The National School of Drama became a melting pot of different cultures, as theatre groups from not only different parts of the country, but different corners of the world, enthralled theatre lovers at the 17th Bharat Rang Mahotsav. The presence of European teams also benefited the Indian artistes, who learned a lot from the former. But what did the foreign artistes know about India?
Surprisingly, a lot, including Satyajit Ray's films, Jaipur's architecture and the Swachh Bharat campaign.
In India, there's order in the chaos
Norwegian director Haukar J Gunnarsson, who has been to India 10 times now, says, "I have been to Rajasthan and I loved the costumes of the people and the architecture of the palaces. I have also attended the Hornbill Festival in Nagaland and saw their unique form of theatre. I like Indian rituals and I've been a part of some pujas too. An improvement I've noticed is the infrastructure. Delhi, particularly, has developed so much in the last decade," he says.
Jean Luc Tourne, a French set designer who was visiting India for the second time, loves the country's diversity. "No two cities in India are the same. Delhi is so different from Chandigarh," he says. "India and Israel are the same in terms of diversity, but I think, unlike Israel, there is a sense of order in India's chaos," says Idit Herman, the director of the play 'With Unarmed Forces'. Her teammate, Dirk says, "My landlady has asked me to bring her back some of the colourful Indian attire," while Anna Stellar, a Polish theatre actress, notes that people in her country are not very expressive, but Indians open up to strangers and share their experiences easily .
Ruthie Osterman, an Israeli artiste, has also been to Agartala and Varanasi. She observed that "from beggars to shop owners, everybody tries to fleece foreigners". She adds, "Israeli men stare at women, but it is never as common as it is in India." Despite all this, she admits, "The kind of welcome we got here is overwhelming. Indians are very respectful too."
'Spicy' is the variety of European life
While the artistes did find the food too spicy , that didn't stop them from trying different delicacies. Jean Luc developed fondness for two beverages — chai and lassi. Anna says she loves chana masala. And, of course, they love all the chicken dishes. "I had tasted Indian cuisine during my college days in England. I like all the chicken dishes, be it tandoori or tikka," says Haukar.
Amit Zarka, Ruthie's co-director, on the other hand, loves how colourful saris are, but hasn't taken to Indian food."Ruthie loves aloo parantha, but I can only manage rotis," he says.
Dos and Don'ts in India
Before these artistes visited the country, their friends and relatives gave them suggestions about what to look out for. Idit says that her friends had specifically warned her against eating raw vegetables and fruits or drinking unbottled water, due to hygiene is sues. "Now that we're here, we don't actually follow those rules strictly," she says. Karl Biscuit, a French theatre director, believes people from Europe have preconceived notions about Indian cities, and explains, "They (people from Europe) say Delhi is not safe, but I think Mexico or Laos are far worse."
The Bollywood connect
Karl has seen some works of Satyajit Ray and faintly remembers Lagaan, but he feels that Bhansali's Devdas is the real gem. Haukar has seen Lamhaa, which he felt wasn't like the typical Bollywood film that invariably has "dancing and singing". Zoya, who hails from Israel, was told by friends that she must not come back without watching a Bollywood movie. "We mostly watch Hollywood films back home, but we have one channel that shows Indian films, as Israel's own film industry is still in a nascent stage. Some Indian movies are real tearjerkers, as they are so sentimental. My aunt used to cry while watching them," said Dmitry , Zoya's teammate, who tragically passed away recently. Anna, who has seen five Bollywood movies, adds, "I just love the way they can dance, act, and lip-sync all in one scene."
No kissing in kamasutra land?
Haukar was appalled to see Indians' sense of civic duty and when told about Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, he says, "It was about time somebody did that."
When Karl learnt about the hoopla surrounding kissing in public, he questions, "Isn't India the land of the Kamasutra?" His co-director, Marcia Barcellos, has attended sessions of Indian classical dances in Chennai and she loves the spirituality of the country. However, she has her doubts about the caste system and says, "The caste system is like a blemish on the beauty of this country." Jean Luc, on the other hand, thinks that the country "has too many people on the road", but he has another complaint. "I can't understand cricket!" he rues.
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