Rang Parampara

Book: Rangparampara
Written by: Nemichandra Jain
Published by: Vani Prakashan, 1996

The book ‘Rangparampara’ historicizes the evolution of Indian theatre within a socio-political context. The author approaches the development of Indian theatre with an anti-colonial lens, pointing out the biases embedded within the conventional historiography of the Indian theatre. The book captures not only the temporal changes but also the spatial variations discussing these in relation to the differing socio-political environments of different regions. Nemichandra Jain engages with the changes that theatre in India has experienced, as engendered by encounters with the West considering the development of new methods and techniques as a result of western interaction. Concluding in the mid 1990s the book records and analyses the influence of folk and popular forms in contemporary performance marking a shift, not just in the development of a theatrical vocabulary but also in how they were perceived within a larger cultural narrative.

“बांग्ला रंगमंच से मराठी रंगमंच की भिन्नता एक इस बात में भी है कि जहाँ बांग्ला रंगकर्म कलकत्ते में ही केंद्रित था, वहाँ मराठी रंगकर्म घूमंतु था। इसका एक कारण यह है की देश के पश्चिमी क्षेत्र के प्रमुख औध्योगिक और व्यापारिक केंद्र बम्बई में, कलकत्ते की ही भाँति नया शहर होने के बावजूद, वर्चस्व मराठी भाषियों का नहीं, पारसियों और गुज़रतियों का था। मगर घूमंतु होने के कारण मराठी रंगकर्म का फैलाव बहुत ज़्यादा हुआ और वो शीघ्र ही अभिजात वर्ग की बजाय महाराष्ट्र के नावशिक्षित मध्य वर्ग का कार्यकलाप बन गया।” (Page 62)

​​(Translation- The difference between Bengali and Marathi Theatre also lies in the fact that Bengali theatre was concentrated in Kolkata, whereas Marathi theatre consisted of travelling troupes. One of the reasons behind this was – despite being the industrial and commercial centre of the western region, and being a new city like Kolkata, Mumbai was dominated by Gujratis and Parsis. But, due to its travelling nature, Marathi theatre expanded quickly and soon instead of being an occupation of elites, it became an area of interest of newly-educated middle class Maharashtrians.)