Nylon ropes are the main props on stage for a theatre group.
The ropes are laid on the floor so that the actors know where to stand because none of them can see.
Shyambazar Anyadesh, a theatre group of the sightless, got an award on Friday for its exemplary work over the past decade and a half.
Disha Samman, accorded by Disha Eye Hospitals, recognises the struggles of the sightless.
The lack of vision of its members has not stopped Anyadesh to stage over 20 productions since 2006, the year of inception. The group’s production of Rabindranath Tagore’s Raktakarabi was selected by the National School of Drama, New Delhi, for performance at the Bharat Rang Mahotsav, 2012, and Theatre Olympic, 2018.
The blind members come from the margins. Most of them have grown used to taunts and harassment. The stage is their sanctuary and theatre is their way of asserting their identity.
When the audio-visual clip of the group’s success story panned out on Friday, the audience gave a resounding applause. Their story was ultimately a celebration of the triumph of the human spirit against all odds, said members.
During the group’s practice and live performances, nylon ropes are placed on the floor in a strategic way. An actor touches a rope and gets a sense of her position on the stage.
A jute sack or a similar fibrous material is placed in the centre so that the actor occupying centre stage knows where he is.
Ultimately, hours of practice make things work.
“When we started in 2006, we needed eight months of rehearsal before our first play. Now, a month’s rehearsal is good enough before a new production,” said Subhas Dey, secretary and one of the founding members of Anyadesh.
Dey, 48, lost his vision at the age of two. He was also among the founding members of Shyambazar Blind Opera, a theatre group formed in 1996 with visually impaired actors.
All members of Anyadesh — actors and non-actors — are visually impaired.
The artistic director for the group is Shubhashis Gangopadhyay, a former mentor at Blind Opera. Gangopadhyay is a playwright, director and actor with more than 35 years of work experience. He has been working with marginalised communities, exploring theatre as a medium for pedagogy and healing. Gangopadhyay is the only person in the group who is not blind. Many members of the group are hawkers. Some sell incense sticks and other wares in the city or on its fringes.
One of them is Janardan Chowdhury, who owns a telephone booth in Howrah’s Shibpur. The booth is hardly occupied and Chowdhury now sells stationery from the same spot.
“Theatre makes me relevant. I believe I am not expendable (khoroch er khatay noi),” said Chowdhury. Multiple members have found love on the stage.
“They joined the group, fell in love and married,” said Dey
The past two Covid-scarred years have been exceptionally tough for theatre groups. Anyadesh was no different. The lack of performance opportunities had pushed many to the brink.
Online campaigns had led to some donations which helped the members scrape through.
But after two years, doors are slowly opening again, members said.
The Football Association for the Blind in Bengal and singer Diwakar Sharma were also awarded the Samman on Friday.
Debasish Sen, managing director of Hidco, danseuse Alokananda Roy and former footballer Dipendu Biswas gave away the awards.
Directors Samar Basak and Tushar Kanti Sinha of Disha Eye Hospitals were present at the event.
