Cineplay

Today Evening I saw CinePlay ‘The Job’ at La-Makaan, Hyderabad. As per the advertisement of the organizer, CinePlay is the novel mode of theatre. The advertisement says, “CinePlay is a new genre of entertainment. It is a cinematic experience of theatrical production. The film making process is used to convey meaningful stories, in collaboration with the theatre director’s vision. A new language of cinema. It’s cinema, it’s theatre, it’s cineplay”.

What is CinePlay ?

CinePlay is a hybrid form of theatre and cinema. A play is recorded aesthetically then some film making elements are used to present video version of play to the audience. It is neither theatre nor cinema. Theatre has immediacy that immediacy you miss in CinePlay, as CinePlay is restricted to set design as per the play so it is hard to get the pleasure of film. CinePlay does not provide big canvass as cinema. It is devoid of complete pleasure of film & theatre.

Then what is the use of this format?

CinePlay does not provide the all elements of theatre and cinema to the audiences; it does not mean that it is a useless format. When a group performs a play, it undergoes a very arduous process from rehearsal to stage performance.  Director works on script, actors, set, light, music, blocking, stylization, costume etc. Actors work on characterization, speech, gesture, posture, diction, chemistry with co-actors etc. Once the play is ready, it reaches to audience.  Generally, any medium size good auditorium in any town/ city has two hundred to three hundred sitting capacity. If a group conducts ten shows, it will have maximum reach to two thousand to three thousand people. For every performance group will have to conduct rehearsal, booking of auditorium, coordination with organizer/ producer.  Sometimes costs of these efforts become quite huge than returns. Regular shows of any play needs dedicated director, disciplined actors, functional group, good public relations with all stake holders, sufficient resources be it – human or finance. CinePlay is the shortcut solution to such problem. Do a play, get it recorded, put some elements of cinema to enhance the quality of the play and conduct the show when audience is ready.  CinePlay does not require theatre or auditorium, it can be shown anywhere, and it requires a projector and laptop. Cineplay can have wider reach to audience than the actual play but it will never be as effective as play. CinePlay can also act as the documentation of play and it can be shown to audience/ public even after a long time.

Is cinePlay a new genre of entertainment?

No. CinePlay not a new concept, not a new genre of entertainment.  In fact, Doordarshan channels (DD-1, DD- regional channels, DD-India, DD-Bharti) have been telecasting recorded plays of good directors from long. Many plays from Patna and Delhi theatre have been telecasted on national channels.  DD regional channels Bihar and Bhopal (MP) regularly presents recorded plays. Doordarshan national channels have been telecasting theatre groups’ play and these plays getting wider audiences. The nomenclature of recorded play ‘CinePlay’ is new but not the format.

Almost all the world classics are available on you tube.  Many theatre group, educational institutions, Drama Schools have uploaded their video in part/ full on you tube. These uploads qualify the definition of CinePlay.

Do I enjoy CinePlay?

Frankly speaking – No & Yes. I find it is very cumbersome to see recorded plays. I enjoy watching play live. That enjoyment CinePlay cannot give at any cost. However, I confess, the plays that I performed, or the plays I watched live and like it – I love watching recorded version too. I saw the plays of famous Surabhi theatre Group (AP) on DD national three years ago. I got exposure of hundred-year-old theatre group through recorded version. Hope, I will get the opportunity to see the group’s performance soon.

I have been moderately involved in Hyderabad theatre and feeling a part of theatre fraternity. Being a part of theatre fraternity, I feel that Hyderabad theatre has very little exposure to theatre of other places. Patna, Bhopal, Mumbai & Delhi have done many experiments in theatre and produced a good number of national and international productions. Hope, Hyderabad theatre will have good exposure of theatre from different part of our country through CinePlay. If it happens, Cineplay will do real service in theatre to this city.

