Lalit Gupta
In a scenario where only 0.1 percent creative people get the distinction of being recognized in their life time, Kavi Rattan, due to single minded dedication, life-long commitment and passion to his calling of heart, stands tall as a living legend in the field of theater.
His is a 75 year-old visage, but his eyes have the fire of a zealot; in his own words, he has lived and breathed theatre all his life. Kavi Rattan, for whom drama is more than a religion, rues the commercialization that has reduced theatre from an art form to a commodity today.
One who invigorated the cultural scene from 1970s onwards through introduction of innovative theatre language and techniques to generations of young persons in two regional metropolis of Jammu and Srinagar, Kavi Rattan, a very well respected name across the three regions of J&K will go down the annals of history of the state as having laid the foundation of a serious drama movement in the state.
With all encompassing range of expertise as an actor, director, playwright, set designer, music composer and light designer, Kavi Rattan remained and is as an institution in himself. It was due to across-the-board facility in all departments of stage production, followed by painstaking efforts to bring together right kind of back stage support team and appropriate actors that he was able to mount mega-productions which are still remembered by theatre aficionados.
A strict disciplinarian, he never compromised on selection of cast. Other than young persons trained by him in repertories and workshop, he was always looking for actors who fitted the role without fitting the mold. He selected actor from most unlikely stations and backgrounds. Many a times, a labourer from general bus stand, a driver, an office clerk, a peon, were selected for roles as they fitted into the ‘character’.
Kavi Rattan, a talented playwright, actor and director, was born in 1940, in the family of Pandit Raghunath Shashtri, Among his seven siblings, he was especially influenced by his elder brother Rattan Sharma, a fine actor and director and prominent theatre personality. Having worked as an actor from childhood, Kavi Rattan exposed to the local Parsi style Rama Lila tradition, showed his predilection for creative expression, during his college days by writing and staging plays like Khotte Sikke.
A 1965 post-graduate in English, he was awarded the first scholarship for theatre by J&K Cultural Academy for three years (1966-1969) to undergo academic training in theatre at National School of Drama, Delhi. Wherefrom under the tutelage of Ebrahim Elkazi and others, he successfully completed degree in dramatics with specialization in direction.
During his stay at Delhi, he had the distinction of working with prominent directors including Carl Weber (USA), Peter Brooks (England), K N Pannikar, Ranjit Kapoor, Mohan Maharishi, Habib Tanvir, Ebrahim Elkazi, Col Gupta (Ex. Director Songs and Drama Division), Om Shiv Puri, Sagar Sarhadi, Sardar Gurcharan Singh, Rajinder Nath, Suresh Bhardwaj, B V Kamath, Rattan Thayiam, Kahaniya Lala, Ved Rahi, Shayam Benagal. He also worked with well known actors like Uttara Baokar, Surkha Sikri, Sudha Shivpuri, Rohni Hattangadi, Nadira Zaheer Babbbar, Om Puri, M K Raina, Manohar Singh, Raj Babbar, Ram Gopal Bajaj, Amal Alana and others.
With his appointment as Drama Instructor in J&K Cultural Academy, Kavi Rattan, got a platform to hone and train young talent by conducting repertories and workshops both at Jammu and Srinagar. Today most of the well known theatre personalities of the state owe directly or indirectly their basic orientation to serious theatre by getting training in one of the more than 12 play-writing and 30 theatre workshops conducted by him from time to time.
The ripple effect of the somber but intense personality of Kavi Rattan who effectively trained scores of interested young men and women through pedagogical exercises-succeeded in opening up a new world of creative possibilities in theatre during pre-militancy heydays of cultural efflorescence in the state. The period was also marked by founding of new theatre groups in different parts of the state which lead to healthy competition amongst these groups to vie for awards in the annual drama competitions by staging meaningful and technically competent productions.
Kavi Rattan’s pivotal contribution in conducting theatre workshops was not only limited to young and talented theatre artists but also in holding theatre workshop in various schools, colleges and different departments of University, that too without charging any remuneration. Invited by Sangeet Natak Academy and NSD for participation in directors’ theatre workshops and seminars, he also acted as camp director of theatre workshop at Manipur.
