Theatre Director Arvind Gaur at TEDxMICA

He is known for his work in innovative,socially and politically relevant theatre.Gaur's plays are contemporary and thought-provoking,connecting intimate personal spheres of existence to larger social political issues.His work deals with communalism,caste issues,feudalism,domestic violence,crimes of state,Politics of power,violence, injustice,Social discrimination,marginalisation and racism.Arvind is the leader of Asmita,Delhi's"most prolific theatre group",and is also an actor trainer,social activist,street theatre worker and story teller'.He was on the guest faculty of Delhi University for Theatre in education program for three years.He has conducted many theatre workshops and performed in various colleges,institutions,universities and schools in India and abroad.

 

The play's the thing... SHAILAJA TRIPATHI

Theatre is another name for raising awarenessfor both Arvind Gaur and Lushin Dubey, who havecome up with their latest production “I Will Not Cry”. 

One more pressing issue, one more reason to give it an artistic expression. Arvind Gaur and Lushin Dubey are back with another hard-hitting play “I Will Not Cry” (organised by Save the Children, an international organisation working for child rights), borrowing from the stark realities of our existence. And this time, Dubey and Gaur, who have jointly conceived the play, have decided to put the spotlight on the issue of the rising number of child deaths in the country. The play was premiered in New Delhi yesterday and will now travel to five more cities — Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Patna and Lucknow. The production will have a repeat show in the Capital next year.

The play dwelling on such a serious concern and of such magnitude — Over 5,000 children in the country die due to diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia — required larger-than-life execution, clarifies Gaur, director of the play. “The content determines the craft. Every 15 seconds, a kid is dying. You need to shake the audience, you need to shock them. So, the basic premise is a talk show on a news channel into which we have woven stories based on real-life incidents. Lushin is enacting the roles of all those five people — a bureaucrat, a socialite, an activist, etc., who have been invited to the show and that's how we try and gather different perspectives of the society on the issue, ” says Gaur.

“‘Bitter Chocolate' also had multi-media but in a minimalistic way but in this case, it has been used very differently. It's almost cinematic,” elaborates Dubey on her latest solo venture.

Gaur and Dubey have teamed up twice earlier to churn out productions like “Untitled” and “Bitter Chocolate” both of which again had societal overbearing like the plight of women across borders or child sexual abuse. But even when they are not a team, they are harping on basic issues of survival through the medium of theatre. For Gaur, be it his direct activism owing to his involvement in India Against Corruption — he is a member of the Core Committee — or his theatre work, it's all part of his socio-political activism. “Whether it's ‘Gandhi Aur Ambedkar', ‘Mamooli Aadmi' street theatre or proscenium, the idea is to raise awareness. You can't write a play like this if you don't do that kind of work,” states Gaur, convenor of Asmita theatre group.

According to the latest Government statistics, the infant mortality rate per 1000 live births in the National Capital has increased to 22.47 in 2010 as compared to 18.96 in 2009, and over four lakh newborns die within the first 24 hours of birth every year, which is the highest anywhere in the world. “But sadly and shockingly, this is not a priority for us. What is important is F1, malls… I am upset how the priorities of our economic policies are changing and children figure nowhere there. Ultimately, it all boils down to corruption. So many children died in West Bengal, in Lucknow and Gorakhpur due to encephalitis and our Health Minister (Ghulam Nabi Azad) comes out with schemes, plans and funds but they don't reach their destination. He (Azad) announced the introduction of short-term medical course Bachelor of Rural Medicine (BRM) degree, aimed to raise professionals who will serve in rural and backward areas but MCI hasn't yet endorsed it,” says Gaur. The director and the playwright makes a reference to his ideal and the ideology he adheres to, in the play. “The play ends with a character saying ‘Anna should come out and do something.' So, the narrator responds with, ‘Why do we have to call Anna all the time, why can't we initiate a change?'”.

THE ACTOR'S JOURNEY

It was on the forum of a panel discussion organised by Save the Children that Dubey “pledged” to do a play on the subject and that's how she along with Gaur thought of the play. There are enough people, she feels, who are doing known writers' plays but the only way forward for her is to seek out subjects that are topical and relevant. “For me the process is as exciting. It is so self-educative and you can share so much and make people aware. All my plays, for example ‘Ji Saabji” — which dealt with terrorism — are about relationships, communion with the human kind.”

