The role of theatre goes beyond expressing emotions -- the art form also has the responsibility of educating the masses, feels eminent theatre critic Samik Bandyopadhyay.
Bandyopadhyay, who was speaking at the second Amaresh Ganguly Memorial Lecture organised by the Society of Education and Training of Underprivileged (Setu) here recently, deliberated on the 'Annals of Four Successive Periods in Bengali Theatre'.
"Theatre is not only about expressing emotions, but it is also about contributing to social movements," he said.
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From theatre greats like Girish Chandra Ghosh and Sisir Kumar Bhaduri, to the evergreen plays of Rabindranath Tagore, he shed light on different periods in Bengali theatre.
Bandyopadhyay recalled watching Bhaduri's last play in a dilapidated theatre the day before the artiste passed away.
Talking about the role of the Bengal Theatre Association in Bengal, he added that at the time the performing art was a combination of voice, body movement, songs, and music.
"With improvisations, these various forms of art got separated.
"Theatre got more subtle and was mainly driven by the variations of the voice," he said.
The art form was also used to protest against the colonial rule, and the Emergency in 1975.
The event also saw a musical performance in different Indian languages by Jansanskriti group.
Heaping praises on Amaresh Ganguly, founder of Setu and a former political science professor at Zakir Husain Delhi College here, Bandyopadhyay said, "Amaresh da loved to dream...He was the one who started Bengal Book Fair in Delhi."
The evening came to a close with a satirical play on the contemporary political situation in the country discussing the burning issue of communalism.
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