Makarand Sathe’s Marathi Rangbhumichya Tees Ratri: Ek Samajik Rajakeey Itihaas (A Socio-political History of Marathi Theatre: Thirty Nights)

Book: Marathi Rangbhumichya Tees Ratri: Ek Samajik Rajakeey Itihaas
Author: Makarand Sathe
Publisher : Popular Prakashan, Mumbai
Year: 2011
Cover Illustration: Sudhir Patwardhan

This extensive work by Makarand Sathe, on the history of modern Marathi theatre from 1842-1985, is divided into three volumes and offered in the form of a Socratic dialogue between the traditional ‘vidushak’ (clown) and a contemporary playwright. Written in the style of Arabian Night stories, Sathe slices Marathi theatre history into thirty nights i.e. thirty sections where the jester attempts to resolve the playwright’s conundrum about his identity through the evolution of Marathi theatre. Focussing on the various historical stages of development of Marathi theatre, Sathe produces a written commentary, which highlights theatre’s dialogic engagement with its contemporary socio-political ethos.

Writing on the contemporary state of affairs in Marathi theatre, Sathe write, “परंतु आजही नाटकातून अपेक्षा मात्र आधीच्या एकरेषीयतेचीच आहे. बहुसंख्य लेखकच मुळात त्या संकल्पनेला चिकटून आहेत, त्यामुळे त्यांची नाटके समकालीन वास्तवाला भिडूच शकत नाहीत. काही अपवादात्मक लेखक जे ही मर्यादा उल्लंघून जाऊ पाहतात, त्यांची नाटके ‘ काही कळत नाही ‘ या नावाखाली फटकन् बाद केली जातात.” (pg. 1641)

Translation:
“But even today, the expectation from theatre is the same and monotonous as before. The vast majority of writers are basically sticking to that concept, so their plays fail to confront the contemporary realities. However, some of the exceptional writers who do try to go beyond these limits, their plays are dismissed as unintelligible.”

The research for this book was undertaken with aid from India Foundation for Arts, Bangalore and Praj Foundation’s partial funding. Marathi Rangbhumichya Tees Ratri: Ek Samajik Rajakeey Itihaas has been translated from Marathi to English and has been published by the Oxford University Press, New Delhi, in 2015, titled, ‘A Socio-political History of Marathi Theatre: Thirty Nights’ (3 Vols).