Experimentation is another constant in her work. “I get bored of the predictable outlay. Here, again with the blend of multimedia and theatre it is on a different level. It's changing constantly. As an actor I always like to pose challenges to myself. I had never worked with puppets, I had never done a full-length play in Hindi but I did all that in different plays, and the next thing for me to try would be to paint or sing on stage.”

One more pressing issue, one more reason to give it an artistic expression. Arvind Gaur and Lushin Dubey are back with another hard-hitting play “I Will Not Cry” (organised by Save the Children, an international organisation working for child rights), borrowing from the stark realities of our existence. And this time, Dubey and Gaur, who have jointly conceived the play, have decided to put the spotlight on the issue of the rising number of child deaths in the country. The play was premiered in New Delhi yesterday and will now travel to five more cities — Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Patna and Lucknow. The production will have a repeat show in the Capital next year.

The play dwelling on such a serious concern and of such magnitude — Over 5,000 children in the country die due to diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia — required larger-than-life execution, clarifies Gaur, director of the play. “The content determines the craft. Every 15 seconds, a kid is dying. You need to shake the audience, you need to shock them. So, the basic premise is a talk show on a news channel into which we have woven stories based on real-life incidents. Lushin is enacting the roles of all those five people — a bureaucrat, a socialite, an activist, etc., who have been invited to the show and that's how we try and gather different perspectives of the society on the issue, ” says Gaur.

“‘Bitter Chocolate' also had multi-media but in a minimalistic way but in this case, it has been used very differently. It's almost cinematic,” elaborates Dubey on her latest solo venture.

Gaur and Dubey have teamed up twice earlier to churn out productions like “Untitled” and “Bitter Chocolate” both of which again had societal overbearing like the plight of women across borders or child sexual abuse. But even when they are not a team, they are harping on basic issues of survival through the medium of theatre. For Gaur, be it his direct activism owing to his involvement in India Against Corruption — he is a member of the Core Committee — or his theatre work, it's all part of his socio-political activism. “Whether it's ‘Gandhi Aur Ambedkar', ‘Mamooli Aadmi' street theatre or proscenium, the idea is to raise awareness. You can't write a play like this if you don't do that kind of work,” states Gaur, convenor of Asmita theatre group.

According to the latest Government statistics, the infant mortality rate per 1000 live births in the National Capital has increased to 22.47 in 2010 as compared to 18.96 in 2009, and over four lakh newborns die within the first 24 hours of birth every year, which is the highest anywhere in the world. “But sadly and shockingly, this is not a priority for us. What is important is F1, malls… I am upset how the priorities of our economic policies are changing and children figure nowhere there. Ultimately, it all boils down to corruption. So many children died in West Bengal, in Lucknow and Gorakhpur due to encephalitis and our Health Minister (Ghulam Nabi Azad) comes out with schemes, plans and funds but they don't reach their destination. He (Azad) announced the introduction of short-term medical course Bachelor of Rural Medicine (BRM) degree, aimed to raise professionals who will serve in rural and backward areas but MCI hasn't yet endorsed it,” says Gaur. The director and the playwright makes a reference to his ideal and the ideology he adheres to, in the play. “The play ends with a character saying ‘Anna should come out and do something.' So, the narrator responds with, ‘Why do we have to call Anna all the time, why can't we initiate a change?'”.

THE ACTOR'S JOURNEY

It was on the forum of a panel discussion organised by Save the Children that Dubey “pledged” to do a play on the subject and that's how she along with Gaur thought of the play. There are enough people, she feels, who are doing known writers' plays but the only way forward for her is to seek out subjects that are topical and relevant. “For me the process is as exciting. It is so self-educative and you can share so much and make people aware. All my plays, for example ‘Ji Saabji” — which dealt with terrorism — are about relationships, communion with the human kind.”

