resembles playing cards and who live according to a strict set of rules.
The excitement is palpable, for, if the current exertions reach fruition, the prisoners will be allowed to travel to other prisons (or correctional homes as they are now called), in their identity as a group of travelling actors and not a bunch of convicts serving their sentences behind bars. It will also vindicate the trust and confidence that the prison authorities had placed in those who had never acted in anything more demanding than amateur skits staged inside the prison walls.
Successful outing
The confidence of the participants has, of course, been bolstered by the successful rendering of the play on the afternoon of November 26 on a makeshift stage within the prison premises. And the maturity and professionalism that came forth on that afternoon has left the authorities amazed, leading them to ponder whether such spirited productions could find place beyond the confines of the prison walls.
"It is amazing how despite their low educational status — barring a couple of graduates, the rest are mostly illiterate — they were able to do justice to the intellectual nuances of the play," said B.D. Sharma, Inspector General of Correctional Services, Government of West Bengal.
Elated too, is Pradip Bhattacharjee of the Berhampore Repertory Theatre, for whom the difficulties encountered as the director almost constitutes "a play within a play". The six women — mostly aged between 20 and 25 and serving life sentences on charges of murder — who formed part of the 24-member troupe were most reluctant to participate in the play and their initial reaction to the proposal was one of shock, disbelief and an obstinate refusal to cooperate. "Four of them belonged to Muslim families who strongly opposed their participation and threatened to ostracise them," said Mr. Bhattacharjee, who had to employ all his abilities to convince them to perform.
The local prison authorities turned out to be more difficult to convince, with their crude insinuations about the intermingling of male and female prisoners and their refusal to allow it on the grounds that it violated the jail code. "It became a question of gender justice, as the separate female wards in the jail are meant for protection and privacy and the jail code cannot be used to deny or exclude the female prisoner," said Mr. Sharma, who had to issue written permission to allow the same.
Being cooped within the confines of the prison, most of the prisoners were dull, morose and demoralised, as Mr. Bhattacharjee found out when he went to the jail premises to apprise himself of the situation. "I decided on holding a workshop, which began on October 6, which would mentally prepare the actors and build up their confidence," he said.
"The objective of the theatre production oriented workshop was to make the prisoners feel important and dignified and to do away with the drabness of their daily existence," said Mr. Sharma. The workshop had several components — while efforts were made to increase the concentration of the participants, moves were also initiated to bring out the latent skill and create rhythm among those involved.
Working together
"The prisoners also participated in mask-making and games to make the sessions interesting, apart from story reading sessions that helped to gauge their emotional reactions to plots and story lines," Mr. Bhattacharjee said. The participants belonged to diverse backgrounds — while some had been traders, there were others who had been private tutors, pharmacists, rickshaw pullers or students. Charged with crimes ranging from murder and rape to dowry harassment and dealing in narcotics, most of them have an excellent track record in prison.
An evening performance being a strict no-no, the play was performed during daytime, close to the Superintendent's office, on a stage that was decorated with elaborately worked masks, a testament to the creative spirit of the prisoners and that used the sylvan surrounding as the natural backdrop. Resentment still lurked in the hearts of the local officials, as the use of innovative props like stilts, inspired by the local "Raibeshe" folk tradition, made them fear that it could be used by the prisoners to escape.
A public performance of the play might lead society to appreciate the talents of those on whom the crimes committed in the past hang heavy, but Mr. Bhattacharjee feels that the theme of the play carried a more potent resonance for the prisoners. Tagore's play, a satire on conventional life, deals with a stagnant society on an island where lives are suddenly interrupted by the message of youth and liberty. It is this theme of freedom, he feels, which appealed to those leading regimented lives in the prison.
India Beats features stories of the unusual, the exotic and the extraordinary.
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