On the art of practice and the practice of art

The obvious questions that come to our mind in this context are like this:

What is the journey?

Where is the journey headed?

Whose journey is it?

Why is it a journey?

We all are very conditioned and comfortable with getting answers – but not questions. Questions unsettle us, make us uncomfortable, and sometimes force us to rethink and question our own belief systems, thoughts and perspectives, and the established norms and conventions of society.

Returning to the unanswered question: “Journey” literally means travel or passage from one place to another; travel upon or across; to travel over or through; to traverse. So, literally, journey is quite similar to travel or traverse – but then the question arises why the term journey and not travel or traverse. We leave this for you to think and ponder upon. It might get a little confusing, but Bibhaban loves to live & think like this. We want to understand the simplest and the smallest of things by experiencing them, by walking a little extra mile with these literary words where we can transcend their immediate meaning and understand their deeper meaning through a process where we share intimate moments with them, where we observe, experience and try to understand our existence through the co-existence of these moments. “Journey” is rather a collection of moments of co-existence in the relationship between it’s participants.

Every journey has a beginning. Just as every feeling has an experience, similarly journey too has a beginning. Those who carry the “Journey” on their tender wings too have a beginning. The churning of memories doesn’t always bring sweetness, but at the same time it feels great to see that Bibhaban is self-sufficient and more or less independent in its way forward even after crossing many hurdles along its way and with its own contradictions.

Bibhaban came into being in the month of December of 1996 with it’s first play “Bikalpa.” Since then, in a span of 13 years, they have dramatized intimate plays: “Tarpor”, “Swapno”, “Abartan”, “Khanan”, “Maithun”, “Ekti golper khoje”, “Hangar”, “Maya”, “Anway”, “For You”, “Bechara,” “Offering”, “Black Coffee”… and presently “Approach To Silence (A research in Open Theatre).” Amidst all these, the “journey” has been going on mainly with the association of the YMCA at 113 Vivekananda Road, Kolkata,Padatik, Prosenium Art Centre, and different places in Kolkata and abroad. Many people from outside the country have participated in this “journey” through open theatre in this dynamic and perpetual process. To start with, the idea behind the birth of Bibhaban was a simple wish that there will be a reflection of their thinking in their work in their application and experimentation.

They descended from the altar of the proscenium to the streets of the common man and journeyed again from the streets to the rooms of the common man to touch the most intimate space of the mind and heart of the man, to reach an extra mile closer to the hearts of the common man. And from this endeavor Bibhaban wants to touch and work upon those experiences and feelings which carry him and his existence. And thus the term “audience” is seen in a different light in this process of “journey”. The physical and the mental space between the actors and the audience ceases to exist in this process. It’s a system or a process which breaks through the concept of passive audience and the active presenters (actors) who share a very morbid relationship and presents a space to the participants to share their intimate feelings and thoughts. Here the audience is our friend or participant in the process. If anyone wants to participate in this process of “journey” then he or she is welcome irrespective of his/her background.

In the words of Bibhaban: “We don’t want to fix any direction or path for the dynamic and moving process of ‘journey’ consciously. This would not even be not possible for us. We endeavor to enter into a ‘dialogue’ with the participants in the process of ‘Journey.’ Perhaps one is into a constant process of dialogue with one’s own self, with one’s feelings and experiences; perhaps this is what keeps a person alive; and perhaps in this way we imbibe a freshness and liveliness into our existence.”

Every form of art speaks about and reflects the beautiful relationship of a man with his one self. The journey from the outward pretentious world and constraints, from the relationships in his day to day life that he has to go through, to the core of his body: his soul. “Journey” is a stride forward in search of this relationship lost somewhere amidst the mundane of daily life. And from this search they have given birth to their own language “Mukta Natya” (Open Theatre), where there are no actors or actresses everyone is a participant in the process at that moment, an attempt to connect with the man hidden by the mask. As I have said before, it’s all about an attempt to create a dialogue, a search for a new language.