Experimentation is another constant in her work. “I get bored of the predictable outlay. Here, again with the blend of multimedia and theatre it is on a different level. It's changing constantly. As an actor I always like to pose challenges to myself. I had never worked with puppets, I had never done a full-length play in Hindi but I did all that in different plays, and the next thing for me to try would be to paint or sing on stage.”

Theatre director Arvind Gaur's interview by Sukant Deepak about lack of National cultural Policy-"Long day's journey into the day"

A long hard stare is enough.He doesn’t need to shout to ensure that the actors do just what he wants them to.And perfectly. Of course, his little twin daughters who are also part of his group ensure that they do just the opposite.Strict Arvind Gaur can be an obedient daddy.He was in Chandigarh to stage Ashok Lal’s Ek Mamooli Aadmi.Director of Delhi-based ASMITA,country’s largest contemporary
theatre group, boasting of more than 50 regular and 20 part-time actors,Arvind hates clichés. “Who says that today’s youngsters are uninterested in theatre and unfocussed? Who says you can’t survive on theatre? I am witnessing a sea change in today’s youth.
They are not just socially and politically aware but also know what they want, precisely,” says the director, who has to his credit major
productions like Dharamvir Bharti’s Andha Yug, Girish Karnad’s Tuglaq,Mahesh Dattani’s Final Solutions,Swadesh Deepak's Courtmartial and Bertolt Brecht's Ramkali among others.
Talk about the present scenario of independent theatre groups and Arvind’s optimism seems to fade. “This country desperately needs a national cultural policy. Hindi theatre is so dependent on grants and nobody has clarity who should get it, what are the recipients doing with the same, or is the money flowing to the actor? Nothing is being done to promote theatre, and dialogue between theatres of different regions.” Isn’t it surprising that an organisation like the National School of Drama has a budget running in crores, and there is so little for independent theatre groups. “Precisely.
Everything is flowing there. How can the government assume that only the NSD is doing theatre? The School isn’t ready to decentralise, only 20 students every year… from Bihar,
from Punjab, from Manipur. Their mother language isn’t Hindi but they are trained to do Hindi theatre. I see little sense in promoting Hindi theatre as national theatre. Why can’t there be autonomous NSDs in different parts of the country like the IITs and IIMs, so as to ensure more training and better employment opportunities?”
For Arvind, whose theatre has always dealt with socio-political themes and brought forth contemporar issues like communalism,marginalisation, domestic violence,casteism, state violence, smiles the moment you talk about corporate sponsorships. “Yes, post-liberalisation,we witnessed some major business houses coming forth with festivals and grants, but then, my work doesn’t ‘sell’ in the market.”
The director, who doesn’t rely on government aid or state and central academies for sponsored shows insists that it’s the audience that keeps ASMITA alive and kicking. “We have ticketed shows and the audience response is always more than satisfactory. When you’re doing relevant theatre that touches people, they come back for more. As far as sponsored shows by the state and central academies are concerned, I am generally ignored, thanks to the themes I work on and the fact that most academies have their coterie.” Several film actors including Kangna Ranaut, Piyush Mishra, and Deepak Dobriyal may have been part of ASMITA in the past, but Arvind has nothing against theatre talent going to cinema. “Why should I? I am glad that theatre is becoming such a great medium for people to multiply the canvas of their dreams… After all, it’s about dreams, no?”

