How an All-Night Theatre Performance in Kolkata Protested Against the Horrific RG Kar Incident

The following day, the workers바카라� union of the Academy of Fine Arts, affiliated with the Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU), convened a meeting to organize a protest through theatre, amplifying voices of dissent with the resounding slogan, 바카라�We Want Justice.바카라� Veteran thespians and young theatre activists proposed an all-night theatre performance directed and performed by women, resulting in the exhibition of six plays and several open-air performances.

Typist, directed by Poulami Chatterjee, is a Bengali adaptation of Murray Schisgal바카라�s play in English, translated by Soumitra Chatterjee. It is the love story of a single woman (Poulami) and her married colleague (Debshankar Halder), their affection growing over time, set against the changing rhythms of the typewriter. Poulami beautifully renders the complexity of a boss-lady exuding authority, only to reveal her vulnerable self in love with her subordinate.

Next was Spare Parts, directed by Seema Mukhopadhyay. The play delves into the human organ trade and exposes how it thrives under the complacent gaze of the government and political parties. Spare Parts directly critiques the sitting government and its allies. When asked about the lack of topicality in contemporary Bengali theatre, Mukhopadhyay highlighted that small theatre groups from suburban towns and villages regularly perform plays that critique the system. It made me realise how myopic we, the Kolkata elites, have become in our approach to culture, treating it as a consumable product, valuing it only at our convenience. We remain indifferent to lesser-known figures like Professor Tamojit Roy, whose play Inquilab has been performed by several small groups across West Bengal since the R.G. Kar incident. If a play doesn바카라�t make it to the Academy or other elite venues in Kolkata, we pay little attention바카라�just as we바카라�ve ignored numerous rapes and murders by political goons in the past.

Beerangana Kabya, directed by Turna Das, explored the stories of five mythological women: Shurpanakha, Tara, Duhshala, Kaikeyi, and Jana. Dazzling performances conveyed themes of unfulfilled desire, love, and the pain of loss in wars. Shurpanakha, Kaikeyi, and Duhshala 바카라� often seen as villainous 바카라� were reimagined as symbols of reclamation and resistance.

After watching three plays, a few open-air performances and a children바카라�s skit, I no longer felt like an outsider or an invitee. Along with the full-house audience, I felt as though we were the event바카라�s organisers. 바카라�That is the power of theatre,바카라� said Das. She said the protesters had become a bigger community and theatre is just an endeavour to sharpen the voices of dissent.

The next play, Sheetalpati, directed by Sanchita Bhattacharya, told the story of a village woman, Aju (Sanchita Bhattacharya), abandoned by her husband and parents, who resorts to prostitution to support her son. Sanchita바카라�s evocative performance moved the audience. Aparajita Aaj O, directed by Nancy and Prantik, depicted the struggles of a middle-class divorcee, Aparajita, feeling cornered in her brother바카라�s home. Her desperate search for a job leads her to a manipulative theatre director. But suddenly, Prantik, the co-director of the play, steps onto the stage and declares, 바카라�I don바카라�t want Aparajita to go with that depraved man. Can바카라�t we all stand together and demand justice for all helpless women?바카라� The audience erupted, chanting, 바카라�We want justice!바카라� The slogan reverberated through the hall, perhaps even reaching RG Kar Medical College.

The final performance, Resistance, directed by Srabanti Bhattacharya, was an abstract portrayal of state atrocities against women. A classical Odissi dancer known for her subversive performances in street corners and slums, Srabanti produced a visceral 20-minute presentation. At the end, she disrobed her petticoat, standing naked in defiance. The audience was transported back to the disturbing memory of Sabitri Hasneim바카라�s similar performance in Dopodi 바카라� 24 years ago on the same stage.

The night dissolved into morning, and we left the Academy around 6:30 am. While I stood beside the gate of the Academy opposite Victoria Memorial, a haunting image lingered in my mind: the iconic fairy atop the Victoria Memorial shedding her clothes in solidarity with the call for justice.

A few days later, one of the event바카라�s main conveners, Sourav Palodhi of the Ichcheymoto group, reflected on the limitations of art in changing society or the system. 바카라�Some of us try to match the steps with ongoing incidents by staging topical plays, as theatre has always done.바카라� Joyraj Bhattacharya of Canteen Theatre spoke about the Meitei women바카라�s naked protest in front of the Assam Rifles Headquarters in 2004, which occurred after Heisnam바카라�s performance. Perhaps, as Joyraj suggested, alternative art might yet influence the language of protest in unexpected ways.

Kolkata바카라�s mass protests have created a new Habermasian public sphere, a horizontal space of people바카라�s dialogue striving to break the verticals of power. I don바카라�t know if we stand in the transitional chaos of an old world dying and a new one being born, but the times are surely different, as West Bengal hasn바카라�t observed such a prolonged urban uprising in last 50 years. The Bengali middle class, uncharacteristically, is ready to forgo Durga Puja and instead embrace night-long protests바카라�through slogans, flash-mobs, music, candles, and theatre.