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Relief
for Yeddyurappa Foiled
terror bid in US |
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Deadly
brew
Obama
visit may not yield much
The
old-world charm
Without doubt
audiences are the most significant element on which hinges the success
of a performance. Take them away and performing arts will have little
meaning. The way they behave, how they respond can make or mar live
performing arts, especially theatre. So, is there a set code for
audiences? Do they need guidance or may be special lessons, some kind
of an initiation
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Foiled terror bid in US
IT seems when the US arrests one suspected terrorist, two or more emerge to implement the destructive designs of their masters, guiding them from some far-away corner in the world. This conclusion can be drawn when one has a close look at the terror scenario in the US. On Wednesday, the police took in custody a Pakistan-born US citizen, Farooque Ahmed, in Washington DC, on a charge of being associated with an Al-Qaida plot to simultaneously strike at many metro-rail stations. The idea, according to the police, was to kill as many innocent people as possible to send across the message that terrorism in the US remains as serious a threat to security as it has been for a long time. The arrest of Farooque came a week after a Pakistani national on a student visa, Adnan Mirza, was sentenced to 15 years in jail by a Texas court for aiding Pakistan-based terrorist groups. Farooque and Adnan do not appear to be as well connected as was another Pakistani-American Faisal Shehzad, sentenced to life imprisonment this month for plotting to set off a car bomb blast in New York City’s Times Square. But the picture that emerges when one looks at their terror plans and links is horrifying. Shahzad showed unusual audacity while admitting all the charges slapped on him. One can imagine how perfectly brainwashed he was when he stated, “I want to plead guilty, and I’m going to plead guilty 100 times over….” The US is afraid that it may face a Mumbai-type terrorist attack and, therefore, it continues to maintain tight security at all key places on the US landmass. A few days back the New York City police conducted a full-fledged drill to successfully meet any such threat. Washington DC’s fears have been reinforced by Al-Qaida’s call through its Inspire magazine to target crowded places like restaurants. The US is doing all it can to fight the menace, but its massive efforts seem to have failed to dampen the spirits of those busy in spreading terror. Perhaps, there is some serious flaw in its anti-terror strategy. That is why terrorist networks continue to find recruits to cause death and destruction. India, too, needs to be as alert as the US is about possible terrorist strikes. After all, India figures quite prominently on the hit list of these destructive forces.
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Deadly brew
Spurious
liquor has claimed several lives yet again.The hooch tragedy has struck upon a cluster of villages in Hoshiarpur district in Punjab where nearly 20 persons died after consuming spurious liquor. What makes such incidents more tragic is that invariably the victims are poor and working class people who, unmindful of the dangers involved, fall prey to cheap country-made liquor. Hooch has been taking a toll on human life across the country. Last year the heavy hooch toll in Gujarat had put its Chief Minister Narendra Modi on the mat and created uproar in the Assembly. Despite hooch tragedies being reported from different parts of the country, people remain oblivious to the dangers of illicit liquor and the administration, too, continues to be apathetic and does little to crack down on the illicit liquor business, which often enjoys political patronage. The involvement of influential politicians in liquor trade in the villages in Punjab where the recent tragedy took place cannot be ruled out. If only the administration had not turned a blind eye to the flourishing illegal liquor trade in the area, the tragedy could have been avoided. Token arrests of a few bootleggers will not help get rid of the menace. There is urgent need to get to the root of the liquor racket and punish those involved. People, too, must be made aware of the enormous dangers of consuming not only illicit liquor but also alcohol per se. While anti-smoking campaigns have had a salutary effect in the country, nothing much is being done to discourage people from consuming liquor. Undeniably, tragedies like the one in Gujarat last year have shown that the policy of prohibition is not the solution. Yet self-restraint and temperance regarding alcohol consumption, especially illicit brew, must be advocated through sustained awareness campaigns.