The very fact that Kavi Rattan chose to work in J&K, he used his contacts to invite world renowned theatre experts to the state who gave lectures and demonstrations on various aspects of acting and theatre techniques. These personalities included Elkazi, Nemi Chander Jain, B V Kamath, Kanhaiya Lal, Sagar Sarhadi, G N Deshgupta, Sacher (USA) and many others.
In an illustrious career in the Cultural Academy where he retired as Additional Secretary ( being denied the post of secretary for not pandering to politicians of the time), Kavi Rattan’s greatest contribution has been in the field of direction. He directed and scripted many prestigious productions for Cultural Academy. Another significant contribution by him was founding of pioneering cultural Organization Bahurangi, which through its impressive productions set up a benchmark for other theatre groups in the state. “Working in semi-govt. organization like Cultural Academy, had put restrictions on me with reference to the choice of scripts that could be staged. So the ‘Bahurangi’ was created and formed to stage plays which were anti-establishment”.
Kavi Rattan staged more than 170 plays in and outside the state. Marked with a great variety, where instead of a particular style, the form for each play evolved from the very structure and demands of the situations. With the result, Kavi rattan, the master theatre director cannot be bracketed in any particular style. He always found it redundant to stick to a pre decided one for a particular narrative. “The form should emerge out of the content organically as the best way to tell a story”.
Some of his notable plays include Mohan Rakesh’s Aadhe Adhure, J C Mathur’s Reed Ki Haddi, Vijay Tendulkar’s Char Din, Khamosh Adalat Jari Hai, Dinu Bhai’ Pant’s Sarpanch, Sanskrit play Bhagvad Ajjukayin in Sanskrit, Hindi, Dogri, Kashmiri, Manipuri at different locations, Sanskrit play Mattvilas, Madhyam Vyayog, Badal Sarkar’s Baki Itihas, Pagla Ghora, Juloos, Saptacus, Vallabhgarh ki Roopkahta, Vijay Tendulkar’s Panchi Aise Aate Hain, Gyandev Agnihotri’s Shutarmurg, stage version of Pandit Anand Kumar’s Begum Ka Takiya, Fedrico Gracia Lorka’s Yerma in English, Jasma, Dogri version of Gujrati Bhavai folk play Jasma Oden and Thumbal-Manipuri version of Jasma Oden and Anil Barve’s Thank You Mr. Glad.
Kahani Hamri Tumhari ( a saga of India’s struggle for freedom through stage, slide shows, shadow play, chorus, music) and Mehak Gulab Ki ( a play based on Pt. Nehru), conceived, scripted after thorough research and directed by Kavi Rattan, were mega productions, which are still remembered.
As a playwright he also has written plays in Hindi and English dramas like Batwara, His Master’s Voice, and Khilone. He has also translated and adapted in Hindi and Dogri many plays of Bengali, Marathi, Gujrati, Kashmiri, Urdu, Sanskrit and English. A Radio and film and TV actor, Kavi Rattan has acted in Ved Rahi’s film Drar, Shayam Benagal’s Yatra, TV film Vapsi for Srinagar, to name a few.
Kavi Rattan’s latest production staged for University of Jammu was Dogri version of ‘Devi’ (well known Bengali story) in 2009. During 50 years of dedicated service to the cause of meaningful theater, he had full support of his wife Shashi Rattan, who is also a stage actor.
He has received many citations, honours and awards from a number of cultural organizations, NGOs and J&K Govt., including the State Award for Performing Arts.
Talking about theatre acting, Kavi Rattan simply slams the current practice of the so-called physical acting. He finds it lacking in all the subtleties and organic connections while the attention is solely on visible bodily movements and making a lot of noise! He is pained by the shenanigans of the so called present day flag bearers of Jammu theatre. Kavi Rattan, an idealist, who abhors double talk and hypocrisy, rues that the gross commercial interests have polluted the spirit of theatre in Jammu. He feels sad that Theatre, which is being used by a few clever players as a ladder for their personal growth and gains, has not only suffered a setback but failed to become integral to the cultural life on people of J&K.
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