STUDY MATERIAL on Generic Elective (ENGLISH) Paper TEXT AND PERFORMANCE - University of Delhi

STUDY MATERIAL on Generic Elective (ENGLISH) Paper
TEXT AND PERFORMANCE - University of Delhi

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“I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.” – Oscar Wilde

1. Introduction
 

1. Introduction to theories of Performance

The theoretical discussion of drama and theatre practice has a long and illustrious history, reaching back to Aristotle’s Poetics. This history of thinking and writing about drama has centrally shaped our contemporary understanding of performance, theatre and the cultural significance of dramatic practice. Here are some of the most significant developments in the history of dramatic theory from ancient Greece to the present day:

Aristotle and Greek Theatre: The Birth of Dramatic Theory

Aristotle’s Poetics is generally regarded as the founding text of dramatic criticism, and regularly cited by subsequent scholars despite its much‐debated connection to the dramatic practice of ancient Greece.

Bharata’s Theory of Dramatic Performance

The Natyasastra holds a centrality in central Asian theatre similar to that of Aristotle’s Poetics in Europe, but it is far more extensive in scope, covering not only dramatic structure, but acting, costuming, staging, and theatre architecture. The place for performance described in the Natyasastra is far closer to a modern Western idea than to that of classical Greece or Rome. Unlike the great public theatres of Greece and Rome, the classical Indian theatres were sponsored by royal courts and were clearly for an elite audience, of at most about 500. 

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Mira: Story of a Girl

“Mira,” shouted the teacher. No answer.

“Mira,” shouted the teacher again. No answer.

“Where is this girl?” the teacher asked the class.

“Madam, she is sleeping,” responded one student.

It was Class IX of a girls-only govt school in the municipality of Hinsapur. During the very first period that day, Mira had her head down over the desk. After repeated shouts, when the teacher could not bear the insult of no-response, few students shook Mira in order to wake her up.

“She’s not moving, Madam,” a student reported. Mira had gone unconscious. She was taken to the municipality hospital where she gave birth to a premature baby girl.

“I didn’t know what to do, Saab,” told Mira’s sobbing father to the police inspector, “We all were so afraid. We all were so helpless, Saab. The girl spoke only when we noticed the bump.”

Seven months ago, Mira was gang-raped in broad day-light while she was returning from school.

thursday evening

thursday evening.
dusk with a dim sun.
cool light breeze.
i depart for the airport.
as there is nobody to see off,
i quietly book a taxi and leave.

no work tomorrow.
fridays here are dry days,
as dry as the throats of
street children that hang
over car windows for penny.
i anyhow reject them
and prepare ahead
for my weekend.

the road to the airport:
well polished & glossy.
as it's almost dark now,
the divider's lamposts
reflect over the street
and displays the urbane
from taxi's closed
glass door, while city
radio mildly plays on
to my ear some
advertisement
on plastic money.

the taxi driver peeps from
the rear mirror into my eyes
and quickly looks away
as i notice his gaze.

it's windy as i step out
of the cab and move.
the human face from
the city to the airport
has changed a lot.
a certain glow has
suddenly captured
its flesh and skin.
there is an air of
wealth around,
a good number of
round hefty hips
locomote swiftly
making space
for one another.

eyes avoid eyes,
turning heads
pretend absence,
and i fly to a new city
with similar nuances.

~ praveen singhmar

Between you and I

Between you and I,
Rivers and mountains lie.

And roads and bridges set us apart.
To you, all my thoughts depart.
In vain I extend my hand to touch
Your milky hands, your silky hair.
But I know I cannot do much,
For this distance that we share.
And so I sit back and sigh.
Between you and I,
Rivers and mountains lie.

Break free the shackles that bind you.
Let love be your force, let it find you.
Come out running into my arms, my love.
To me, this day, your love you prove.
Tonight, let us not shy.
Between you and I,
Rivers and mountains lie.

You know not how so much I crave you.
Come to me and let me, darling, have you.
This world shall go on with its crap and nonsense.
Let's forget it for a while and make love immense.
Just you and I, baby, and no one else.
Switch off the lights, the noise, the bells.
Let me find your eyes and you find mine.
In darkness let our limitless love shine.
Between you and I,
Rivers and mountains lie.