HAIKU XXI

I

Lumbering woes
Congealed
Silent sufferings


II

Inhaling coffee
At bedside
Hypnotic Morning


III

Brings everyday
A new hope in the life
Chirping birds


~~~ Ramanuj Dubey 

उस पागल का प्रलाप -

उस पागल का प्रलाप

पानी सड़ चुका है

हवा सड़ रही है

जमीन आधा से ज्यादा

सड़ चुका है

हम सब जिन्दा हैं

सड़ते हुए

एक दिन

सड़ते सड़ते

मर जाएंगे .

सुबह -सुबह

बिंध  रहा था मेरी कानों में

उस पागल का अनर्गल प्रलाप

चिल्ला रहा था जोर जोर से

मार्स , वीनस

कहीं पहुँच जाओ

तुम सड़ा दोगे उसे भी

जगह पलायन करने से क्या होगा

दिमाग में तो लिए जा रहे हो सड़ांध ही

चार डग खोज रहे हो रोज

ताकि मौका मिले

सड़ाने गलाने के लिए और

तुम पलायन कर सकते हो

पृथ्वी से मार्स या वीनस

मिल सकता है

सब कुछ ताज़ा

क्षण भर की ताज़गी

हमारा पलायन होता भी है तो

बस एक सड़ी जगह से

दूसरी सड़ी जगह तक

हम तो पलायन करना ही नहीं चाहते

सड़े जगहों में भी

हमने भी तक बचा रक्खी हैं

जीने भर की ताज़गी .

पर तुम्हारे कुकृत्य

हावी है हमारी हर जगह पे

सड़ रहा है धीरे -धीरे

हर एक कोना

हम

मरने के लिए विवश

सड़ते हुए

तुम्हारी सड़ांध के बीच

और वह पागल

बेजार रोने लगा

पुरे पेट से

मेरी आत्मा हिल गयी

मैंने डरते हुए पूछा

कौन हो तुम ?

उसने अट्टहास करते हुए कहा

तुम पूछते हो की मैं कौन हूँ

मैं हर आदमी का

शैशव हूँ

किशोर हूँ

जंगल हूँ

खेत खलियान हूँ

पहाड़ हूँ

पत्थर हूँ

समंदर हूँ

तुम्हारे बीच का ही

आदि मानव हूँ

किसान हूँ

तुम्हारा पूर्वज भी  हूँ

और कोमल सा पाषाण भी

~~~ रामानुज दुबे

Rural Rag - I

Tonight I was going through some old files in document section of my computer. I saw one file of my rural internship. I had done internship in February 2010   with Gramin Vikas Trust ( GVT ) at Meghnagar, Jhabua ( MP ). Saw many old photographs of Villages, villagers, project officials, my batch mates. During internship, I was invited by locals to attend their local festivals & marriages. Found their events’ photographs too in the folder. Then I found a word page with incomplete paragraph with raw data with some footnotes. The paragraph was about ‘a profile of a woman’. Among many projects, assignments and write-ups, one assignment from our institution was to write a profile of a woman from internship area. For this assignment, I had interviewed / interacted with three women and regularly I used to observe their routine, life style, food habits, health & hygiene, livelihoods, struggles and all other aspects of their lives.  I had maintained a diary for this. When I was preparing report, then I found that   out of three women, I had only one photograph of the woman. As for assignment point of view, I had to submit only one profile; I submitted the profile of that woman whose photograph was available with me. Rest two profiles I had collected for myself to do comparative studies.  Once I came to Institution from the internship, I became very busy for semester exam and never got leisure time to complete the profiles of other two women and do comparative studies.

Today, when I saw incomplete paragraph about the ‘Profile of the woman’, the whole episode came before my eyes. My interaction with Amma and their children, her poor health and her unsympathetic husband – everything became alive. Today I completed the profile but I am not sure about the correct name of the amma or her husband as there are many names in the word file (perhaps Basanti & Badiya Devle  as far as my memory goes by seeing foot notes ), but they were Devla family, I am dead sure about it. The profile of the Amma as in 2010 is given below, hope, in these four years her condition must have ameliorated.

Profile of the Amma ( Basanti devla )

Basanti devla wife of Badiya devla belongs to Futtalab village of meghnagar block in jhabua district. She is aged about 32 yrs. Old. She belongs to scheduled tribes. She lives with her husband and six children, three boys and three girls. She is illiterate and has one-acre dry land.                                                                                                               

Basanti devla got married with Badiya when she was 16 years old. During her sixteen years marriage she conceived ten times but four children could not survive even one year. She lives in small hut that is dark, damp and dingy. Her health condition is not good. She falls ill regularly but nobody cares for her health. Every day she works more than twelve hours in the house. She would like to work outside to earn money and ameliorate the condition but poor health condition and burden of looking after three small children do not allow her to do so. She has a faint idea about NREGS programme. Neither she nor her husband has NREGS job cards.

