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"Mime, the art of non-verbal communication," he asserts, "is just like magic. While magic makes visible invisible, in mime it’s just the other way around." Of course, making invisible visible requires skill, imagination and training. Mook abhinay that is silent acting hinges mainly on body language. Says Goswami, "We use mime in our everyday life. But mime theatre is easier said than done." More so when the themes are abstract. As a rule, he stays away from nebulous ideas but sometimes he makes exceptions. Like he did a mime play based on limericks. Snippets such as a man trying to catch his shadow, another one showing playing antics with an umbrella were well appreciated though he isn’t quite sure whether they were properly understood. Audiences, especially in India, he feels, prefer stories. And over the years he has been telling them tales written by himself, by Badal Sircar, Vijay Tendulkar and those culled from the Upanishads. He asserts that mime has come a long way since the times when it was only considered a comic act at best good enough for school and college festivals which could elicit a few laughs. Today, there are many mime theatre groups. In Kolkata alone there are about 20 odd mime groups. Of course, theatre festivals still don’t give mime the due recognition. And it’s only this year that Bharangam has reserved space for a mime play. Besides, he rues, "Few plays are written with mime in mind." So when Goswami did Girish Karnad’s acclaimed Nagmandala, he requested the eminent playwright to write mime plays. However, writers are clueless as to how to lend words to a silent act. But finding visuals in words is Goswami’s cause celebre. Having acquired a postgraduate degree in drama from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, he moved towards mime and set up the Indian Mime Theatre in 1976. With those who deem mime to be a western art, he begs to differ. In fact, its Natyashastra which has been the fountainhead of his inspiration. He says, "Mook abhinay in Indian context is more than just acting without words. It is one of the most ancient and difficult art forms in theatre. It can be traced to the earliest annals of our cultural heritage. In Bharata Muni’s Natyashastra, the finer aspects of role-playing were discussed under mudras (gesture with hands). The ancient treatise has it all when it comes to understanding the art of acting of silence." The difference between Indian classical dance forms which too rely on codified body language as a tool of expression and mime, according to him, is that "Dance has emotions and mime is all about sentiments." Besides, he feels in mime communication has to follow a pattern. "Unlike dances where you can create a matka out of thin air and place it anywhere, in mime theatre you have to make sure that you put the imaginary matka some place", he adds. Nevertheless, he holds that like all art forms in mime, too, there are no set rules. So when enacting Tendulkar’s masterpiece Kamla, based on the flesh trade, he even used voice because at certain interjections it became impossible for him to convey the meaning to the viewers. Interestingly, while he has worked with mime artists such as Marcel Marceau and even penned a book on mook abhinnay, he admits that he has learnt many lessons from a hearing-impaired boy whom he calls his guru. Now Goswami works extensively with the children of the lesser god. Mime as a teaching tool has found favour with him and he conducts workshops as well as gives lectures at various management colleges. He is ready to set up a mime institute in Kolkata, which will provide degrees in mime, and feels there is a tremendous scope in this field. Of course, his ultimate dream stretches beyond mime as he envisions opening an art nucleus where all forms of artistic expressions can be nurtured. But before you dismiss it as a utopian idea, remember here is a man who has single-handed turned around what India feels and understands about mime.
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Silence