We fix the word “commune” with the help of our dreamy imagination and try to apply it’s auxiliary and literary meaning into world blinded by literary faith, where emotions run beyond the wildest imagination of literary system of faith. But the person with whom we try to connect the word commune might be thinking something very different, contrary to our system of belief. The present system of belief which guides us, move us stops us from trying to connect to the person right beside us very much alike us, stops us from trying to understand him. We get stuck in the “immediate meaning” or definition and dare not transcend the boundaries.

Bibhaban’s “journey” questions these definitions or literary words in their own way. Perhaps we want to test the truthness of emotions like the sentiments in a love affair of the youth.

The present state of social, economical and political affairs has made the very existence of human beings vulnerable and a question looms large on the very existence of mankind. It has made every man very lonely and has forced him to lean his back against the  walls of his very own dark room of emotions. Perhaps somewhere our “journey” wants to give this message that we can still stay together in the sweet home of our hearts without building artificial skyscrapers. We are still human beings without losing the sweet bonds of  humanity that are  inherent in us.

You can either accept or reject our attempt, or abstain from it, but taking any middle path – which we have become very used to in today’s world – does not have any ground here. Today, when our class identity is under duress, then a JOURNEY becomes necessary to face ourselves in the mirror upfront, to connect with ourselves, rediscover ourselves, to rediscover the life lost in living.

In Bibhaban’s language, “journey” is a space where everyone can spend some time actively in his own way. “Journey” does not have any definite storyline or plot where a well sequenced action could take place with the help of dialogues & monologues. It does not have any barrier or restriction of language. Neither does it have any restriction or any barrier, which it has all but transcended. It is a smooth and free flowing process where anyone can come and share his feelings, so with time and space and participants our presentations or performance moulds into new shape every time.

There is a constant search for a new language in this “journey” away from the realms of life. Sometimes I do wonder: If languages and dialects were lucid, and arranged in a manner comprehensible and understandable by all, then our lives would have been a little less complicated and complex…

But amidst all these voices running down the bylanes of my mind, when I hear that my journey from the darkness of the womb to the lighted world is drenching me of my own blood and flesh and taking me towards another dark and gloomy world. Or when someone says that failure doesn’t exist – it is only a relative momentary disposition of time – then I start wondering again how these people have immense faith on humanity and human beings on one side, and on the other side they have a beautiful expression of the immense turmoil going within their own self. This is life all about. That’s why Bibhaban assigns great value to life.

If we try to decipher “Journey” with our intellect, then we are bound to get stuck because the life which propels and guides the brain is interpreted differently in this Journey. “Journey” puts a litmus test before it’s participants, to know if / whether he or she has a perfect blend of intellect and life or not. So the participants fear and shy away from proceeding and entering into the world of journey, with the burden of our heavily safeguarded veiled and masked life.

In a room painted with darkness, tinged with faint candlelight, where the light sound of live music fills our ears, we find it difficult to face this compromise-stricken and passive “me.” And when suddenly the candle lights are blown out, and complete darkness reigns, we try to search for light – the elixir of life. This search for life reminds me of the last words of Oedipus: “I want light, give me light.”

To highlight the truth in our mind. Where is the light, amidst the world stricken by the plaque of happiness among the glittering empires of modern technology and dazzling, sky-penetrating Babels of the post-modern world?

“Journey” takes us by the hand and guides us through this experience of emotions and feelings, sometimes through words, sometimes with music and sometimes through visuals. One question buzzes through the corridors of the mind: How do they want to view or introspect the contemporary time and society? How are they thinking? What is going on in their minds? And so on.

Art may only propel or force us to confront some bitter questions, but the search for the answer pertains to the seeker. And I come back again through my perpetual search for answers. Then after sometime I free the chain of thoughts which had clung to me – for I feel skills cannot be learned in this way. We can form some opinions or gain some knowledge after learning some concepts by heart, but they remain as mere storage banks of knowledge or as mere opinions after all.