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Under democracy one party always devotes its energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule — and both commonly succeed and are right. — H.L. Mencken
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Obama visit may not yield much
On
the eve of the much-hyped visit of US President Barack Obama, Washington DC has announced an enhanced military aid of $2.50 billion to the Pakistan Army for its anti-terror drive. The US Commander in Afghanistan has admitted that he has enabled top Taliban leaders to travel to Kabul for a discussion on possible peace moves that would enable On each of these moves, there are riders obviously aimed at assuaging Indian concerns. The military aid is conditional on Pakistan doing more to get the terror sanctuaries in North Waziristan sanitised. The peace talks with the Taliban are being held with the hope that the Taliban will join Afghan President Karzai’s government, sidelining the hardliners like Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden. In all these, there is no concrete measure to ensure that Pakistan stops treating India as its enemy or that the terror attacks planned in Pakistan against India will stop. The unreality of all the assurances is evident from this report in The Wall Street Journal on US-Pakistan strategic talks. The report says: “Pakistan officials said Islamabad is willing to step up the current level of surgical strikes. But they said a full-scale clearing operation in North Waziristan isn’t possible because large numbers of its troops and equipment are being used to respond to recent devastating flooding, the country’s worst yet, and are being used to rout militants from other areas.” How flimsy is this excuse for not attacking the terror camps is seen in the next para in the same report: It says: “In a recent report to Congress, the White House said it believed the Pakistani military was avoiding direct conflict with the Afghan Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces for political reasons. Despite the US calls for a crackdown on the Haqqani network, some Pakistani officials continue to support the group, viewing it as longtime ally that has steadfastly opposed Indian involvement in Afghanistan.” How could you expect the Pakistan Army to give up what it considers as its strategic asset — that is the Taliban especially and terror groups in general — working against India? Clearly, the Pakistan Army is pressing the US administration for a deal that would push India out of Afghanistan and keep all the terror training camps in tact. So long as it is against India, it obviously does not matter to America. The hopes expressed by the Obama administration that Pakistan will use the huge military aid it is getting to eliminate terror groups in North Waziristan are nothing more than a wish. A Time magazine report adds: “The US sends some $2 billion a year to the Pakistani military for its role in combating terrorist groups along the border with Afghanistan, and another $ 1.5 billion a year is earmarked for civilian institutions. “Yet the Pakistan Army has consistently failed to go after militants in North Waziristan, which serves as a haven for Al-Qaeda and insurgents fighting US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Elements of Pakistan’s intelligence agency continue to back such groups, hedging their bets in anticipation of an eventual US withdrawal from the region.” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may gloat over the fact that the US President has endorsed his (Dr Singh’s) foreign policy approach. But the bottom of this claim has been blown high with the exposure of the shopping list that the US President has sent to his host in advance. It has many items he wants from India; nothing whatsoever of concern to us. America wants access to the Indian market for its agricultural products but India’s access to high-tech US products would still be subject to convincing end-user riders. On India’s request to support its case for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, there is no assurance from the US side; there is only a general statement that Washington DC is in favour of an expansion of the permanent membership. The last thing we have heard is that the visiting President will ease the visa restrictions on Indian applicants. That is just a distant hope, considering the visitor’s commitment to his electorate to protect American jobs. It is something of a mystery how our government agreed to an early November visit by the US President when during this period America had to hold its mid-term elections to Congress, predicted to go against Obama’s Democratic Party. Also, the President’s popular approval ratings are at the lowest point and that would prevent him from taking any spectacular initiative during his India visit. Sources in New Delhi’s South Block have already conceded that “because of the constraints the US is facing” the Obama visit will not produce any “big bang”. But for some export benefits for India with further easing of restrictions on high-technology exports to this country, the visit may be long on rhetoric, short on substance. The Indo-Pak dialogue for which Dr Manmohan Singh lowered India’s guard has gone nowhere. The current situation in Pakistan with the Generals back in power behind the tottering civilian government gives little hope that the several terror outfits that the Pakistani military is nurturing will cease to mount more terror strikes against India. The hope that America would succeed in getting Pakistan on its side in eliminating terror as an instrument of Islamabad’s foreign policy is fading. The Pakistan Generals calling the shots back in that country would count on the jihadi terror outfits in India to act as its fifth column. It would be futile to expect America to rescue our chestnuts from the terror fire. But the UPA’s entire foreign policy is built on that premise, ignoring the local links to Pakistani terror organisations. This is the basic weakness that is now getting exposed as India gets isolated in the fight against
terror. The writer is a BJP member of the Rajya Sabha.
