Indian theatre began as a narrative art form that combined music, dance, and acting. Theatrical performances included recitation, dance, and music. Brahma created the Natya Veda for the pastime of Gods, according to Bharat Muni's Natya Shastra, by combining elements from the four Vedas. Natya shastra is the first formal treatise on dramaturgy and was written between 200 BC and 200 AD. It describes ten types of plays, ranging from one-act to ten acts, and covers all aspects of classical Sanskrit literature. In this article, we will discuss regarding Indian Theatre, which will be helpful for UPSC IAS Exam preparation.

Origin of Theatre Forms in India

• The Sanskrit theatre, which arose after the establishment of Greek and Roman theatres in the west, was India's first type of classical theatre.
• According to one account, this development arose as a result of Alexander the Great's invasion of India. The invading army presented Greek-style plays, which were caught up by the native Indian populace.
• While some say that traditional Indian theatre predates it, it is widely acknowledged that classical Greek theatre has influenced it.
• The excavated ruins at Sitabena and Jogimara caves are thought to be the world's oldest amphitheatres. This is just one example of the long tradition of theatre in the Indian cultural landscape.

Indian Theatre - Features

• Acting, conversation, poetry, and music are all used in Indian theatre. It began as a narrative form of art in which recitations, dance, and song were used to convey local history, society ethos, and so on.
• It is founded on spontaneous creativity that emerges from situations in which the intensity of expressions and natural emotions are derived from the social system rather than from any classical or grammatical basis.
• Traditional theatrical forms are nearly always performed during religious festivals, ceremonial offerings, meetings, and prayers.
  • It portrays ordinary people's habits, beliefs, social knowledge, and feelings. It's a mash-up of entertainment and religious observances.
• There are six main elements of theatre, viz., Plot, Character, Thought, Diction, Music and Spectacle.
• For study purposes, Indian Theatre can be divided into Classical Sanskrit Theatre, Folk Theatre, and Modern Indian Theatre.

Classical Sanskrit Theatre

• The Sanskrit term 'nataka' comes from the root word 'nata,' which means dancer in Sanskrit.
• Drama was also referred to as Rupaka, Drishyakavya, and Preksakavya. There were two sorts of plays in ancient India:
  • Lokadharmi: These were realistic portrayals of everyday life.
  • Natyadharmi: These were traditional plays with more stylized storytelling and overt symbolism.
• Previously, Sanskritic theatre dominated society, with Ashvagosha, Kalidasa, Vishakadatta, and others making significant contributions.
• Sanskritic theatrical traditions eventually fell out of favour as a result of divergence toward poetry, limited creative areas, loss of popularity, and the arrival of Muslim rulers.
• Folk theatre later brought India's rich history to other sections of the country.

Koodiyattam

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Sanskrit Theatre

Folk Theatre

• India has a long legacy of folk theatre in many areas of the country. Traditional folk theatre portrays numerous aspects of local culture, such as social conventions, beliefs, and practices.
• Folk theatre had rural roots, and the rustic flavor was reflected in the dramatic technique involved, whereas Sanskrit theatre was more urban-oriented and sophisticated in its interpretation of the play.

Folk Theatre

• The majority of the still-existing folk theatre has devotional themes and dates from the 15th to 16th century AD.
• With time, however, it began to incorporate love ballads and stories of local heroes and therefore took on more secular tones.
• Folk theatre became a prominent technique of disseminating societal wisdom rather than simply social enjoyment in the post-independence period.
• Indian Folk theatre can be categorized into three types:

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Folk Theatre

Modern Indian Theatre

• Modern theatre, or what is known historically as the Western proscenium type of theatre, was not introduced in India until the late eighteenth century, when the British Empire was consolidating in various areas of India.
• Western proscenium-style theatre made its way to Indian shores thanks to the British.
• We had the first Bengali-language theatre in the 1830s, which was beyond the customary framework of indigenous folk performance genres, thanks to the support of wealthy native families.
• During the 1850s and 1920s, Parsi Theatres were popular in Western India, with plays produced in regional languages such as Gujarati and Marathi. Music and colourful backgrounds were required.
• Sangeet Natak Akademi was founded in 1952 to promote performing arts, especially theatre, and to help the growth of theatre in India.
• The National School of Drama has contributed to the development of notable theatre figures.

Modern Indian Theatre

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Modern Indian Theatre

Conclusion

In the Indian social structure, living traditions play a significant role. There is a natural flow to any living culture. Traditional art forms, such as Theatre, without a doubt, represent the aspirations of a civilization, its resolve to live, its ethos, emotions, and fellow feelings, among other things. Indian Theatre is an important part of the Indian social structure. In many ways, it depicts the social customs and beliefs of society.