Let me revisit the thoughts going on in the minds of those among the audience, who in the process of “Journey” have allowed me to participate in their way of living as an active friend. “Friend”: with whom we can spend some moments, with whom we share the myriad colours of life. Many thoughts of these kind comes to the mind when we start thinking about the word “friend,” but many disturbing questions start hovering on the periphery of my mind and I start pondering: “Why do they consider me worthy of friendship? I may not be one of their nearer and dearer ones! I may attack them ruthlessly; I may force them to think on the wrong path. I may give a wrong interpretation to their work. Perhaps all of these things are possible from the perspective of being a friend.”

How could an immense amount of faith be born in such a short span of time?

And I start wondering again, coming back to position – a little confused: that all of these things are possible from the perspective of being a friend.

Once a common man, who had not been involved in theatre, felt its charm and warmth, and he told me: Theatre educates people. I won’t mention his name here because then we would start thinking about the person in a different way, which he never wanted. This is what happens when you try to see life in a bigger way, in a way different from what everyone does, away from parochialities; when the wish to see life a in a different way becomes a crime; when in spite of being a social animal you have to live the life of an asocial; then, while walking down home with Bibhaban’s “Journey” in your mind, you try to figure out the answer to some questions: theatre – human beings – art – relationship – society – man.

Coming back to the words with which the idea of the article was born – what’s ‘journey’? Where’s the ‘journey’ to or whose journey? Bibhaban proclaims or believes itself to be a process for those who love theatre, for those live for theatre or do theatre for their living. May in this process of Bibhaban I (because of the love for theatre) was just longing for this “Journey”. In the following years of World War II many experiments were carried out in the world of theatre.

Among them the significant ones were Meyerhold, Piscutter, Antonin Artaud, Brecht and afterwards during 1957-58 came Jerzy Grotowski’s ‘Theatre of thirteen rows’ which gave birth to many further works and presentations in India – in Kolkata during 1971-1972 Shatabdi’s theatrical presentation, during 1977-78 living theatre’s theatrical presentation and after that in 2009 came Bibhaban’s ‘journey’, and perhaps all of these myriad display of the Grotowski’s thought rhythmically want to convey that it’s not difficult  to stand upright with your spine straight and keep yourself within the rigors of external physical discipline but it’s difficult to keep the man cocooned inside the shell of your body awake from its perpetual slumber , it’s really difficult to keep it active, fresh and upright to face things boldly. Is this turbulent time when the wave of greed is engulfing, for sheer recognition we are forced to compromise to keep ourselves in tune with times , then in these times ‘Journey’ beacons us to think afresh. 

Times are changing and in keeping in tune with these times the way people perceive theatre is also changing. It’s often heard that that this generation Y is not interested in theatre. When we ourselves are not comfortable thinking about the future then where’s the point in putting the blame on them (our next generation).

At a time when theatre workers are losing their faith in their work then Bibhaban’s ‘Journey’ stands out from the other group theatres and proclaims its uniqueness among the others.

If theatre is a reflection of our times then I am forced to say that an attempt of this kind to seek the human inherent in the word ‘human being’ has never being done before an attempt to understand the nuances of a relationship has never been taken before.

 Thus I think this ‘Journey’ of Bibhaban is an essential work of our times. In these turbulent times when there is rising totalitarian centralization of political, military and economic powers all over the world then I think we can view this humble attempt far from the realms of the so-called boundaries of the theatre. I cannot prophesize about tomorrow but I think the time has come for all of us to unite and come together. If those who love theatre want to or claim to see a reflection of the times in their way of living then it’s time we should unite together. 

It takes a while for a group, brand or product to familiarize or known among the people. Perhaps at the beginning which is just a name transforms to symbol or icon through common usage. Perhaps Bibhaban’s ‘Journey’ is a symbol or icon which strives to go ahead to bright and beautiful day with our thoughts and experiences where one day we hope that  theatre will transform from being a passive entertainment to leading to a path of internal self-discovery.

                                                                                               Supriyo Samajdar