Indian Theatre Traditions

Key Pointers

Classical Sanskrit theatre: Based on Bharata's Natyashastra. Playwrights: Bhasa (Svapnavasavadatta), Kalidasa (Abhijnanashakuntalam, Malavikagnimitra, Vikramorvashiyam), Shudraka (Mrichchhakatika), Vishakhadatta (Mudrarakshasa), Harsha (Ratnavali, Nagananda), Bhavabhuti (Uttararamacharita).
Kutiyattam (Kerala): Oldest surviving Sanskrit theatre tradition; performed by the Chakyar (male) and Nangiar (female) communities; uses the mizhavu drum; recognised by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage (2001, inscribed 2008).
Folk theatre (regional):
- Ramlila (UP; UNESCO 2008), Raslila (Braj/Mathura), Nautanki (UP), Swang (Haryana/Punjab), Bhand Pather (Kashmir), Maach (Madhya Pradesh), Khyal (Rajasthan).
- Jatra (Bengal/Odisha), Ankia Naat/Bhaona (Assam), Daskathia (Odisha).
- Tamasha (Maharashtra), Dashavatara (Konkan), Bhavai (Gujarat).
- Yakshagana (Karnataka), Terukkuttu (Tamil Nadu), Krishnattam (Kerala), Burrakatha (Andhra Pradesh), Pandavani (Chhattisgarh), Ramman (Uttarakhand; UNESCO 2009).
Modern theatre:
- Parsi theatre (19th century) and Bengali theatre: Dinabandhu Mitra's Nil Darpan (1860); Dramatic Performances Act (1876) to curb nationalist plays.
- IPTA (Indian People's Theatre Association, 1943); Prithvi Theatre (Prithviraj Kapoor, 1944).
- Playwrights: Rabindranath Tagore, Girish Karnad (Tughlaq), Vijay Tendulkar (Ghashiram Kotwal), Badal Sircar ('Third Theatre'), Habib Tanvir (Charandas Chor), Utpal Dutt.
- Institutions: Sangeet Natak Akademi (1953); National School of Drama (1959), Delhi.

MCQs

Q1. Kutiyattam is the traditional Sanskrit theatre of:
(a) Karnataka
(b) Kerala
(c) Odisha
(d) Assam
Answer: (b).

Q2. Ramlila, recognised by UNESCO in 2008, is a theatre tradition of:
(a) Uttar Pradesh
(b) Rajasthan
(c) Gujarat
(d) Bengal
Answer: (a).

Q3. Which play by Dinabandhu Mitra exposed the exploitation of indigo cultivators?
(a) Anandamath
(b) Nil Darpan
(c) Tughlaq
(d) Gitanjali
Answer: (b).