Her husband Badiya works in a godown as a labor at meghnagar. He gets 100 rupees every day. Generally, he works 24-26 days in a month. He drinks everyday and in inebriated condition, he beats Basanti without reason. He does not ask her anything in the household matter. She feels humiliated but she has no option but continue to live in this condition.

There is no food security in her family. One-acre dry land gives her three months food security. She has white ration card but ration given to her at public distributive system is not sufficient. Rest of the year she completely depends on her husband’s earning. As her husband is irresponsible man, she has really a very hard time. Main food of her family is roti. Dal or vegetable is one kind of luxury for them.

Her two children are enrolled in the village primary school but they do not go to school. The elder boy has got so many sore in his leg and body. His fellow students despise him. Even teachers do not want to see him in the school. The elder girl lives all day in the house and support mothers.

 Basanti is not happy with her life. She feels her life is useless. She would like to do something for her family and children but she does not know how to do it. Will she come out of poverty in this life; this question haunts her all the time.


PS :- As a rural development professional I  have prepared many documents, numerous  monitoring and evaluation reports, Project proposals, Project reports , perspective plans, etc but going back to basics and micro level gives a very child like joy. Feeling very strange kind of happiness to complete this document.  Apart from happiness such micro level knowledge always inspires to do best at macro level and such experience always helps me to become a better person.

 ~~~ Ramanuj Dubey

आँसू -

मेरी आँखों से

निकलते ये आँसू

दरअसल ये मेरे नहीं हैं

ये  आँसू तुम्हारे हैं

जो अक्सर बह जाते हैं

मेरी आँखों से .

ये आँसू

ना अनमोल है

ना बेशकीमती

ये अब बस दो कौड़ी के है

जिसे ना बाजार से नापना चाहता हूँ

ना समझना चाहता हूँ -

~~~ रामानुज दुबे

जिंदगी --

जिंदगी

झूठे सपने की तलाश नहीं

पंखे से लटकती हुई लाश नहीं

अनकही अनसुनी दिल की आवाज नहीं

अंतहीन भयावह भुतही रात नहीं

जिंदगी

स्वर्ग और नरक के बीच का गीत नहीं

जन्म और मरण के मध्य का संगीत नहीं

प्रज्ञा और प्रमाद के बीच का द्वन्द नहीं

देव और दानव के खेल का अंत नहीं

जिंदगी

सुनहरी साड़ी में लिपटी हुई प्यारी सी सुबह नहीं

दिन ढल जाने का मातम मनाता श्यामला शाम नहीं

अपने आपको हर क्षण खो देने का भय नहीं

सृष्टि और श्रेष्ठि के अस्तित्व को मानने का संशय नहीं

जिंदगी

सतत सोचते रहने वाला भारी भरकम सवाल नहीं

मज़े और मौज से भरा बस ख्याल नहीं

जीने का सही नाम जिंदगी है

सही राग ना मिले तो बेसुरा राग ही सही .

~~~ रामानुज दुबे

Orkut & Publicity of plays

Orkut account will not be available after 30^th September 2014.  I have two orkut accounts and these days I am visiting these accounts regularly. Taking out all old photos and other stuffs. After downloading the photos, I am deleting the album. It gives a very melancholy feeling. How enthusiastically once I used to upload photo there!

Today I downloaded some posters, brochure and paper clippings of Plays directed by me.  I never cared to collect paper reviews or posters. Most of the time I worked in small & interior places where media reach was almost negligible. If any reports were published, I would collect it but never gave much importance. Always believed working silently & effectively but orkut changed my that perception. After opening up the account on orkut, very fondly I used to share publicity material of the plays. I was laggard in opening the orkut account .It was around 2007 when I had opened the orkut account. That time I was associated with a theatre group  Aalay- Bhagalpur, that theatre group was at that time in formation stage. We had done many experiments on various levels in our plays – be it stage or street. At present Aalay has emerged as a mature group and this group has some trained actors from reputed institutions of our country. Some actors graduated to directors. My heartiest/ best wishes to the group. 

After downloading the posters, brochure and paper clippings of Plays from orkut, I thought to put these things on my blog. Then I thought what the use of sharing it there then I feel what these clippings will do in my document folder. Let it be on the blog for the sake of orkut- my first moorings with social media.  Sharing it below -

~~~ Ramanuj Dubey