Photo by Sandeep Sahdev for Daily Post

सदी का इतिहास लिखते जूते- -राजेश चन्द्र

सोवियत संघ और पूर्वी यूरोप के समाजवादी देशों में समाजवादी व्यवस्था का अंत होने के बाद साम्राज्यवादियों के साथ उदारचेता जनतंत्रवादियों के एक हिस्से ने भी यही सोचा था कि शीतयुद्ध की समाप्ति दुनिया में मानव-विकास के एक नए चरण का सूत्रपात करेगी। संयुक्त राष्ट्र की कुछ संस्थाओं ने मानव-विकास के नए मानदंडों के निर्माण और एक नई कार्ययोजना के ताबड़तोड़ नुस्खे तैयार करने शुरू कर दिए थे और ऐसा प्रतीत होने लगा था कि अब दुनिया में मानव-हितों के अतिरिक्त और किन्हीं स्वार्थों के लिए कोई जगह नहीं बची है। पर यह खामखयाली ज्यादा देर तक टिकने वाली नहीं थी और जल्दी ही फिर से यह साबित हो गया कि दुनिया में यदि कुछ नहीं है तो वह है मानव-हित। पूंजी और मुनाफे के विस्तार का वही जघन्य इतिहास अपने और भी कुत्सित रूप में हमारा आज का वर्तमान है जिसके तहत पनप रही ‘सभ्यताओं‘ के लिए मानव-संहार से बड़ा कोई धर्म नहीं। अमेरिका, जो इन ‘सभ्यताओं‘ का सिरमौर है, उसे यह दैविक आदेश मिला हुआ है कि वह दुनिया को सभ्यता का पाठ पढ़ाए। इस कार्यभार को पूरा करने के लिए ही वह हर क्षण दुनिया के राष्ट्र राज्यों को कुचल देने के लिए उतावला रहता है। वह सामरिक और आर्थिक रूप से कमजोर देशों की संप्रभुता को नहीं मानता, चाहे वह वियतनाम हो, इराक, अफगानिस्तान, लीबिया या फिर पाकिस्तान।
समूची दुनिया में हिंसा, विनाश और निर्दयता की एक पूरी संस्कृति को जन्म देने वाला अमेरिका अपने दैत्याकार जंगी बेड़ों को कहीं भी भेज सकता है। वह तेल और बिजली के संयंत्रों, जलापूर्ति संस्थानों, दूरसंचार उपक्रमों, अनाज के भंडारों, दूध और दवा के कारखानों, स्कूलों, विश्वविद्यालयों, अस्पतालों, पूजाघरों और पुरातात्विक स्थलों के ध्वंस पर या कि बच्चों, औरतों और वृद्ध असहाय लोगों की लाखों क्षत-विक्षत लाशों पर अपने रेडियोधर्मी क्लस्टर बमों की संहारक शक्ति का उन्मत्त विज्ञापन कर सकता है। इराक और बोस्निया इसके ताजा उदाहरण हैं। युद्ध अमेरिका के लिए एक व्यवसाय है, विध्वंस से लेकर पुनर्निर्माण तक मात्र एक लाभकारी परियोजना, फिर चाहे इसके लिए उसे पांच लाख मासूम इराकी बच्चों की हत्या ही क्यों न करनी पड़े।
इराक और सद्दाम हुसैन की तबाही के बाद बुश और ब्लेयर ने सोचा था कि इराकी जनता उनका स्वागत ऐसे मुक्तिदाताओं के रूप में करेगी जिन्होंने निःस्वार्थ भाव से उन्हें सद्दाम के तानाशाही शिकंजे से मुक्ति दिलाई और लोकतंत्र की स्थापना की। उनके लेखे यह दुर्भाग्य ही है कि इराकी जनता इस कृत्य को बर्बर आक्रमण और सामूहिक नरसंहार के तौर पर देखती है और उसने आज तक अपना बहादुराना प्रतिरोध संघर्ष जारी रखा है। 