The Indian National Theatre (INT) is a

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

organisation and troupe founded in 1943 and based in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

, India. Although performing predominantly

Gujarati theatre Gujarati theatre refers to theatre performed in the Gujarati language, including its dialects. Gujarati theatre is produced mainly in Gujarat and Maharashtra, in cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Baroda, Surat and else where Gujarati diaspora ex ...

, the troupe has also produced a number of plays in other Indian languages. In addition to theatre productions, the troupe also carries theatre education, training and research activities.

History

In 1940, on the 50th birthday of

Dhansukhlal Mehta Dhansukhlal Krishnalal Mehta was a Gujarati writer from Gujarat, India. He is considered a pioneer of Gujarati short stories. He is known for his humorous novel '' Ame Badha'', co-written with Jyotindra Dave. He received the Gujarati literary aw ...

, Chandravadan Mehta and his troupe improvised a

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...

performance named ''Ranglila''. The performance featured elements from ''Bhattnu Bhopalu'' (Bhatt's Hypocrisy) by

Navalram Pandya Navalram Laxmiram Pandya (Gujarati: નવલરામ) (9 March 1836 – 7 August 1888) was a Gujarati critic, playwright, poet, essayist, editor, educationist and a social reformer. He is considered to be a most important figure in modern Gujar ...

, ''Nawabni Mulakat'' (Nawab's Visit) by

Ramanbhai Neelkanth Ramanbhai Mahipatram Nilkanth ( gu, રમણભાઈ મહીપતરામ નીલકંઠ) (13 March 1868 – 6 March 1928) was a Gujarati novelist, essayist, literary critic from India. The Ramanlal Nilkanth Hasya Paritoshik is named a ...

, ''Ashok Parsi Hato'' (Ashok Was

Parsi Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

) by Jyotindra Dave and ''Narmad'' by Chandravadan Mehta. Such performances, although initially improvised, gradually evolved into organised theatrical activities. In 1944, the Indian National Theatre (INT) was founded in Bombay (now

), with Damubhai Jhaveri as its first General Secretary. Other members associated with the founding included Mansukh Joshi, Gautam Joshi, Naran Mistry and Chandravadan Bhatt with D. G. Vyas providing guidance. In 1942, members of

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

youth groups who supported the Quit India Movement sought to use the fledgling theatre scene as a tool for public education, resulting in arrests and imprisonment. Early performances by the theatre were of ballets or dance-dramas, such as ''Kalbhairav'' and ''Bhukh'' (Hunger), written by Avinash Vyas and directed by Yogendra Desai. The troupe used two lorries for a stage and to travel around

Bombay Province The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...

. Apart from Gujarati theatre, the troupe also performed at least one Marathi play. In 1947, Shanti Bardhan directed a dance-drama of ''Discovery of India'', based on the book of the same name by Prime Minister

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

, at which he was also present and drew his appreciation, on the occasion of the Asian Relations Conference. Other big productions during this period included ''Narsaiyo'' on

Narsinh Mehta Narsinh Mehta, also known as Narsinh Bhagat, was a 15th-century poet-saint of Gujarat, India, honored as the first poet, or ''Adi Kavi,'' of the Gujarati language. Narsinh Mehta is member of Nagar Brahman community. Narsinh became a devotee of K ...

, ''Meera'' on

Mirabai Meera, better known as Mirabai and venerated as Sant Meerabai, was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. She is a celebrated Bhakti saint, particularly in the North Indian Hindu tradition. Mirabai was born into a Rathore ...

and ''Amrapali''. In 1949, the INT began performing Gujarati plays such as ''Lagnani Bedi'' (Fetters of Marriage), a Gujarati adaptation of Acharya Atre's Marathi play of the same name, directed by Chadravadan Bhatt. This play also saw the first pre-sale of tickets. It was followed by a mystery play ''Snehna Jher'' (Poison of Love) in which different scenes were simultaneously performed on a partitioned stage. One of the founding members of the INT, Naran Mistry, also directed a number of successful plays. Productions in other Indian languages, such as the Parsi ''Mota Dilna Mota Bava'' (Parsi Man with Big Heart) and ''Shirinbainu Shantiniketan'' (Shirinbai's Shantiniketan) also began, as well as one-act plays by Firoze Antia, ''Chalo Jher Pao'' (Get Me Poison), ''Bairini Bala'' (Trouble of Wife). During this time, Firoze Antia, Madhukar Randeria, Anjani Desai, Shankarprasad Desai, Devyani Desai, Vrajlal Parekh, Vanlata Mehta, Nilanjana Mehta and Niharika Divetia became associated with the INT. The INT celebrated the centenary of

later that year with plays. Other notable productions included ''Dekh teri Bambai'', Gujarati plays''Jesal Toral'', ''Moti Verana Chowkma'' (Pearls Scattered in the Yard), and ''Santu Rangeeli'' (Enchanting Santu), and Marathi plays ''Batatyachi Chal'' (Potato Chawl) by

P. L. Deshpande Purushottam Laxman Deshpande (alternatively written as Pu La Deshpande; 8 November 1919 – 12 June 2000), popularly known by his initials ("Pu. La.") or as P. L. Deshpande, was a Marathi writer and humorist from Maharashtra. He was also an a ...

as well as ''Kanyadan'' and ''Kondu'' by

Vijay Tendulkar Vijay Dhondopant Tendulkar (6 January 1928 – 19 May 2008) was a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator primarily in Marāthi. His Marathi plays established him as ...

. The INT also produced Gujarati children's plays on ''Chhako Mako'' and '' Bakor Patel''. The English productions department of the INT produced

W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

's '' The Sacred Flame'' directed by Adi Marzban as well as several other plays. From 1950 to 1960, the INT organised Rasgarba competitions, which started a tradition of folk performances from Saurashta and

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

in Mumbai. The theatre also organised the All India Folk-dance Festival in 1955 and since 1974, has been organising Intercollege Theatre Competitions (later in an association with ''

Gujarat Samachar ''Gujarat Samachar'' is a Gujarati-language daily newspaper published in India. Its headquarters are in Ahmedabad with a branch in Surat. It is distributed from Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Mumbai, Mehsana, Bhuj and New Y ...

'').

Contemporary activities

The INT produces commercial, art, and folk theatre, does research on folk theatre, and trains actors and directors, and has built facilities in Gujarat and Maharashtra for these activities. The

impresario An impresario (from the Italian ''impresa'', "an enterprise or undertaking") is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film or television producer. His ...

department of the INT performs plays overseas in collaboration with the Indian Council of Cultural Relations. The INT performs throughout India in theatres as well as nontraditional venues, and uses no scenery. Productions focus on issues of

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, Equal opportunity, opportunities, and Social privilege, privileges within a society. In Western Civilization, Western and Culture of Asia, Asian cultures, the concept of social ...

, and rely on

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

and dialogue.

References

{{authority control Gujarati theatre Theatrical organisations in India Arts organizations established in 1944 Culture of Maharashtra Gujarati culture Theatres in Mumbai Hindi theatre National theatres 1944 establishments in India