IPTA : A stage for social commitment

The Indian People’s Theatre Association (acronymed   as the IPTA) was the cultural wing of the Communist Party of India, an initiative by theatre-artists with a dream of bringing about a cultural reawakening among the Indian people.  Anil De’ Silva assisted in the formation of IPTA in Bombay in 1943. It came about as a result of a multifarious backdrop: the devastating man-made Bengal famine of 1943, the repression of the British colonialists, and the attacks on the Soviet Union by various fascist powers were many of the issues its founders felt strongly about. 

Some of the initial members of the groups were Prithviraj Kapoor, Bijon Bhattacharya, Ritwik Ghatak, Utpal Dutt, Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, Salil Chowdhury, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Jyotirindra Moitra and many other stalwarts. IPTA committees were formed throughout the nation, permeating the worlds of theatre, cinema and music.

 The mission statement of IPTA is ‘People’s Theatre Stars the People’. The logo designed by the famous painter Chitta Prasad is a drummer (nagara vadak), a reminder of one of the oldest mediums of communication. The name “People’s Association” was suggested by Homi Jahangir Bhabha who was inspired by Romain Rolland’s book on People’s Theatre.

The IPTA staged many noteworthy dramas throughout the country: the most renowned of these being Nabanna (Harvest), portraying the plight and the starvation deaths of millions. Similar productions were carried out all over the country.

Modern choir singing in India was also initiated by IPTA. Pt. Ravi Shankar composed Iqbal’s ‘Sare Jahan Se Achha’ for the Central Cultural Troupe of IPTA established in 1944. Many others penned and composed songs in different languages. These artists created what we call Janasangeet (people’s music) once again underlining the philosophy of the group.                                                                                                                

Around 1960, IPTA disintegrated at the national level. However its main members continued to carry the legacy of IPTA by forming several groups with similar ideology. IPTA Bombay was an offshoot that continues to produce dramas till date. Group theatres like Bahurupee (led by Shambhu Mitra), People’s Little Theatre (led by Utpal Dutt) and Nandikar (led by Ajitesh Bandopadhyay and others) of Kolkata continued to produce socially and politically conscious dramas; and recently there have been efforts to start a similar movement inspired by the IPTA.

In his Presidential Address in 1943, Hiren Mukherjee had said: “Come writer and the artist, come actor and the play-wright, come all who work by hand or by brain, dedicate yourselves to the task of building a brave new world of freedom and social justice.” Perhaps these powerful words best sum up the mission of this radical group.