14 दिसंबर 2008 को अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति जाॅर्ज बुश को अपने जूते का निशाना बना कर इराकी नौजवान मुंतजर अल जैदी ने पूरी दुनिया को यह दिखा दिया कि लोकतंत्र और मानवाधिकारों की आड़ में जो कुछ अमेरिका और उसके पिट्ठू देश कर रहे हैं वह केवल शर्मनाक, घृणित और अमानवीय है और इराकी जनता उनकी असली शक्लें पहचानती हैं। बुश पर फेंका गया वह जूता दुनिया भर के अमनपसंद लोगों की अमेरिका के प्रति घृणा का प्रतीक बन गया और मुंतजर अन्याय और उत्पीड़न के खिलाफ संघर्षरत लोगों का एक आदर्श नायक। इराकी जनता के सामूहिक विनाश का आंखों देखा हाल मुंतजर ने अपनी किताब ‘द लास्ट सैल्यूट टू प्रेसिडेंट बुश‘ में दर्ज किया है। इसी किताब पर आधारित और राजेश कुमार द्वारा लिखित नाटक ‘द लास्ट सैल्यूट‘ का मंचन विगत 14 एवं 15 मई को श्रीराम कला केन्द्र में प्रख्यात निर्देशक अरविन्द गौड़ के निर्देशन में किया गया। जाने-माने फिल्मकार महेश भट्ट के प्रोमोडोम फिल्म्स और अस्मिता की यह संयुक्त प्रस्तुति न केवल एक निहत्थे और जर्जर देश की जनता पर ढाए गए अमेरिकी कहर के आंखें खोल देने वाले ब्योरे उपलब्ध कराती है बल्कि साम्राज्यवादी आधिपत्य के खिलाफ वहां जारी जन प्रतिरोध की जीत में भी भरोसा पैदा करती है।
यह नाटक अमेरिका की इस धारणा पर सटीक और मारक प्रहार करता है कि वह शुभ शक्तियों का प्रतीक है, महान सैन्य शक्ति है, उसे अपने लक्ष्य की प्राप्ति के लिए सैन्यशक्ति के इस्तेमाल का अधिकार है और कोई उसे चुनौती नहीं दे सकता। नाटक में मुंतजर की भूमिका कर रहे इमरान जाहिद जब बुश पर जूता फेंकते हुए उसे ललकारते हैं कि ‘यह इराकी जनता का तेरे लिए जवाब है कुत्ते‘, तो प्रेक्षागृह में उपस्थित दर्शकों की रीढ़ तन जाती है और उनके चेहरों पर संतोष की एक चमक उभर आती है। पूरी प्रस्तुति के दौरान पीछे का पर्दा रोशन रहता है जिस पर बमों, मिसाइलों एवं राॅकेट लांचरों के हमले से क्ष-विक्षत मानव-शरीरों, जलते घरों, मारे गए बच्चों, औरतों और बिलखते-हाहाकार करते इराकी नागरिकों के वास्तविक छविचित्र प्रदर्शित होते रहते हैं और इस पृष्ठभूमि को झुठलाने की कोशिश में मंच पर बुश और उसका अमेरिका तार-तार होता रहता है।
निर्देशक ने अबू गरेब जेल में अमानवीय यातना के शिकार इराकी नागरिकों की उपलब्ध विडियो रिकाॅर्डिंग्स का इतनी खूबसूरती के साथ उपयोग किया है कि वे प्रस्तुति का अभिन्न अंग बन गई हैं। इमरान जाहिद (मुंतजर), इश्वाक सिंह (बुश), वीरेन बसोया (सूत्रधार) और शिल्पी मारवाह (प्रेमिका) के साथ-साथ लगभग तीन दर्जन अभिनेता-अभिनेत्रियों की मंडली मंच को हर क्षण गतिशील बनाए रखती है। फैज, साहिर और हबीब जालिब जैसे महान कवियों की रचनाओं का संगीता गौड़ के संगीत निर्देशन में प्रस्तुति में जैसा उपयोग किया गया है वह कविता और नाटक के एक नए ढंग की और सार्थक समावेश की संभावनाएं उजागर करता है। सामरिक और आर्थिक रूप से पिछड़े देशों के जनगण की तबाही रचनेवालों के खिलाफ आज जिस प्रकार अमेरिका, यूरोप और मध्यपूर्वी देशों में लेखक, संस्कृतिकर्मी और बुद्धिजीवी आवाज उठा रहे हैं, ‘द लास्ट सैल्यूट‘ नाटक भी अपने कलात्मक स्वरूप में उसी प्रतिरोध के साथ खड़ा दिखाई देता है।

