‘National Interest First’: NSD Director Chittaranjan Tripathy on Staging ‘Naxal Mukt Bharat’ Play on Rashtriya Ekta Diwas

New Delhi: National School of Drama (NSD) Director Chittaranjan Tripathy has described the large-scale theatrical presentation Naxal Mukt Bharat, staged on Rashtriya Ekta Diwas in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, as both a major national achievement and a deeply enriching experience for him as a theatre practitioner.

The 14-minute performance, presented in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, brought together around 2,000 artists from 126 districts affected by Left-Wing Extremism.

“There are a few achievements of the Naxal Mukt Bharat programme that we did on Ekta Diwas in Gujarat in the presence of PM Modi. It is a big achievement from the country’s perspective. As a theatre director and artist, it was also an enriching experience,” the Director said.

For Tripathy, the experience went beyond theatre. “It was a great learning experience as I got to reconnect with people who are far from deceit and treachery -- people who take life as it is and live with contentment. This production gave me an opportunity to unlearn certain things to create space for new learning. Even surrendered naxals participated in the production," he said.

"Since we did it with artists from Naxal-affected areas who have themselves been through the hardships, it was not a fake or made-up programme with only urban artists. It was by the people, for the people, of the people,” he added.

Executing a production of this magnitude presented unique challenges, yet Tripathy preferred to view them as an integral part of the creative process. “There are challenges when the strength of artists is so huge. But when I envision something, I do not focus much on the challenges but rather think of it as part of the entire process. It does not matter if you are working with five artists or 5,000, or if they are highly trained or not. Challenges are inevitable because it is a creative process, different from a clerical or administrative one. Here things keep changing from time to time to improve the production quality,” he said.

Rather than dwelling on difficulties, his team approached the project as an opportunity. “We saw it more as an opportunity of going back to the roots and reconnecting with the real people of India. That in itself is an achievement. It was like a grand celebration with so many artists. The enthusiasm was so great that the challenges felt small,” Tripathy said.

Artists from diverse regions and social backgrounds participated. Tripathy emphasised that the primary focus remained on ensuring their dignity and comfort.

“Our biggest challenge was to make all the artists feel comfortable and equal, irrespective of their backgrounds and regions. Such grand productions happen when labour comes from the heart. Our challenge was to win the hearts of the artists so that none of them felt they were being used as guinea pigs. Artists should feel that this is their programme and we are only standing with them to give direction to the performance,” he said.

On the idea behind the play, he was categorical: “We did what we did for the country. The pertinent question is: is it okay for some people to pick up arms, kill people, make an area unsafe or unliveable, regulate other people’s minds and lives, not allow proper educational facilities to reach a place, and not allow development to happen in those areas? In my eyes, it is not at all right, no matter how much one debates it.”

He noted that Naxalism had affected multiple states for nearly 60 years, and artists from all those states participated regardless of the political party in power.

“When the Naxalbari movement started, the then government of Bengal opposed it. In Kerala, left parties have been in power most of the time, yet they also stood actively against this insurgency. In Odisha, the BJD government stood firmly against Naxalism. In Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Bengal or Bihar -- everywhere, governments opposed Naxalism so that development could reach tribal areas,” he said.

“If so many states participated irrespective of their political beliefs, the people from there thought only about the safety of Bharat Mata and about the peace, prosperity and progress of the nation. This is the biggest example of democracy and can be witnessed only in India -- that people holding different political ideologies participated in this production, keeping national security above their differing beliefs,” the Director said.

Tripathy said the anger directed at the production by certain people was difficult to understand.

“If we are thinking about the peace and prosperity of the nation, then on what basis are some people opposing it?” he asked.

“In the name of freedom of expression, people these days are making comments or setting narratives on social media about artistic pursuits without even understanding their depth. Still, I have no bitterness in my heart against them as they are entitled to their opinions,” he said.

He linked the effort to the classical purpose of theatre.

“When the Natyashastra, or the fifth Veda, was written according to the needs of society of that time, its aim was not limited to songs, dance or plain entertainment. It is said that it imparts shiksha (education) and also chikitsa (healing). We are moving towards that aim of educating people through theatre. If governments, no matter which party, support it, what is the harm? Even if we have to act as squirrels to build the Ram Setu, we are ready to do it in the national interest,” he said.

The director emphasised that the script carefully avoided demonising those who had taken up arms.

“The briefing we received from the ministry was that we should not show them (naxalites) as terrorists or anti-nationals. It is there in our script that they are our own people who diverted from the mainstream. We aimed to encourage their return, to make them raise their voice in electoral politics and be part of debates and dialogues, but give up arms. We never treated the people from Naxal-affected areas as aliens,” he said.

He also acknowledged the role of police and security forces: “I will also thank the police force for their efforts in the eradication of naxalism. Our police and other forces have done a commendable job. They fought with Naxals in the jungles, helped development reach the affected areas, built roads, medical facilities, schools, bridges and mobile towers. Many lives of policemen and forces have been sacrificed. It is through their awareness and sensitisation efforts that people in these areas realised they needed to return to the mainstream.”

Logistics, he said, posed no difficulty. “We faced absolutely no problem with logistics as it was well provided by the Government of India. We got around a month to prepare for the play,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who watched both his productions -- Anand Math (based on a novel by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee) and Naxal Mukt Bharat, on Rashtriya Ekta Diwas in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, has deep respect for art and artists, Tripathy observed, calling it an encouragement for the entire fraternity.