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The old-world charm A
newspaper
headline about the demise of Satyavati, a centenarian freedom fighter, took my mind back some 55 years. We, a handful of students from D.A.V. College, Ambala city, had then congregated in the rural hinterland of Punjab somewhere around Mansa to participate in the Bhoodaan movement of the late Vinoba Bhave. The mission in the area was being led by Lala Achint Ram, the husband of this grand old lady who had hid and hosted a number of revolutionaries and national leaders, like Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh and Chandra Shekhar Azad at her residence in Lahore. Achint Ram was then representing the Patiala constituency in Parliament and Satyavati was present by his side. We mostly slept under the open skies and dined in a community kitchen run by us. The participants were all spirited and selfless individuals wanting to do something about the inequities in our society in their own humble way. We went from village to village trying to motivate the landed aristocracy to part with at least one sixth of their land holdings in favour of the landless. It was, indeed, a difficult mission, but quite a few came forward to donate their precious land for the noble cause, because some of the high spirit of our freedom struggle was still alive. Besides, many of the freedom fighters were associated with the movement. I felt the way once Wordsworth did when he let out on the French Revolution: “Bliss was in that dawn to be alive: To be young was very heaven”. We the students were thus completely caught in the spirit of the camp. In fact, getting charged with a patriotic surge at the place, we actually tried to follow in the footsteps of the freedom fighters in our midst. We were to soon leave for Goa to participate in the satyagraha for its liberation and carry the wounds sustained on our bodies at the hands of the Portuguese police in the spirit of war trophies. Returning to our Bhoodaan camp, we regularly faced ever-new challenges in our work. We, of course, walked from village to village on foot. However, some transport was always needed to carry our equipment. Once, the mud-track leading to a village that we wanted to cover was completely blocked. Not even a bullock-cart could be driven there. Finding Lala Ji worried over our getting stranded; we offered to carry the equipment all the way to the village on our person. This sent a visible flutter in his heart. I thus carried a heavy battery on my head. After a few miles, the old man quickened his pace to join me and insisted on sharing the load with me. By the time I could persuade him to transfer the battery back on my head; he had already covered nearly half a mile. That was the spirit of the times — the times of the grand old couple of the Indian freedom
movement.
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Without doubt audiences are the most significant element on which hinges the success of a performance. Take them away and performing arts will have little meaning. The way they behave, how they respond can make or mar live performing arts, especially theatre. So, is there a set code for audiences? Do they need guidance or may be special lessons, some kind of an initiation
course on how to behave? Or is self-restraint the best policy and audiences have to be left to learn on their own? Neelam Man Singh Kewal
Dhaliwal, Balwant
Thakur, (as told to Nonika Singh)
The above stated scenario can be truly frightening and each performer shudders at such a fate beholding him/her. A theatre audience is not just a collection of passive watchers and listeners, but is essential for the success of a performance. The relationship between the actor and the audience is a significant theatrical problem that has occupied the minds of theatre directors as much as the creative dimensions of creating a performance A performance without an audience cannot be called theatre. Theatre can only happen when an actor, through the power of his storytelling techniques, creates an invisible thread that binds a disparate group of people into a collective, through a shared experience. Peter Brook describes Theatre as "the notion that the stage is a place where the invisible can appear." I personally associate with this type of theatre because I believe that theatre is a magical art form in which anything is possible. Theatre is a place where the audience has to suspend their beliefs for a certain period and enter a world of 'make-believe', and sometimes this make-believe can be more 'real' then the world they inhabit. The play, actors and audience are all crucial and interlinked parts of any live performance. Remove anyone of them, un-link and shake any of their relationships with each other and a production collapses. An actor is a storyteller, but - in some theatrical cultures - performs the social function of a shaman. Too often the actors feel it's all about them, but actually it's about the audience -- being able to identify and recognise some aspect of their lives being revealed on the stage. The more you move away from the audience, the less power you have on stage. If an actor has to be prepared to face a live audience, what is the responsibility and preparedness of an audience? The Chandigarh audience does