Director Arvind Gaur 's Interview on Swadesh Deepak's Court Martial by Shilpi Marwaha.

Shilpi Marwaha-Why did you choose the play court martial?
Arvind Gaur-Court martial not only depicts but also attacks the major problems of the society. Its content is very strong and powerful. With its powerful content and tight structure it is very relevant for a society which is infected with issues like cast discrimination, communal-ism, feudal tendencies. Court martial’s content, script writing, production are in sink with today’s era. It not only addresses the human behavioral problems but also the feudal approach which is so prevalent in our society. It disturbs the inside of the man and gives them food for thought, something which they can take home with them and think about.

Shilpi Marwaha- Bringing out the issues of discrimination in the Indian army, don’t you feel these might create difficulties for a group like Asmita?
AG -We are not against army, or any particular part of the society. We are addressing the society as a whole. Even Bikash Rai is from army who is fighting for the truth. We are trying to expose the bad side and highlight the good side of our society. Plethora of army officers have seen our shows and appreciated it. We have also performed court martial for army at Jammu. Every portion of the society have seen and appreciated it. Sometimes we have to show situations in extremes in order to increase their impact; we can hardly expect something like that would happen in army since it’s an extreme situation. At the end of every show we also invite audience to give their inputs. Full opportunity is provided to every one to speak his/her mind.

Shilpi Marwaha- Court martial is your highly performed and most popular show , even movies like shaurya has been inspired by the same issue, what is making such a issue so popular ?
AG - People relate with these issues. Most of us have feudal tendencies hidden inside us, at sometime or another we do feel that we are superior to the person in front of us. In a developing society like ours where we have socio-political movements, people are searching for their identities (asmita). A lot of awareness has spread in the society through these issues. We are just trying to highlight the moot point so as to raise the level of awareness in the society and open their eyes to the harsh realities. I think it is the responsibility of arts group to spread awareness through the platform they have been bestowed with.We have been performing court martial for the last 15 years. Apart from being issue based it is an actor’s training play.

Shilpi Marwaha-Most of the theatre groups do not take up issues like the one you have taken up in court martial, they concentrate more on entertaining plays, what gave you the courage to take up such a serious issue?
AG- We have socio- political responsibility towards the society we live in. for us theatre is a movement and not a medium of earning money, it is the means through which we channelize the energy of the youngsters and aware them about the harsh truths prevalent in the society. Sometimes as a part of society we have to endure what happens in the society. It is the responsibility of the theatre to react and generate social debate in the society, this makes the audience relate with Asmita. They relate with the debatable points which Asmita brings to them. People in some way or another link with issues like communal ism, cast discrimination, domestic violence, human rights, labor issues, leprosy.

Shilpi Marwaha- For you what relevance does court martial hold?
AG- It is an inside journey, that removes the element which makes one feel superior to the other. This play has not only improved my personality but also flowered its positive aspects which were hidden till now. The background from which I come has been affected by feudal tendencies which have been offset by this play. This play touches you individually and I strongly believe that it is individual change which can bring change in the society. This play is logical, emotional, and analytical and issue based. Its honesty and conviction makes it different from other plays.

Shilpi Marwaha- What makes court martial you’re most popular and successful show?
AG- Actors honesty and Swadesh Deepak’s powerful script makes all the difference. Actor’s hard work, conviction and the relevant content of the play adds to its success. Audience can relate with the characters of the play like Ramchander, Bikash Rai. In the beginning of the play, I used to relate myself with Suraj Singh and with the passage of time I have started associating with characters like Bikash Rai. Asmita has taken court martial to every section of the society from Jammu to Calicat and Jaipur to Dibrugrah.

Shilpi Marwaha- You have done editing and additions to the Swadesh Deepak’s court martial what made you do it?
AG- Court martial is a verbose play; it is a single set action. In order to make the visual impact more powerful and highlight the subtext I resorted to editing. Though I was quite nervous when Swadesh Deepak came to see the show of court martial, but he appreciated the experiment, he found it very powerful and best show so far.

Shilpi Marwaha-Court martial has a big male cast and all the actors are on the stage through out the play, did you face any difficulty in handling such a big caste?
AG- No, actors have always been very hard working and honest towards their work. Asmita stresses on the training pattern of the actors, it is basically work oriented. It emphasizes on teamwork and aims at individual growth of the actor.

Shilpi Marwaha- Though at the end of every show the audience sympathizes with Ramchandra don’t you think that there were some weaknesses even on his part?
AG-These things are debatable. Ramchandra tried to control apart from that when he shot the two officers it was not preplanned. Once someone reaches his/her saturation point he cannot endure and he is not left with any option except reacting. Ramchander did the same; he had reached his peak point beyond which one either reacts, walkout or starts adjusting with the truth. He was a fighter so he fought against it.

