|
India Thinkers Net Archives Index
|
Subscribe
|
|
| << January17, 2005 - [India Thinkers Net]Re: Re: Tsunami and the role of the US |
January19, 2005 - [India Thinkers Net]CHRO updates1-4 >> |
|
1] From: Regi P George <george_regi@yahoo.com> Date: Mon Jan 17, 2005 4:37pm Subject: Plays for the people Plays for the people ARJUN GHOSH http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2202/stories/20050128002109100.htm The Jana Natya Manch's street play "Akhri Juloos" and proscenium production "Shambuk Vadh", performed to mark the 16th death anniversary of Safdar Hashmi, evokes a good response. ON January 1, 1989, the Jana Natya Manch was performing the play "Halla Bol" at Shahibabad, an industrial township on the outskirts of Delhi, in a show of solidarity with the working class when goons supported by the Congress attacked the troupe. Safdar Hashmi, its driving force, was killed in the attack, being the last to run for safety, after ensuring the security of his comrades. On January 1 this year, a huge congregation of people from all walks of life gathered at the Ambedkar Park in Jhandapur, Shahibabad, to mark the 16th anniversary of Safdar Hashmi's death. The event highlighted the relationship between the trade union movement in Delhi and the Jana Natya Manch, between workers and artists. Even if the makeshift element associated with street theatre was absent, the political perspective from which the show was organised - the perspective that made Safdar Hashmi dedicate his life to Art for the People - was much in evidence. Like political open-space performances or the theatre of protest across the world, street theatre in India emerged out of contingencies and not through studied effort. In the period immediately after the Emergency, the Jana Natya Manch could not carry on with its earlier proscenium performances owing to the weakened state of the trade unions and a host of other organisations. In responding to the need of the situation, Safdar Hashmi suggested to his co-artists: "If we can't take big theatre to the people, we can take small theatre to them". The result was "Machine", a play that marked a turning point for the Jana Natya Manch and the street theatre movement in India in more ways than one. The fare presented this year at Shahibabad included both small and large plays. The audience could enjoy the street play "Akhri Juloos" and the proscenium production "Shambuk Vadh". Before the programme commenced, members of the Manch sang a song in memory of their martyred comrade - "Lal jhanda leke, Comrade, aage badhte jayenge". ------------------------------------------------------------------ 2] KNOWLEDGE AND EDUCATION - ROMILA THAPAR ESSAY KNOWLEDGE AND EDUCATION ROMILA THAPAR 1. The historical method Keeping in mind that one of the purposes of education is ultimately to advance knowledge, and where this is not always possible, at least familiarise the educated with the advances in knowledge, I would like to consider this question in two ways: one is to discuss what an advance in knowledge involves, even at the level of schooling and even in relation to the one discipline that I know - History; and secondly, to touch on some of the practical aspects of education that involve contemporary governmental educational bodies and institutions that are expected to encourage the advancement of knowledge. It was recently reported in the press that the ex-Minister for Human Resource Development, M.M. Joshi, had stated that historians such as myself, and a few others, needed to brush up our history in order to be in touch with the latest views. This was rich, coming as it does from someone who has repeatedly demonstrated little or no familiarity with history, whether old or new. Doubtless the remark was also intended to renew the controversy over history textbooks. http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2202/stories/20050128002803800.htm [FULL TEXT can also be read on India Debates,our sister group.. <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/indiadebates>; ------------------------------------------------------------------ 3] CPI slams call for broad Hindu unity http://www.hindu.com/2005/01/17/stories/2005011708840400.htm THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JAN. 16. The CPI State secretary, Veliyam Bhargavan, has termed the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary, Vellappally Natesan's call for a broad Hindu unity in Kerala a hoax on both the followers of Sree Narayana Guru and various Hindu backward communities and adivasis. In a reply in his question-answer column in the latest issue of the party organ `Navayugom', Mr. Bhargavan said that the call has little relevance other than as a reflection of the SNDP Yogam general secretary's ulterior personal motives and the result of machinations of the Sangh Parivar to pit the majority and minority communities against each other in the State. Pan-Hindu unity There is little in common in the lives of the upper crust and the marginalised sections of the Hindu religion. Therefore, any attempt to band together all the castes and sub-castes of Hinduism is nothing but an attempt to take these communities into the RSS camp in keeping with Sangh Parivar's strategy of bringing to fruition the RSS ideologue Golwalker's slogan of a pan-Hindu unity, Mr. Bhargavan said. The CPI leader wanted to know how the various lower castes and sub-castes in the Hindu religion could share the same space in society with the upper castes when all along the 2000-year-old history of caste system in the country the lower castes have been discriminated against in matters of worship, movement, education and other social activities. Mandal Commission The Sangh Parivar had displayed its real colour as recently as a decade ago by launching a countrywide agitation against the V. P. Singh Government's decision to implement the Mandal Commission recommendations aimed at bringing about social justice. And, roughly a year ago, five Dalit youth in Haryana were beaten to death for having skinned a dead cow. All this showed how powerful the stranglehold of caste system is in large parts of India even today. http://www.hindu.com/2005/01/17/stories/2005011708840400.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------- * All messages have been posted for non-commercial,educational purposes and for free and fair discussion. the.moderator |
|
| << January17, 2005 - [India Thinkers Net]Re: Re: Tsunami and the role of the US |
January19, 2005 - [India Thinkers Net]CHRO updates1-4 >> |
|
India Thinkers Net Archives Index
|
Subscribe
|
|
|
Archives powered by Zinester's Mailing List Service
Details on India Thinkers Net |
Browse for more newsletters at Zinester's Ezine Directory
Managed by Zinester's Mailing List Management |