Latest news with #Ratan
The Wire
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Wire
The Theatre of Ratan Thiyam: Profound Beauty on the Modern Stage
I remember Ratan Thiyam, almost always dressed in black, performing an elaborate curtain call along with his actors at the end of his show. Together they would all go down on their knees and touch their foreheads to the stageboards so as to thank the audience for coming to the performance. The grace of this gesture in some sense encoded the essence of Ratan's theatre work – its formal rigour and its elegance as it walked the fine line between performance and secular ritual for, and of, the modern stage. One the most celebrated theatre makers of India, Ratan Thiyam, who passed on July 23, 2025, in Imphal at the age of 77, was in command of many roles at one and the same time throughout his life. He was a theatre director of brilliance, but was also a writer and a poet, a theatre teacher, a guru, a distinguished organiser and a leader – heading institutions like the National School of Drama as its Director (1987–88) and as its Chairperson (2013–17), while creatively shaping the artistic style of the renowned Chorus Repertory Company that has performed across India and the world to great acclaim for more than four decades. However, let me begin this tribute to Ratan by taking a step sideways. It is said that there is a philosophical connection between landscape artists, horticulturalists and theatre makers. All of them understand the effects of a slant of light, the depth of shadow, grades of colour, chiaroscuro, and the inter-relationships, by placement, between nature, humans and objects. I had the occasion several years ago to visit the Chorus Repertory Company, located at the edges of Imphal city, and I vividly remember the nearly three-acre site: the neatly trimmed hedges, the small pond, the clusters of trees with blossoming vines wrapped around their trunks, the flower beds, the vegetable patch, and the gravelly pathways connecting one part to another. The vegetables harvested from the fields fed everyone who lived on site including Ratan. He lovingly introduced the garden, the water body and the plants, many of which he had planted himself. Also read: Ratan Thiyam, the Risks He Took and the Future of Indian Theatre Working the land was a part of the daily routine set up several decades before the connections between agricultural activity and theatre practice had come into focus, as they have done now. Apart from this there was, and still is, another routine in place – of practising movement, breath, vocalisation, song and music derived from the vocabularies of Manipuri dance traditions, martial arts and ritual practices. This training happened in a cluster of buildings set amidst the landscape, that included an exhibition space, a rehearsal space, and a blackbox theatre equipped with light and sound systems. Away from the noise of the city, the Chorus Repertory as imagined by Ratan functions as a sort of ashram, where skill is transferred to the shishya – student – on a daily and continual basis, a mode of transmission different from the segmented time-tables of 'modern' theatre training institutes. But back to the theatre maker and the horticulturalist, and their understanding of atmosphere – which is objective and subjective, material and non-material, at the same time; something that you can breathe in and recognise it to be joy or peace or melancholy for instance, but not know what it is that you have drawn into your lungs. Ratan's use of light and shadow in theatre is unparalleled. He was able to create degrees of darkness on the stage – experienced as sometimes dense and sometimes diffuse with a precision that requires an exact understanding of the properties of lighting apparatus. At one moment the lights dimmed so low that you might see nothing but the glint of sequins on the potloi (the structured skirt worn by Manipuri dancers) as a group of performers glide across the stage; at another moment you might see a slash of light illuminate fingers wrists and upper arms flickering against the cyclorama – leaves, insects or distress signals from a drowning chorus? From the dark upstage you might see a tall, white fabric umbrella, held firmly by an actor, float downstage, to form a halo ─ marking a passage to the heavens? The tumultuous clang and flash of hand-held gongs deafen and blind the spectators as the chakravyuh gains the velocity of a tornado in a circle of red beams. And who can forget the often-cited image of an elephant materialising on stage as if in a dream, in his memorable production of Agyeya's Uttarapriyadarshi! These are stage effects that cause the heart to pound. Almost nobody understood the magic of the image in theatre better than Ratan Thiyam. And almost nobody used the proscenium arch theatre, also known as the picture-frame stage, better than him. The picture-frame stage, brought to India by the British to house their theatricals, has given rise to much debate. The proscenium, as we know, is the architectural frame that edges the opening of the stage. The major experiential convention it produces is a play of dark and light; the stage being illumined while the audience is in darkness is as much an emotional experience as it is material. What effect does such architectural framing have on traditional forms and their grammars? How does it change our viewing habits and our expectations? Ratan Thiyam's work, performed primarily in the proscenium, disturbs assumptions and generates a contradiction. Even when he remodelled traditional grammars, and reshaped gestures drawn from Manipuri martial arts and dance forms so as to align them with the enclosing edges of the frame, Ratan produced performances that have often been understood as, or even become synonymous with, Indian theatre. A description that we must inflect, gloss and interrogate by keeping his remodelling, his refashioning of form stance and music in mind. Ratan Thiyam's luminous stage work exceeds description; what stays in our memory is his love for the craft of theatre, and the beauty it can produce. It reminds us that meaning-making in theatre is not by word alone but by all the elements that make up the performance – from minutiae such as glinting sequins and flying tassels on costume, to the voluminosity of shadowed tableaus and grand battles choreographed to thunderous percussion that judder the very foundations of the auditorium. Our homage to Ratan Thiyam: the person who ignited the spell of material fiction that is theatre; the one whose aesthetic and pedagogical imagination enhanced the discourse of modern Indian theatre.
