A shahir sings on stage: This Ambedkarite opera explores the theme of social politics through music

A moment from the production. Pics Courtesy/Shubham Roy Chowdhury and Rahul Bachate

There has always been a prevalent anxiety in developing countries to try to be decolonised and yet modern. This is where Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's principles are most exciting. He had the ability to separate the two," shares playwright Abhishek Majumdar. The Bengaluru-based theatremaker is currently in Dubai as he delves into the complex socio-political reasonings and genesis of his ongoing production, Kavan: An Ambedkarite opera. Produced by Nalanda Arts Studio and Yalgaar Sanskrutik Manch, the play is in its second run in the city starting today at Andheri.

Actor Apurva Kadam at the first staging of the play in Juhu last month

The production is the result of a journey that began in 2018 when Prithvi Theatre approached Majumdar to restage Prithviraj Kapoor's plays. While the initial idea did not take off, it set the foundation for a new collaboration.

Shahiri on stage

"Any collaboration is a time-consuming process, but it is also about understanding each other's perspectives," shares 35-year-old Dhammarakshit Randive, one of the founding members of Yalgaar. The stage is not new to members of the Mumbai troupe. Since 2015, they have been at the forefront of raising questions on the stage. "We had designed and performed a musical, Rang Aman, which featured folk fusion and was built around shahiri. This [Kavan] was also a learning experience, and offered us a chance to reach an audience outside our echo chamber," Randive says. The story, by Sudesh Jadhav, revolved around the life of a shahir. When his father, a shahir passes away, Bejul is confronted with the choice of pursuing the life and its sacrifices, and the cost of walking away.

Shaping the narrative

Collaboration was the keyword, the duo says. Initially, the project began as workshops between Yalgaar, Majumdar's Nalanda Arts Studio and Samuho, a queer-feminist theatre from Kolkata. However, it slowly devolved into two productions - one with Yalgaar, and another with Somuho.

Dhammarakshit Randive in a moment from the play

With the troupe from Yalgaar working on multiple story workshops, the task was finally entrusted to Jadhav. "Ira [Irawati Karnik], myself, and Jocelyn Starke were part of the dramaturges on the draft. My decisions were purely craft-oriented," he admits.

ACOperatic form

The term opera, Majumdar points out, is not to be viewed from a European perspective. "We refer to opera in its form here. There are many such as the Peking opera, Bengali opera; even the Harikatha is operatic in form," he explains.

The jalsa form of the Ambedkarite movement was a key influence, although not the only one when MD Pallavi signed on to the project. The composer says, "The music is a mix of many forms since it is a narrative. There is the shahiri music, elements of folk, and elements of rock and rap music. There are ballads, spoken verse poetry and librettos that come through." With only six people taking on both acting and singing roles, Randive admits it was a challenge for the team used to performing at full strength.

Abhishek Majumdar

The visuals by Gaurav Singh Nijjer add another layer to the production. With animation, videos and short films - six films were shot by members of the troupe depict Mumbai through their lens - they offer another layer to the carefully constructed production language.

Identity and answers

This was enabled through the constant inputs from Randive and his team. "Every plot decision in a play is political. The choice of music is political. In such cases, I left the decision to them, for they were the experts on the movement in the room," Majumdar says.

He further notes that Mumbai and its experiences played a key role. "It is a myth that casteism does not exist in urban spaces. It is simply existing in a different form." The question is also at the heart of many members of the Mumbai-based caste collective. "Yalgaar are honest at exploring themselves. This is what makes theatre rich," admits Majumdar.

With support from the New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), the production is planning for an India tour, followed by a performance in Abu Dhabi and later, USA. "It can be scaled up or down according to the stage," Randive shares.

ON Today, 8 pm; March 16, 4 pm and 8 pm
AT Rangshila Theatre, Aram Nagar Part 1, Versova, Andheri West.
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COST Rs 500 onwards