Experiencing Theatre Beyond the Page: A Classroom Screening of Ghashiram Kotwal
When we study literature, we do much more than simply read texts—we step into worlds of art, imagination, and performance. Literature encompasses multiple art forms, and drama is perhaps the most dynamic among them. While we may engage with plays through reading in classrooms, the very essence of drama lies in performance. Without experiencing its staging, students often miss the theatrical techniques and dramatic intensity that a written script alone cannot fully convey.
This thought guided me as I introduced my B.A. English students to Vijay Tendulkar’s celebrated play, Ghashiram Kotwal. Instead of confining our learning only to the text, I organized a screening of a stage performance to give students a glimpse into how literature transforms into theatre.
Why Screening the Play Was Important
Reading Ghashiram Kotwal provides deep insights into themes of power, corruption, morality, and gender politics. Yet, Tendulkar’s brilliance also lies in his experimentation with theatre techniques. These are not easily grasped on the page. The performance highlights elements such as:
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🎭 Use of Chorus: The collective voice of the people, adding rhythm and commentary.
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👥 Characters and Events: How the actors embody satire, irony, and exaggeration.
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🥁 Tamasha Technique: A traditional folk-theatre form from Maharashtra, blending song, dance, and drama to critique society.
By watching the performance, students were able to appreciate these techniques in action, rather than simply imagining them.
The Screening Experience
We watched the play performed by भारतेंदु नाट्य अकादेमी and the Culture Department of Uttar Pradesh, presented in Hindi.
Here is the video:
While there were some technical issues, such as sound quality due to the recording of the stage performance, the overall performance was mesmerizing. The vibrancy of costumes, the rhythm of the chorus, and the raw energy of tamasha brought the text to life.
Interestingly, the play is originally written in Marathi, later translated into English, and the performance we watched was in Hindi. Despite this linguistic shift, the staging remained remarkably faithful to the English text, allowing students to connect their reading experience with the performance on screen.
Reflections
The screening reaffirmed a crucial lesson:
"...drama must be experienced, not just read."
Watching Ghashiram Kotwal helped students understand how theatricality enriches meaning. The satire, folk elements, and interplay of power structures came alive in ways that reading alone could not achieve.
For students, it was not only an academic exercise but also an introduction to the vitality of Indian theatre traditions. For me as a teacher, it was rewarding to see their engagement grow through performance-based learning.
Conclusion
Organizing this screening of Ghashiram Kotwal was a reminder that literature teaching should go beyond the page. Watching theatre performances allows students to witness the fusion of text and performance, making the learning process holistic and memorable.
Though challenges like language barriers and limited availability of performances exist, initiatives like these open up new dimensions of learning. After all, drama is not just a script—it is a living art form.
Have you ever watched a stage performance of a play you studied in the classroom? How did it change your understanding of the text?