Shilpi Marwaha-how do you associate with Bikash Rai?
AG-the character Bikash Rai is fighting against the system from with in the system. His honesty, integrity and courage to fight for the truth makes him different. He has the inner strength of mahatma Gandhi and the revolutionary spirit of bhagat singh. he is not afraid of fighting against millions of people in order to save the truth. Through out the play his main aim has not been to win the case but it has been to win something which he considers more important than the case that is truth.

"When art meets activism" article on director Arvind Gaur by Nonika Singh (The Sunday Tribune)

An ordinary mortal might see and draw a firm dividing line between art and activism. However, Delhi-based prolific theatre person Arvind Gaur crosses that line easily and fluidly. So, for him Anna’s cause is "our cause" and Mahesh Bhatt, one of Anna’s detractors, just the right "creative and intelligent"person to work with.He senses no contradiction between supporting Anna and directing Mahesh Bhatt’s play 'The Last Salute' In Chandigarh recently to stage his latest directorial venture produced by Bhatt, Gaur shares how theatre is a potent tool to address issues and connect with audiences. But when theatre becomes a slogan isn’t there a danger of it losing its aesthetic and artistic value? He shoots back, "Mine is not a theatre of slogans. Those who give slogans wither away fast. They just come and go."
And Gaur has been around steadfast in his belief and passion for over two decades --- his group Asmita itself came into being in 1993. In his long tryst with theatre, he has over 90 proscenium and over 100 street plays to his credit. Alongside he has been promoting platform theatre that straddles the middle ground, that is it includes elements of proscenium like use of a wall, costumes, etc yet is staged at places chosen impromptu like an outside theatre auditorium or, say, a street corner. Whatever may be the genre of his theatre, it’s content that remains the driving force.
Social and political issues concern him --- not any one problem in particular. Be it domestic violence, communal hatred, education deprivation, divisive society all reflect in his dramatic narratives. Even when he directs a classic like Tughlaq, which he calls an all- time political drama, he probes into its political and social overtones. Anton Chekov, Dario Fo, Girish Karnad, Bhisham Sahni, Dharam Vir Bharti, Bertolt Brecht, Samuel Beckett `85 the list of eminent playwrights and writers whose writings he has directed is rather long. "A classic", he avers "is universal and timeless. What matters is how you interpret it." Theatre’s primary purpose, he observes, is to communicate. And to drive home the message often accouterments, lights, make-up, he notes can take a backseat.
So, what explains the use of multimedia technology in The Last Salute`85? Was it his degree of electronics communication that led to the intervention of technology in theatre? He quips: "All of my previous training; be it as an engineer or journalist comes in handy. My experience, that also includes working with PTI TV, has helped my editing skills, ability to say more in lesser words and in my political understanding of the world. But it is very rarely that I use other mediums in my plays. Only the subject in The Last Salute dealt with the Iraq war and the clippings conveyed as forcefully as the histrionics ability of actors."Since the play also includes Mahesh Bhatt in a brief appearance, did he direct the maverick director? He laughs, "Tauba, tauba, who can direct Mahesh Bhatt?" Is he open to similar offers of direction from other Bollywood personalities? He doubts that is likely to happen, for he counter questions, "How many people in the film industry are as socially committed as Bhatt?" No, he bears no angst against the filmi duniya. Or, for that matter, against his students like Kangana Ranaut joining mainstream cinema. He quips, "Why not? Where is the space for actors in theatre which remains by and large a director-centric medium?"
Of course, the going is not gung ho for directors either. In the absence of a cultural policy, in the face of the NSD, India’s premier institution, inviting "those it feels like" for its festivals, survival is an issue. But he moves on spurred by the support of his audiences, people to whom alone he is accountable and answerable. Dreaming and envisaging a "behtar duniya", he firmly believes, "Theatre can change mindsets." And skeptics be damned, he thinks the world, the youth in particular, are changing for the better. His contribution to make the world a better place continues unhindered. On the anvil is a play on corruption`85 you bet inspired by the Anna movement. Art imitates life or vice-versa, for Gaur the end purpose of both is the same.