~ Praveen Singhmar

Naked sky

Let us come
Out of our shells
Out under the naked sky
Let's dismiss what we
Find difficult to hold
Let go of the insecure heads
Of dark doubts of dismay
Let's uncover the masks
We so beautifully placed
On our imperfect faces
Of clowns and puppets
Let's master the art
Of bare truth
That singles us out
To meaninglessness
Of existence

~ praveen singhmar

A New Room, Not Of Her Own

After the isles and the mountains
And the woods and the water,
She's locked herself into pains.

Now she's not one but two
And moves in pair, she
Now thinks in pair too.

And while once she'd flow
Aloud all day, all night, she
Now sobs low by her pillow.

And her moods no more
Fickle; pensively passive,
They stay down to the floor.

-- Praveen Singhmar

#feminist #poetry

Virat: Grander Version of the Tendulkar Run Machine

From the under 19 world cup win to the test captaincy of the Indian cricket team, Virat Kohli's success has just gotten steadier with time. Amidst all the name and fame, the one parameter under which Kohli has never compromised is his run production. In all three formats of the game, Kohli has now achieved a batting average of over 50, which is spectacular.

We certainly see a glimpse of Tendulkar in Kohli when it comes to records. But I believe this latest version of the run machine shall supersede his ancestor, both in terms of run scoring and influencing team success, save any act of God disrupting the present flow of runs. Kohli appears to be a better version of Tendulkar on two counts. One, his ability to deal with stupendous pressure as a captain. In fact, his performance has enhanced drastically after the captaincy. Another is the fact that Kohli is a go-getter, a winner with every grain of optimism inculcated in spirits. Whereas Tendulkar appeared more inclined towards individual achievement, we find Kohli full of enthusiasm towards collective team effort and success, which makes him a better leader than Tendulkar. Their record as captains is self-explanatory of this fact.

Leading a new team full of youngsters, Kohli is on a winning strike against the ongoing test series against England. He has also scored three test double hundreds this calendar year with one more match to play.

After Tendulkar, Kohli has certainly formed the backbone of Indian cricket, and what makes it special for the nation is the winning attitude that MS Dhoni had injected into Team India, Kohli is taking it to a grander new scale. History is being created, and this run machine appears to outrun all milestones.

Existentialism as an Optimistic Idea

The philosophy of existentialism is usually considered as one attached to negative notions of angst, gloom, hopelessness and despair. The works such as Camus’ “The Outsider” and Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” present an indifferent world that is not really bothered with human feelings and emotions. Even the protagonists are seen as full of absurdity that is projected around them and they more or less embody that absurdity. However, that is merely one single way of looking at the existential thought, a way that views human existence as futile and meaningless.

There is an entirely new approach to studying existentialism, which is full of positivity, potential, purpose, and optimism. The fact that one is going to die sooner or later and that one does not know how or when must certainly make one a free being without doubt. This fact must clearly flash to one's consciousness so as to make him truly alive, for now, he has realized all the power resides in himself and there is no superior power that controls his actions. That is perhaps what Sartre meant, in his ‘The Aftermath of War’, when clearly points out, “Never were we freer than under the German Occupation.” That is precisely the beauty of the philosophy of existentialism that one is rendered entirely free to choose one’s actions.

Existentialism cannot be seen as just another fashion or historical curiosity, because it has something important to offer to the new century, which is losing the real virtues of living life passionately, of taking responsibility for their actions, and of feeling good about life. Sartre once said that he never really felt a day of despair in his life. It is not a sense of anguish that existential philosophy brings out. It is the sense of an exuberance of feeling on top of it. It’s more like: One’s life is for him/her to create.

When Sartre talks about responsibilities, he does not talk about any abstract notion. There is something concrete to it. It is about the individual, talking, creating, making decisions and taking the actions and consequences. There are over six billion people in the world and nevertheless, what one individual does with his/her life shall make a difference. It makes a difference in material terms and to other people as it sets an example. The message is simple: one should never write oneself off and see oneself as a victim of various external forces. It is always one's decision as to who he/she actually is or wants to be.

