Theatre is a mission for them

Not entertainment but enlightenment is what team Bahujan Rangbhoomi aims for while performing. The term ‘experimental’ means ‘experience-based’ for these creative rebels and ‘success’ means social awareness instead of mementoes and award certificates


Passion with persistance: Young team of Bahujan Rangbhoomi group with its
Founder President Virendra Ganvir (centre).  


LOOKING back at the two-decade long journey of ‘Bahujan Rangbhoomi’, established formally in 1990, makes Virendra Ganvir emotional. His boys and girls come from financially, intellectually, and educationally backward homes, with a desire to do something creative. Virendra welcomes them in the world of theatre and with his creative ability; changes them into confident, independent and respectable youths.

Today, with over 250 kids and youths attached to it, Bahujan Rangbhoomi is probably the biggest children’s drama group in Vidarbha. They are consistently doing children’s theatre since 1990. Award winning children’s play, ‘Naga Ra Baba Shala’, ‘Footpath’ and mega drama ‘Chale Hum Prabuddha Bharat Ki Aur’ are just a few names from hundreds of plays staged by the group. They are also known for producing plays based on the principles of Ambedkarite Buddhism, highlighting the native Buddhist culture of India.
“For us, theatre is a social mission. It is a self-realization exercise,” Virendra speaks out the point which sets his group apart from others.

“Our mission aims at a strong, comprehensive and thought-provoking theatre which will spread awareness among the downtrodden and bring them into mainstream,” he elaborates. Indeed, Virendra started with mainstream theatre. Here, most of the people made an issue of his faulty pronunciation but no one came forward to teach him the right thing. Observation then became his sole companion. Today, boys groomed under him speak flawless Marathi confidently.

“I have no regrets for them because twenty years ago, circumstances were different. Even today, our (backward class) kids really lack in proper dialect, language skills, and pronunciation, but, they are improving rapidly,” he says. Education and career are the two aspects on which his group emphasizes a lot. They highlight these issues through their plays, and also through the free camps they conduct for kids.
Boys like Trushant Ingle and Suhas Khandare who emerged from Bahujan Rangbhoomi are working in the television and film industry. Many others who were introduced to theatre by the group have pursued the same field and are learning at National School of Drama. Fine Arts graduate Surendra Wankhede has developed as a writer-director while Atul Somkuwar, Shruti Lokhande, Darshan Damodar and Rahul Meshram are known faces of the city’s theatre scene.

“With acting, Virendra asks us to observe every aspect of the drama – script-writing, direction, lights, sound, costume and set designing. This helps a lot in understanding theatre,” says Surendra, while Atul says, theatre has given him a sense of social responsibility.

They may have missed the opportunity, but members of Bahujan Rangbhoomi want upcoming talent to take up formal education in theatre. For this, they have a dream to establish a drama school where experts will come and impart training to kids. Their commitment to their mission will surely turn this dream into reality very soon.

Cutting of the same article published in The Hitavada on July 13