Street plays in India serve not only as an artistic expression but also as a platform for expressing opinions and dissent, with some performances becoming landmarks in the history of Indian theatre.
Street theatre is inherently engaging, making it difficult to ignore. Actors, often dressed in long white or black kurtas, passionately take to the streets of India, staging nukad-nataks or street plays.
Nukad-nataks, a quintessential form of traditional Indian theatre, serve as a medium for communicating ideas, sharing stories, expressing opinions, and protesting. It is in honor of this art form and the legacy of Safdar Hashmi, a playwright, director, actor, lyricist, theorist, and political activist, that National Street Theatre Day is observed in India on April 12, his birthday.
Hashmi, a graduate of St. Stephen's College in New Delhi and a member of the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA), was tragically murdered on January 1, 1989, while performing "Halla Bol," a play advocating for workers' rights. His death occurred during a performance that faced opposition from a mob supporting political ideologies contrary to those of the theatre group.
The play, a revised version of "Chakka Jam" by Janam (Jana Natya Manch), focused on the November 1988 industrial strike in Delhi led by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). Janam, born out of IPTA in 1973 and Hashmi's brainchild, continues to uphold the tradition of "small theatre" or street plays.
Hashmi's murder brought attention to the significance of street theatre, although the movement had already been initiated by IPTA. His death was a rare and impactful event in Indian theatre history, prompting widespread mourning and solidarity demonstrations. Janam, as a tribute to Hashmi, returned to Jhandapur to complete the interrupted play, drawing a larger audience than before.
Events like National Street Theatre Day highlight the enduring power of words, actions, beliefs, and communication tools like nukad-natak, even in challenging circumstances.