Thus, every individual possesses an unlimited potential to transform his/her life in unpredictable and unexpected ways. One such example occurs in Sartre's "The Wall" when Ibbieta jokily tells the officials that Gris lives in the graveyard and later on learns that they have actually found him in the graveyard. Although Ibbieta was not sure about Gris’ location and did not control Gris's destiny, he still controlled his own potential. Sartre may have optimistically illustrated through Ibbieta that one carries limitless potential that may be used to shape his/her life.

-- Praveen Kumar Singhmar

English Translation of the Poetry in the Movie Pink

Here is how I could translate this incredible poetry originally written by Tanveer Ghazi for the movie "Pink":

तू खुद की खोज में निकल

तू किसलिए हताश है?

तू चल, तेरे वुजूद की

समय को भी तलाश है

set out to seek thyself

why disheartened art thee?

look, even the mighty time

attempts thy mettle to view

जो तुझसे लिपटी बेड़ियां

समझ न इनको वस्त्र तू

ये बेड़ियां पिघाल के

बना ले इनको शस्त्र तू

mired wires that bind thee

ain't there to carry thy clothes

melt these wires to thy feet

and into armors have ‘em mould

चरित्र जब पवित्र है

तो क्यूँ है ये दशा तेरी?

ये पापियों को हक़ नहीं

के लें परीक्षा तेरी।

when thy heart is full of light

why allow iniquity around?

the evil hast no right to try

thy body, thy soul or mind

जला के भस्म कर उसे

जो क्रूरता का जाल है

तू आरती की लौ नहीं

तू क्रोध की मशाल है

burn down the shackles

of tyranny to the ground

thou art a ruthless fire

not a tiny lamp mild

चुनर उडा के ध्वज बना

गगन भी कपकपाएगा

अगर तेरी चुनर गिरी

तो एक भूकंप आएगा

flag thy stole free

and watch the sky shiver

in case it falls to ground

the earth shall start to quiver

तू खुद की खोज में निकल

तू किसलिए हताश है?

तू चल, तेरे वुजूद की

समय को भी तलाश है

set out to seek thyself

why disheartened art thee?

look, even the mighty time

attempts thy mettle to view

Translated by Praveen Singhmar

Why everyone must watch the movie "Pink" with family

The movie "Pink" is not just another film; it's a deep resounding message to the traditional Indian setup: "Enough is enough; it's time to open your eyes; but you must open your mind first". The movie breaks loose the shackles placed by Indian social stereotypes that are by default biased against women.

You MUST watch "PINK" with family because it's high time we remove our masks and come out in open as who we actually are and what we're becoming. It's high time we stop being sly hypocrites and crave for public image/reputation. It's high time that the conventional traditions change and we make way for women as leaders of their family, society, city/village, state and nation. It's high time that men respect women and their personal decisions about outfits, going out, smoking, drinking, sex, marriage, children or basically anything under the sun that has anything to do with personal choice.

We must leave the women alone with full freedom and liberty exactly the way as we've left the men, who are free from judgments of the traditional social wits and bitching.

Quoting this brilliant poem by Tanveer Ghazi who wrote it especially for the film "Pink" and which is flawlessly narrated by Amitabh Bachchan himself in his powerful voice:

Click here to listen to the poetry.

तू खुद की खोज में निकल
तू किसलिए हताश है?
तू चल, तेरे वुजूद की
समय को भी तलाश है *2

जो तुझसे लिपटी बेड़ियां
समझ न इनको वस्त्र तू
ये बेड़ियां पिघाल के
बना ले इनको शस्त्र तू

चरित्र जब पवित्र है
तो क्यूँ है ये दशा तेरी?
ये पापियों को हक़ नहीं
के लें परीक्षा तेरी। *2

जला के भस्म कर उसे
जो क्रूरता का जाल है
तू आरती की लौ नहीं
तू क्रोध की मशाल है *2

चुनर उडा के ध्वज बना
गगन भी कपकपाएगा *2
अगर तेरी चुनर गिरी
तो एक भूकंप आएगा *2

तू खुद की खोज में निकल
तू किसलिए हताश है?
तू चल, तेरे वुजूद की
समय को भी तलाश है *2

Don't wait now. Watch it right now and take your family along. They mustn't be kept in the dark.

