Theatre of the Oppressed in India
Dialogue and consensus in a country of opposites

by Sanjoy Ganguly

Jana Sanskriti is the name of a cultural movement today. It was the first group in India to feel the need for theatre of the oppressed- in which the oppressed are not mute, passive observers expected to accept whatever solution is offered to them. In theatre of the oppressed the oppressed speak, act and express their social and personal will. The culture in our society is one of centralisation and monologue- where a few constitute a powerful force and the majority has no choice but to follow instructions blindly, even willingly. This centralised culture instills in the people a sense of inferiority while the powerful few enjoy a sense of superiority. The result of existence of the two - superiority and inferiority -creates the oppressor and oppressed. Such a monologue is bound to result in oppression.

Jana Sanskriti wishes to break the culture of monologue. Jana Sanskriti through its intervention seeks to stop the oppressed people from thinking that they are inferior, weak and incapable of analytical thought. They must become aware of their ability to plan constructive action and provide dynamic leadership in the process of development of human society. This is possible through Theatre of the Oppressed, a school of theatre, which was first conceptualised by eminent Brazilian theorist and theatre director Augusto Boal. Through Theatre of the Oppressed, the voice of the oppressed people in society can be discovered and the power in it manifested. The essential first step in the process is the establishment of dialogue at all levels.

Jana Sanskriti believes that there is perfection latent within every individual - waiting to be discovered and manifested. When a person discovers this perfection he is able to overcome the sense of inferiority imposed upon him by the centralised social culture. He becomes articulate, confident and capable of confronting challenges, which come on the path of development.

Jana Sanskriti started practising (for the first time in India) Forum Theatre in 1991, after coming in contact with Augusto Boal. This was an important moment in the history of Jana Sanskriti. Boal's political philosophy turned Jana Sanskriti into a Forum Theatre group from a propaganda theatre group.

Forum Theatre delegates more power to the spectator and transforms the spectator into the spect-actor. Theatre would no more provide a solution in its theatre. Every issue, every situation of oppression depicted in theatre was thrown open to the community for debate, discussion and finally consensus. This consensus seemed to provide a more permanent answer to most questions that were raised by the community.

Jana Sanskriti is the only group in the country that has been working in remote rural areas for the last 17 years. It has nearly 500 members today - majority belonging to agricultural laborer families. A significant proportion of the entire membership is women. Jana Sanskriti is perhaps the largest theatre group of its kind in India.
When Jana Sanskriti came into being in 1985, no one even imagined that within a decade it will spread to Mathurapur, Kulpi and Pathar Pratima blocks of the district of South 24 Parganas,; Basirhat, Hasnabad, Sandeshkhali and Bagda blocks of the districts of North 24 Parganas. In the rest of the country, Jana Sanskriti has teams in Tripura, New Delhi, Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa, Uttaranchal and Goa.

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Under pressure 10 - May 2002