Ujjain: Takes pride upon being home to Abhinav Rangmandal which is working in the field of drama and acting for last 33 years on national and international platforms. At the helm of the its affairs is Sharad Sharma under whose wings it has flourished into an organisation which has caliber to impart nuances of drama and theatre skills to individuals aspiring to get a break into this field. In a rendezvous with him Free Press tried to explore his passion and present scenario of the field. (Excerpts from the interview)
How did drama and theatre become your passion?
It started way back in 1980 when MP Vashishtha used to be principal of Sandipani College. He had got a ticket to contest the assembly elections. Recognizing my quality as a fierce debater and gifted orator he roped me in to canvass for him. In the midst of scorching heat of May when everyone’s door was shut, Dr Prabhat Kumar Bhattacharya, a seasoned dramatist, was constantly gazing at me from his house’s window. He came downstairs and complimented me for my voice quality and oratorical skills.
He asked if I would like to act. Since I had already taken part in drama at college level and had inclination towards acting I responded in an affirmative. Then he fixed my meeting with a veteran theatre artist MK Raina of national school of drama (NSD) and later I attended his workshop. The most satisfying part was that after finishing with the workshop I begged roles in 5 dramas. That’s how it all started.
How did ‘Abhinav Rangmandal’ come into existence?
Although my journey began in the right earnest yet I used to feel pinch for my fellow artists. I am of the opinion that artists always gets a raw deal no matter how talented an artist might be as far as money making is concerned. Besides this, theatre is purely a creative medium and has its own cult audience so one can’t expect windfall by magic. Treading on the same path, we came up with Abhinav Rangmandal in December 1982. In January 1983, we presented our first drama act with a team of 10 members in Jaora and earned Rs 3000. After paying for all the expenses our team shared the profit equally. Then another 3-day-event followed in Ujjain where we worked with a team of 27 artists. Similarly, after deducting our expenses each one of us got a sum of Rs 35. This is how we started working towards the welfare of theatre artist and dramatist and have continued it till date.
Your organisation is present in Indore and Ujjain both. Is Ujjain behind Indore in terms of theatre lovers?
Abhinav Rangmandal has come a long way since its inception. We have spread our wings across many national and international platforms and earned a distinction of being one of the finest schools of theatre and drama across nation. It is commendable that my organisation and I have origins in Ujjain however today when I see fewer takers of drama and theatres here than I feel utterly dejected. Nevertheless, Indore has proved to be a silver lining it has given us encouragement as love and reception for the drama and theatres is still intact there. This is a very reason we started another branch of Abhinav Rangmandal in Indore in 2007.
Why today’s youth feels alienated from theatre?
Theatre needs commitment and today’s youth is not committed for devoting their time for doing theatres. They consider it as a ladder for easy success but doing theatres requires a huge amount of patience which is missing in today’s generation.
What is your message for our readers?
I had played a role of Karna in one of my acts in my early days. Even now I can distinctly remember the dialogues my character spoke. It was like this “Doesn’t matter if a man dies but what matters is that his work should be remembered forever.” I also believe in the same. People should remember my name through my work.