not lack enthusiasm, sensitivity or artistic inclinations towards theatre - but what they definitely need to cultivate is that not only does an actor get ready for a performance, but an audience also need to prepare his inner and outer spirit to witness a performance Having performed in most of the major cities in India as well as festivals in the world, I have noticed that if a performance is disturbed by any member of the audience, he/she is made to feel like a social pariah and temporarily ostracised. The audiences take their role seriously. I have often been aghast to see a play delayed for the arrival of a VIP guest who walks in with an entitlement that is impervious to the mood of the audience or the status of the artist. Pandemonium and chaos ensues if VIPs are denied their seating rights, while the rest of the disfranchised audience look on in bemusement. We have often noticed that an audience saunters into an auditorium, invariably harried and late, loudly mouthing a bunch of trivia in an insistently beeping cell phone. When I was working in Bharat Bhavan (Bhopal), a cultural complex in the early 80s, Chief Minister Arjun Singh would arrive for a show, always punctual and buy his five-rupee ticket for himself and his family. This was not an empty gesture or an affectation, but was an endeavour to inculcate the spirit of respect towards the arts. I believe that in a great city, or even in a small city or a village, a great theatre is the outward and visible sign of an inward and progressive culture. Chandigarh has all the ingredients to be considered a liberal and forward thinking city. However, it needs to actively cultivate a responsibility, which is far more complicated then mere respect, towards the arts. A lot of this cavalier attitude from the audience comes from being a city of 'freebies' where theatre and art shows come without a price tag. You can hear a great singer, painter or actor without having to dip into your pocket. Instead of celebrating this generosity as a 'gift' from the city and the organisers, we take advantage. The key to building any relationship with the arts is to recognise that sometimes, even though they are free, they represent immense value, both for the artists as well as the audience. Tapping into this invisible value is the essence of a theatrical and artistic culture. Neelam Man Singh Chowdhry, an NSD alumnus, is a celebrated theatre person whose plays have been staged at prestigious international theatre festivals all over the world
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No doubt each audience has to have a certain code. Theatre audiences are vastly different from the ones that would come to see pop icon Gurdas Maan perform. Having said that I want to qualify that no code can be imposed from outside. It has to be evolved and many theatre organisations like Abhinet and theatre persons like Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry have contributed in the making of a disciplined and discerning audience. The relationship between audience and organisers is not a one-way street and organisers too must respect audience's time. What happens is that often when a bureaucrat or a politician is part of the audience we tend to disturb the code we apply on lesser mortals. Yes, there can be a censure of misbehaviour but it has to come from within the viewers themselves who must react against both organisational faults and misdemeanours of fellow audiences.
Can audiences be trained? I don't think so… for audiences are not a fixed entity but change each time. Besides, no two audiences are the same. Urban audiences have different sensibilities and rural audiences would behave differently, though it no less disciplined fashion. Similarly audiences we encounter at the youth festivals are more charged up and likely to be more disruptive. However, I feel that wherever theatre is a tradition, viewers tend to be not only more civilised but even their feedback by way of clapping or sheer silence is most apt and encouraging. Yes there are minor irritants like, people trooping in late with children in tow, munching popcorn and chips. But these can be ironed out and audiences can be guided subtly and by organisers setting an example. At the end of the day the credit or discredit for making audiences goes to theatre persons. If they are following rules, like say starting the play on time, viewers would automatically learn the lesson of punctuality. 
Actually in India audiences have a rather casual attitude towards arts and that manifests in their behaviour while watching a performance. So despite repeated entreaties regarding switching off mobile phones, phones continue to ring and that too often when the performance is at its peak. People, generally forget that theatre is not cinema, but a live art, and actors are sensitive beings that get distracted with the slightest disturbance. Thus first of all there is a dire need for inculcating respect towards art and artists. Once they realise the effort that goes into the making of a play, they will begin to appreciate it the right way. Perhaps, a few lessons in theatre appreciation wouldn't be a bad idea at all to make audiences learn the significance of this art as well as make them understand the difference between good and bad performance.