Sal Soul Sukracharjya

Book: Sal Soul Sukracharjya
Written by: Nilutpal Baruah;
Translated by: Indrani Sharma, Debajit Bora et.al.
Published by: Badungduppa Publication, 2019

The book ‘Sal Soul Sukracharjya’ is a translation of the Assamese book ‘Sukrachrajya Rabha, Jatra Aru Matra’, written by Nilutpal Baruah. The book delves into the artistic endeavours, thought process and concepts of Sukracharjya Rabha, a visionary theatre practitioner, who established the Badungduppa Kalakendra in a remote village at Rampur, Goalpara in Assam, India in 1998.

The book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning more about Sukracharjya Rabha, his work and his indigenous theatre methodology. Baruah tries to document and explore the unique approach, ideas and technique employed by Rabha, divided into three phases—Awahan (The Call), Ayojan (The Preparation), and Arohan (The climb) with an imagined timeline of his work.

In the Awahan phase, Rabha beautifully recalls and summaries his profound experiences with the landscape of the region, for instance, the Sal trees that remained a matter of wonder to him, the smell of chicken curry wafting from village huts, the river Haldunga, the Kali puja and performance of the Jatra groups as part of the festival celebrations, and so on. He describes the big theatre group’s performances in the festival celebrations, and the first Rabha mobile theatre in 1994-95. In the second phase, Ayojan, Rabha explores his encounter with H. Kanhailal and the engagement of theatre with the Northeast region, particularly in Manipur. It also delves into Kanhailal’s rejection of textualism as ‘mind disease of theatre directors’. The Third phase, Arohan, highlights the birth of the Badungduppa Theatre, emphasizing the storytelling amidst Sal woods.

“Badungduppa Kalakendra can be understood as an arts organization exercising and preserving the region’s cultural heritage, bringing it into dialogue with the contemporary concerns of Assamese society.” (p.383)