Creation of the National Theatre

In Calcutta, by the early 1860s the need for public theatres was strongly felt. Dramatic performances so far were private and irregular, open to a handful of spectators. Contemporary newspapers advocated the need for theatres to act as vehicles of social reform and instruction in a variety of subjects, as also, a focus of amusement and entertainment. It was to be a democratic space where, by the purchase of a ticket of minimal charge, anyone could be a spectator.

As early as 12 May 1862, the Som Prakas emphasized the need for a public theatre. The Naba Prabandha issue of August 1868 discussed the need for a healthy space which would counter the harmful effects of the vulgar pleasures provided by contemporary panchalis, tarjas and halfakdais.^[1] It further suggested the establishment of a public theatre on strict business principles where acting would become a professional domain.

Bhuban Mohan Neogi offered the Baghbazar Amateur Theatre a room in his house on the river Ganges for their practice sessions. The play chosen was Dinabandhu Mitra’s Nil Darpan. The endeavour won the enthusiastic support of such eminent persons as Sisir Kumar Ghose (1840–1911, editor of Amrita Bazar Patrika), Nabagopal Mitra (1840–1894, editor of the National Paper), Mon Mohan Basu (1831–1912), editor of the Madhyastha, among others.

A short-lived controversy arose regarding the theatre's nomenclature. Nabagopal Mitra, nicknamed "National Nabagopal" for his fervent nationalism expressed in his desire to attach the word "National" to every Bengali enterprise, suggested the name "The Calcutta National Theatrical Society", which was finally shortened to "National Theatre". Girish Chandra Ghosh, who was the unofficial leader of the Baghbazar group was not ready to adopt this title and later, he parted company with his friends on account of this broil.

Staging of Nil Darpan

The first public theatre was, ironically enough, housed in a private residence. The courtyard of Madhusudan Sanyal's house at 33 Upper Chitpore Road was taken for a rent. On 19 November 1872 an advertisement appeared in Sulav Samachar which declared that the Calcutta National Theatrical Society would stage Nil Darpan on Saturday, 7 December. The play was a scathing exposure of the oppression of the British indigo planters of the impoverished Bengali ryots. Sulav Samachar in 10 by December issue of 1872 (adil), not only praised the performance but called for the creation of many more such plays which would inspire the people and make them aware of their rights. The National Paper of 11 December 1872 described the play as "an event of national importance." Amrit Bazar Patrika suggested that the play should not be restricted to Calcutta, but should venture beyond Calcutta to such places as Krishnanagore, Berhampore, Jessore and other such areas where the issues addressed in the play would be more relevant.

However, the staging of Nil Darpan with its blatant demonization of the white-skinned indigo planters, earned the displeasure of the Englishman which, in its 20 December 1872 issue condemned the play for having had damaging effects on the dignity and prestige of the British government and ordered that the performance of the play be immediately stopped. It wrote:

Considering that the Rev.Mr.Long was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment for translating the play, which was pronounced by the High Court as a libel on the Europeans, it seems strange that the Government should allow its representation in Calcutta, unless it has gone through the hands of some competent censor, and the libelous parts excised.

On the other hand, the new public theatre in Calcutta prepared to deal with its own shortcomings. The press did not spare the imperfections of the National Theatre. A letter published in the Education Gazette (13 December) commended the National Theatre for its height and width, but complained of the lack of sufficient light on the stage, absence of wings affecting the aesthetics of the play, and inadequate accommodation. At around this time, two letters appeared in the Indian Mirror (19 and 27 December) in which the so-called National Theatre was heavily criticized on account of its poor equipment and sub-standard acting. It was assumed that the writer of these two letters was none other than Girish Chandra Ghose himself. Faced with such pointed criticism, an appeal was made to the sponsors to uphold the dignity of the National Theatre and to replace the western concerts that were fashionable in Calcutta at this time with more indigenous theatre. The second performance of Nil Darpan was held on 21 December. Many other plays were also staged at around this time by the National Theatre.

Creation of the Dramatic Performances Act

Stuart Hogg was satirized as a "pig" in the polemical play The Police of Pig and Sheep

Towards the end of March 1875, some members of the National Theatre (that had now become the "Great National Theatre") went on tour. In Lucknow, during a scene of Nil Darpan—the scene where Torap, an Indian ryot, holds down the European Mr. Rouge who assaults the helpless woman Kshetramoni—British soldiers among the audience, enraged, rushed onto the stage and began behaving violently, which led to the breaking up of the play.

The following year, Edward, Prince of Wales visited Calcutta. Soon after his visit, the Great National Theatre presented the play Gajadananda o Jubaraj (or Gajadananda and the Crown Prince), which sought to target Jagadananda Mukherjee, a well-known citizen of Calcutta, Junior Government pleader and member of the Bengal Legislative Council. This man had invited the Prince to his Bhowanipur residence on 3 January 1876 and had taken him on a tour of the ladies’ apartment of the house where he was given a traditional Bengali welcome by the female members of the family. This incident enraged the orthodox Bengali society for it appeared to them that Jagadananda had sacrificed his ethics and culture in a bid to placate the British masters and win favours from them. The satirical play Gajadananda o Jubaraj, based on this incident, was stopped by police order, yet it returned the following week on 26 February under a different name, Hanuman Charitra.

On 1 March, Upendranath Das’s play Surendra Binodini was followed by a satire called The Police of Pig and Sheep, burlesquing Sir Stuart Hogg, Commissioner of Police, and Mr. Lamb, Superintendent of Police for their hostile behavior towards the common people. Although this issue was taken to court, the High Court threw out the case.

On 29 February 1876, Lord Northbrook, Governor-General of India, promulgated an ordinance. The Indian Mirror of 1 March 1876 reported as follows:

A Gazette of India Extra-ordinary was issued last evening containing an Ordinance to empower the Government of Bengal to prohibit certain dramatic performances, which are scandalous, defamatory, seditious, obscene, or otherwise prejudicial to the public interest. The Ordinance shall remain in force till May next by which time a law will be passed by the Viceregal Council on the subject.

In March 1876 the Dramatic Performances Control Bill was introduced in the Viceroy's Council. Despite strong public opposition, the Bill was passed into law in December 1876. While the immediate provocation for the promulgation of the ordinance was the play Gajadananda o Jubaraj, the actual motive of the Government was to silence such nationalistic plays as Nil Darpan, Bharat Mata, Puru-Vikram, Bharate Yavan, Banger Sukhabasan, Beer Nari. This Act also served as a weapon to proscribe, at one time or another up to 1911, the following works: Anandamath, Chandrasekhar, Mrinalini, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Karagar among others.

After the Bill is passed

Following the promulgation of the Dramatic Performances Act, the government felt dissatisfied with its terms and sought to devise some sort of punishment for the sponsors of the prohibited plays. Their aim was to charge the sponsors if not on the ground of a play itself, then at least, on some other point. On 4 March 1876, when the play Sati Ki Kalankini was being performed on the stage of the Great National Theatre, the police stormed the place and arrested the director Upendra Nath Das, the manager Amritlal Basu and eight others on the charge of immorality for an earlier play, Surendra Binodini. On 8 March Upendra Nath and Amritlal were sentenced to one month's simple imprisonment while the rest were released. Later however, the High Court overruled the order of the Police Court and released the duo.

This case reflects the extent to which the rulers of colonial era sought to gag free speech, and noticing within the public theatre the germs of a nationalist movement, came down hard on theatre groups, individual directors of plays and even those who appeared to be the sympathizers of this creative domain.