Regards,
Praveen Singhmar

Three Simple Steps to Improve English or Any New Language

There are only three simple and easy steps to learn English or any other language for that matter. Following:

1. Read a translation book to clear out the basics: We all know one language: our mother tongue. All we need to learn a new language is a translation book that translates our mother tongue to the language we wanna learn. The fact that we fumble with a new language is because of our lack of knowledge about how to form grammatically correct sentences. The best way to speak correct sentences is to first understand how sentences are formed and a translation book will be of great help.

2. Watch English (or the language you wanna learn) movies WITH SUBTITLES: Watching how people use a language and listening how it is spoken is the best way to learn it. But, DO NOT FORGET THE SUBTITLES! Subtitles make it easy to read, understand and absorb the new language. Therefore, simply watch your favorite English movies with subtitles over and over again. They will soon enter your subconscious mind and you'll automatically speak fluent English.

3. Keep a journal: Expressing your thoughts and ideas is more important than gaining knowledge. All your wisdom is of no use if you are unable to communicate your ideas properly to your audience. This is the reason why everyone must keep a journal and write daily his/her thoughts into it in the language they're learning. Slowly your grasp over the language will strengthen.

How I spend my weekend?

Usually it is a sit-back-at-home-and-read weekend. With so many books around me at home: on the sofa, on my computer table, under the blanket, over the pillow, in my reading list, I can hardly imagine a different setup for the weekend. And why, I love the smell of books, I sniff them frequently, they entertain me, they take me to different places, they feed my intelligence, they talk back, they amuse, they enlighten, they may be gods. Yeah, I’m not going anywhere on this weekend. Leave me with my books and forget me.

Then there are movies. Although they are released every Friday, I prefer watching them only if they’ve been rated high by a good number of movie buffs. IMDB is the website I visit most to check out the reviews/ ratings. Only a 7+ pointer will make into my watch-list. No, even a 6.9 does not. So, I have a long watch-list of all time 7+ pointers, mostly from Hollywood; I feel Bollywood is weak in producing 7+ pointers and only an Anurag Kashyap one would interest me. I’ve covered most of the Top 25 of the Top 250 list of movies on IMDB and I’ll soon finish watching the Top 50. So, yeah, if I don’t have a book in my hand, I would most certainly be on my laptop watching movies.

Then, there is music. Oh, my Scarlett 2i2 Audio Interface works magic and it’s a studio music recording that I prefer after books and movies. I’m not much of a singer, so I compose music with my guitar and try to record it in a good-enough voice. I simply love what Glen Hansard plays on his 25 year old guitar and he is a top class singer; I’m sure he’ll snatch another Oscar soon. So, if not composing fresh music, I cover Glen’s songs or listen to them in loop; soothes me.

But, then, there are always relatives out there who want to invite for their children’s birthdays. There are marriages going on at weekends, even Sundays are not spared. And in case there are no such events, the relatives cannot figure out how they spend their weekends and call me to their place for breakfast, lunch or dinner. So I might just visit them occasionally; weekend gone; no books read; no movies seen; no music made.

Now, once in a while, I get too excited about wandering, and because the weekend begins Friday night, my back-bag is packed Thursday night for 2 days and 2 nights somewhere in the mountains. The beach is not very near from Delhi. While in Karnataka, Mangalore was my favorite weekend spot. Merely 110 km from Hassan (where I was posted), Mangalore was the nearest beach place. Now, being in Delhi, I long for a Goa trip, but a weekend is not enough for Goa; it should take a good 5-day week. So, some other time, maybe.

Thanks for reading.

A Journey To Motherhood

I was a kid back then

and now a mother I am
and it's been a journey
beautiful enough for me.

Learned in chunks
the lessons of life,
now teaching 'em all
back to my child.

When unborn to this world,

I still had dreamt of him.

And now in my arms he lies,

It's hard to believe my eyes.

Tiny little hands on my face,

On my lap, his cheek he keeps,

And hide and seek he plays,

Between my fingers he peeps.

Of wonder and full of awe

Are his acts of innocence,

And naughty, mischievous

His omniscient presence.

Morning he wakes up

First, before sunrise,

Keeps me on my feet

All day long, all night.

And he would continue

His nonstop natural process,

With his never ending games,

Of turning things into mess.

Only God knows his ways,

Little monster that he is.

And when he is in full form,

The entire world is but his.