The Samuho Collective brings two powerful plays on marginalised voices to Bengaluru
This Kolkata-based queer and women-led theatre collective is coming to the city for the first time with two productions, ‘Atho Hidimba Kotha’ and ‘Bhasaili Re’
Birati Samuho Performance Collective, a queer and women-led theatre collective from Kolkata, is known for its powerful performances. This week, the set of performers will be in Bengaluru for the first time with two productions, Atho Hidimba Kotha and Bhasaili Re. Though Titas D has directed the former, she feels that the performance has emerged from a collective devising process. “And the concept of Bhasaili Re came from one of the founding members of Samuho, Sudakshina, during a workshop on personal history and performance.”
Reclaiming narratives
Both their productions question the righteousness of majoritarian views. As the title suggests, the story of Atho Hidimba is centred on Hidimba, labelled as a ‘demoness’ in Mahabharata, who has been overshadowed in the epic by the dominant narratives. The performance reclaims the narrative of Hidimba as a symbol of resistance and agency. Bhasaili Re revolves around Behula from the Bengali medieval saga, Manasa Mangal Kabya, who is traditionally portrayed as an ideal wife, subjugated by patriarchy. An aged Behula reexamines her life through a feminist lens and challenges these narratives.
The seed for Atho Hidimba emerged from a moment of epiphany that Titas had at Ghatkopar station in Mumbai. “I had returned to Mumbai from Germany after completing my studies. I realised that my body was ‘ungendered’ due to the training I took, but when I was standing at Ghatkopar Station, I felt my spine shrinking. There was a certain negligence towards me in the mass movement of people that made me feel insignificant, and thus I decided to create Atho Hidimba as a movement work,” she says.
Subho, a member of Samuho, feels that the performance is not meant to draw the audience’s pity towards the character: “Rather, we disarm the audience with humour and then make them question, thus intercepting their stimulus and holding themselves accountable for the play's situation.”
Different forms of expression
While both plays represent the voices of the marginalised and question patriarchy, there are some differences. "While Atho Hidimba is a chorus performance, Bhasaili Re follows the life of one protagonist. Also, while Hidimba revolves around identity politics and Marxist understanding of social development, Bhasaili Re is more feminine in its expression," elaborates Titas.
The collective is inspired by the different storytelling techniques of traditional theatre, such as katha gayan, jatra, kirtan, tamasha, nautanki, kattaikkuttu, yakshagana, and many such forms. “We shamelessly borrow their forms and techniques if they bring the required impact on our audiences. In Atho Hidimba, we have diversified musically, seeking inspiration from powada geet, bhajan, jhumur,” adds Titas. Bhasaili Re borrowed from the qualities and rituals of reciting the Manasa Mangal Kabya.
The audience is an integral part of their performances. The collective engages with the viewers not just sensorially but also intellectually. "Inclusivity is complex. We do not believe in propaganda as it goes towards absolutism. We open up our vulnerabilities with our stories,” says Titas. The ethos of Samuho is to put the marginalised at the centre of not only their performances but also their audience.
"Vendors outside auditoriums see theatre artists and audiences engage with these spaces, but the working class do not get access to such spaces. We bring our performances to them," explains Titas. "In our country, it is not possible to speak about gender marginalisation without talking about caste and class. It is this intersectionality that we address in our plays.” Atho Hidimba has been performed in North and South 24 Parganas, Birbhum, Murshidabad, in theatre festivals in Kolkata, as well as in Kalighat's red light area. "To make it convenient for female audiences in rural areas, we sometimes perform in the daytime also. We did the same in Kalighat as evenings are working hours for our audiences there. And we mostly follow the 'pay-as-you-can' model to ensure maximum participation from all audiences" she adds.
Barsha, a member of Samuho, feels a certain sense of satisfaction when performing for rural audiences. For instance, one audience member in Kalighat spoke about her life journey and how she connected to the performance. With urban audiences they have hardly had such spontaneous and poignant responses The team speaks of instances of misogyny and judgement. "We were once thrown out of a rehearsal space because our shrill female voices were too 'loud'," says Titas.
A non-hierarchical theatre process
The collective’s theatre practice follows the same principles as their plays: the process is non-hierarchical and fosters creative collaboration across different communities. They work to enhance cultural accessibility and advocate for safe workspaces for marginalised gender identities. “We didn’t have a blueprint of what a non-hierarchical process looks like. During the course of our work, we have realised it is not black-and-white. We come from different gender identities and backgrounds, and even if we, as a collective, understand our processes, we are still part of mainstream society, not apart from it. So, we are constantly negotiating with the process. The ultimate goal is to be non-hierarchical,” says Adrij. Subho concurs, and says that this kind of process also offers an unlearning of experiences.
Atho Hidimba Kotha will be performed at The Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival, Bengaluru on 8 November, 7.30 pm. Bhasaili Re will be performed on 9 November, 7 pm, at Beru Art Space, Ramamurthy Nagar.
Sravasti Dutta is a Bengaluru-based writer.
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Business NewsLoungeArt And CultureThe Samuho Collective brings two powerful plays on marginalised voices to Bengaluru
First Published:8 Nov 2024, 11:40 AM IST
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