New Indian Express
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Manipur, his tortured, mesmerising muse
The one engagement of the many that I had with Ratan Thiyam that had history revolving around it was on October 30, 1984. I recall sitting with Ratan at a shoddy restaurant in Bhubaneswar, as we together translated into English his song 'Dharamkshetra Kurukshetra', sung at the close of the prologue by the flagbearers in his play Chakravyuha, now considered a classic of modern Indian theatre. The play was scheduled to be staged the next evening at an East Zone Theatre Festival sponsored by the Sangeet Natak Akademi. I was part of a national jury asked to select from the lot one play, or maybe a couple at the most, for a national festival of young directors to be held at New Delhi a few months later. The performance needed a synopsis in English for the viewers, none of whom knew a word of Meiteilon (or Manipuri), a language that belongs to the Tibeto-Burman group and is radically different from the languages in the Indian mainstream. What else was radically different? The visuals: Ratan was an excellent painter and designer in his own right. The soundscape: with the dominance of cymbals, conch shells, and the single-string Manipuri lute pena. The rich dance movements: the delicate, slow movements of the Vaishnava raasa woven together (and clashing at the same time) with the rhythmed violence of the Kuki-Zo martial practices. This complex presentation mode also told a complex story, reinterpreting the Hindu epic in a way that could not be conveyed in a summary of tight, compressed verbal text. Ratan had suggested that a translation of that one song, sung by the flagbearers in a war scene, could convey something of the complexity of meaning—for, at the end of it all, the play bodied forth and meant Manipur, as it was then (and worse now).
New Indian Express
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Ratan Thiyam, guru and theatre modernist, leaves the stage
I was sitting in the dark and towards the back of the Kamani auditorium, waiting for Ratan to arrive so that I could discuss some arrangements with him regarding the Bharat Rang Mahotsav's opening performance that evening of his latest play The King of the Dark Chamber/Raja (2012). There was pin drop silence. Suddenly the auditorium door swung open and Ratan strode in. His entire troupe sprung to their feet and then en masse, all of them genuflected themselves in front of him, in total obeisance. He gave some instructions in Manipuri and soundlessly they tiptoed out to take their positions on the stage for a runthrough. Never before had I experienced such total and unconditional discipline on the part of actors anywhere in the world! Not even in Alkazi's heyday when he was looked upon as an unrelenting and uncompromising taskmaster! This kind of complete physical and mental subservience to one's Guru, especially in today's world where questioning was encouraged, not stifled…. Was this a medieval mindset playing out, unchanged and ingrained in the Manipuri psyche for centuries, a part and parcel of their martial background? On reflection, I began to believe that such compliance could only be possible today if the leader was steely and single minded in his mission, unforgiving and unrelenting till the final goal was achieved. And Ratan was that…totally committed…a perfectionist.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Time of India
19-yr-old arrested in BJP supporter murder case
Patna: A 19-year-old man was arrested here on Wednesday in connection with the murder of BJP supporter Surendra Kewat. Police also recovered a country-made pistol and live ammunition from the possession of Ratan Kumar. Police are conducting raids to arrest the other suspects. Kewat was shot dead at Sheikhpura village under Pipra police station of Patna district while he was irrigating his field on July 12. Four assailants had arrived on two motorcycles, and fired multiple rounds at Kewat, before fleeing the scene. According to the police, during interrogation, arrested suspect Ratan confessed to accepting a contract killing deal worth Rs 2 lakh, of which he received only Rs 2,000 as an advance payment. City superintendent of police (east) Parichay Kumar said Ratan had fled to Deoghar after the incident, even as the suspect denied the claim. "According to Ratan's statement, the murder was motivated by local political rivalries. The victim was a vocal local leader whose activism and involvement in panchayat politics apparently troubled his opponents," said the SP. The victim's wife, Munni Devi, had filed a complaint at Pipra police station against one Ranjit Paswan and former mukhiya Jai Prakash Paswan, naming them as conspirators.
Business Standard
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Standard
AIPL DreamCity Ludhiana to Celebrate International Yoga Day with 'Yoga by the Lake' and Sustainable Lifestyle Showcase
NewsVoir Ludhiana (Punjab) [India], June 20: On the occasion of International Yoga Day, AIPL DreamCity Ludhiana is set to host a vibrant morning celebration that blends wellness, culture, and sustainability--by the township's iconic 7.5-acre lake. Scheduled for June 21st, the event will feature an energizing mix of Yoga, music meditation, Zumba, Bhangra, and a 'Waste to Wonder' sustainable market, curated in collaboration with Switch for Change. In a meaningful tie-up with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the event aims to promote physical and mental wellbeing while highlighting the importance of environmental consciousness and community participation. Prominent health institutes namely Divine Yoga Institute, Everest Yoga & Pilates Institute, Om Yoga & Pilates Institute would come together to participate and make this event a memorable one. The morning will commence with a calming Yoga session led by renowned instructor Ratan, and music meditation, set against the serene backdrop of the lake; followed by high-energy activities- Zumba and Bhangra performance by Gautam Sharma, Ecstasy group to awaken the spirit of Punjab. Alongside, attendees can discover eco-friendly products and upcycled creations at the 'Waste to Wonder' stalls, celebrating a greener, conscious lifestyle. "AIPL DreamCity Ludhiana is envisioned as a city of nature--where wellness, sustainability, and community living go hand in hand," said Hemant Gupta, Executive Director, PZO, AIPL. "Our lake is more than a scenic landmark; it's a dynamic community space fostering health and connection." Event Highlights Yoga by the Lake with Instructor Ratan Music meditation Zumba Bhangra by Ecstasy for Fitness & Joy 'Waste to Wonder' Market - Upcycled and eco-conscious products - Curated by the Switch for Change group Participation by Indo-Tibetan Border Police and their families, AIPL employees and prominent health institutes of the city. Venue: AIPL DreamCity, Ludhiana Date & Time: June 21, 2025 | 5:30 AM onwards Open to all Ludhiana residents and fitness enthusiasts, the celebration invites everyone to join in a morning that nurtures the body, uplifts the spirit, and supports a sustainable lifestyle.
