Over 20 renowned Bengali theatre troupes being dropped from the list of eligible recipients of the Union government’s repertory grant scheme, Guru-Shishya Parampara, has caused quite a stir among Kolkata’s theatre veterans.
“Some people are asking us why we should receive monetary grants from the government if we criticise them in theatre,” Sima Mukherjee, who runs the troupe Rangroop, said on Monday. “I want to ask them, is the government paying us from their pocket or is it our, the taxpayers’ money, at the end of the day?”
The Union Ministry of Culture scheme, Financial Assistance for Promotion of Guru-Shishya Parampara (Repertory Grant), provides monetary grants to drama groups, theatre groups, music ensembles, children’s theatre and all genres of performing arts activities. Under this scheme, the guru or the director of the group receives ₹15,000 per month, while shishyas or members of the group receive between ₹2,000 and ₹10,000, depending on age.
Around 24 theatre troupes from West Bengal have reportedly been refused the grant for 2023-2024, including Debesh Chattopadhyay’s Laketown Sreebhumi Sanskriti, Abhi Chakraborty’s Ashokenagar Nattyamukh, Prakash Bhattacharya’s Nandipat, and other troupes, according to a circular issued on Thursday.
Sujan Mukhopadhyay, who helms the 52-year-old Bengali theatre troupe called Chetana, highlighted that theatre in West Bengal has always been a medium of public dissent and is not meant to favour any specific political regime. “What has happened with the grants this year is deplorable. It has traces of conspiracy and personal bias. So many veterans, well-known theatre practitioners and their troupes are being deprived,” he said. “Even if the intention is to elevate young practitioners, completely depriving the veterans is not fair,” he added.
Bengali theatre practitioners who have been dropped from the Centre’s repertory grant shared their grievances with local media on Monday, August 5, 2024. | Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI
Mr. Chattopadhyay claimed that an atmosphere of fear has been created in West Bengal’s theatre community by the Central government. “Dropping us from the grant will scare theatre practitioners into believing that unless they support the government, they will be cut off from its financial support schemes,” he alleged.
He added that the aggrieved theatre practitioners of the State will take up the issue with the State’s Culture Minister and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, requesting local media to “not colour their decision politically”.
Saurav Palodhi, who has helmed Icchemoto for the past decade, alleged that favouritism politics is rampant in the theatre scene in West Bengal, wherein troupes that echo the sentiment of the saffron party are often granted more power and resources.
“I feel bad for the poor cast and crew members who relied on this grant to pursue theatre as their day job,” he said. “I demand scrutiny into how grant recipients spend the money, and an examination of the honest work ethic of the neglected troupes.”
Mr. Chakraborty underlined the economic strain it would put not just on the members of the troupe but also on subsidiary service providers. “For troupes like us, that do not operate out of Kolkata, there is a network of support service providers like tiffin providers, drivers etc. who will all be affected by the lack of grants,” he said.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Shamik Bhattacharyya told local mediapersons that he has taken up the issue with the Ministry of Culture and is looking forward to resolving the misunderstanding.
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