India News | National Street Theatre Day Marks 70th Birth Anniversary of Safdar Hashmi
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The pain and everlasting impact of child sexual abuse, the struggles of the working class, and the horrors of marital rape were some of the issues of sociopolitical relevance that were in focus at the lawns of Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust here to observe the 36th National Street Theatre Day on Friday.
New Delhi, Apr 12 (PTI) The pain and everlasting impact of child sexual abuse, the struggles of the working class, and the horrors of marital rape were some of the issues of sociopolitical relevance that were in focus at the lawns of Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust here to observe the 36th National Street Theatre Day on Friday.
Commemorating the 70th birth anniversary of theatre director and playwright Safdar Hashmi, a total of six street theatre groups presented plays that addressed several other issues including unemployment, misuse of state machinery, prison atrocities, and mental health.
Theatre groups including Jana Natya Manch, Ankur Theatre Society from SGTB Khalsa College, The Players from Kirori Mal College, Dastak from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Aflatoon from Vivekanand Institute of Professional Studies, and Anukriti from Miranda House participated in the event.
Talking about street theatre, historian and social activist Sohail Hashmi said it is different from proscenium theatre in its topicality and being able to address issues concerning the common people.
"Street theatre responds to everyday situations and raises questions that are relevant for the common people. This is the theatre that goes to people instead of the audience coming to it. So it is very immediate, it is very direct and it addresses specific questions and that is why it is relevant to any society which is based on inequality, injustice, which sees atrocities against women, oppression of the working class, unemployment," Hashmi told PTI.
He added that generally youths and students get involved in this theatre movement as they are confronting these issues on a daily basis.
"For them it is immediate, it's their own lived experience and what they experience they convert it into plays and take it to people," he said.
Born on this day in 1954, Safdar Hashmi was known for his work with street theatre in the country.
A founding member of Jana Natya Manch, Safdar was shot dead on January 1, 1989 while performing a street play, "Halla Bol", that was critical of the then-government.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)