The word sainik is indeed an appropriate name for Brajanath Sarma, for he was a fighter for a great cause; the cause of giving shape and creation to modern Assamese drama – starting the pioneering journey of Jatra (mobile theatre) towards modernity from its mediaeval beginnings at the hands of Sankardev, through the theatre which he started with his pioneering Sila Kalika opera in a remote village called Sila in lower Assam, way back in 1921. He had the chance to visit west Asia through a stint in the British army and imbibing the intricacies of modern theatrical technique, thanks to his association with ‘West Bengal Dramatic Club’, he nurtured a dream to develop theatre in his native land.

Brajanath Sarma’s name will ever remain etched in golden letters in the history of modern Assamese drama for being the pathbreaker of the theatre movement in Assam. He can be called the founder of mobile theatre, which is still the backbone of popular theatre in Assam. He worked for the emancipation of women and for the first time brought women into the realms of drama by making them act, sing and dance. Breaking barriers, unshackling the age-old bondage of women, Brajanath not only took the theatre movement forward by years, but also started the process of women’s freedom movement in Assam.

The struggle of this great soldier of the dramatic movement lives on in the pioneering work of many of his followers and the fruits of his efforts are visible in the theatre activities of the State. However, the tragic irony of the situation is that in the fanfare of materialism and garish glamour of the professional theatre, Brajanath Sarma is removed from the limelight and relegated to the shadows of the forgotten past. It is to the credit of an amateur theatre group Samahar, founded by Dr Sitanath Lahkar with the aim of carrying meaningful theatre to the masses, that Brajanath Sarma’s name is sought to be revived. From 2007, this committed group has been staging the annual ‘Brajanath Sarma Memorial Drama Festival’. Every year since 2007, the festival is being held in the month of September, the month in which he breathed his last. The aim of the Samahar Natya Gosthi, completing 25 years of its existence, is to honour the name, pioneering efforts and achievements of late Brajanath Sarma, the father of modern Assamese theatre.

The third Brajanath Sarma Memorial Drama Festival was held this year from September 11 to 15, staging a total of six plays at Rabindra Bhawan, Guwahati. The festival opened with a play by Bishnuprasad Rabha, another crusader of Assamese culture. It was Sonamua Gaon, staged by Natyam from Puronigudam, Nagaon (direction Anjan Bhuyan). The play captures the essence of Assamese village life while raising a voice against exploitation and discrimination. The second evening’s drama Birangana, based loosely on the sacrifice, courage and patriotism of the Ahom princess Mula Gabhoru, was an apt tribute to the courage of Assamese women and a salutation to the emancipation of women pioneered by Sarma. Gunakar Deva Goswami, writer-director-actor, used folk music and Satriya dance to make the play lively.

September 13 saw the performance of two shows of Dr Sitanath Lahkar’s play 30th October. Based on the serial blasts in Assam last year, the play depicted the tragedy in the life of the family of Uday Dev Chowdhury, erstwhile soldier of the Azad Hind Fauj. Dr Lahkar, enacting the central character of Dev Chowdhury, was able to integrate the personal tragedy into the broader public issues of religion, politics, fundamentalism and the exploitation of the common man. The last day of the festival saw the enactment of the play Bishnuprasad, based on certain episodes of the life of Bishnuprasad Rabha, composed by the late dramatist Mahendra Borthakur and produced/directed by Dipak Bora of Abhinashar Natya Gosthi, Nagaon. The play reveals the personalities of three stalwarts of Assamese culture – Bishnu Rabha, Jyotiprasad Agarwala and Phani Sarma – in their strengths and weaknesses, and brings them close to the present generation of Assam.

Two Bengali plays – Manasa Katha by Silchar Cultural Unit and another by Prashant Seth of Maldah, West Bengal – were also on the agenda of the festival on the fourth day. The first tells the mythical story of Chand Sadagar while the second one is based on contemporary issues relayed through the age-old technique of the folk art known as Gambhira.

Abanti Bharali