Anyone who has travelled by long distance trains in India will find it difficult to come to terms with this recent horrific three train collision and its aftermath.
I have travelled frequently to and fro between Mumbai – Kolkata, Mumbai – Pune, Mumbai – Sholapur, Chennai – Kolkata, Mumbai-Delhi, Kolkata-delhi and on other various routes till last year’s trip to Bombay with my son. We cancelled the return ticket and booked a flight due to multiple reasons: long delays as freight trains, I was told, were being prioritised, decline in food quality, and absolutely no reasons given for inordinate delays of 6 hrs, 10 hrs etc. When I did rant, I was often told that signalling systems were being revamped so I must not complain in the interest of the nation.
These long distance trains are microcosms of India. A compartment becomes a confluence of culture, class and plurality. Much to your annoyance or delight (depends on what kind of co-passengers you have) it is always a memorable journey. A train becomes a singular entity ferrying people of all kinds to their destination. The variants being tea, food and other kinds of vendors, the railway kids who come out of nowhere to sweep the dirt away from under your feet, or to collect plastic bottles, beggars, singers etc. We can find all kinds of people to engage with as the train hurtles down the tracks.
In an accident like this, it is so difficult to trace vendors, railway kids, beggars who were there in the train. Maybe some of the elders will be located through their fellow vendors but what about those kids? They too of course have a network. Once I had offered to buy a stick icecream for one of the tiniest ones, he smartly told me to wait till he got his friend from the other compartment. In no time, there were a bunch of 10 to 12 of them to have the ice cream much to the annoyance of co-passengers. I got much unsolicited advice on how they can’t be trusted and they are part of larger gangs, they rob etc.
My most painful unpleasant memory is of Coromandal express, of a stranger who tried to assault me while I was asleep and ran away before I could alert anyone. The trauma has made me a light sleeper so I stay awake either reading a book (till I am told to switch off the lights) or listen to various kinds of snoring, chugging sound of the train, kids wailing or staring out of the window into the dark interspersed by lights of small villages, towns or cities.
This microcosm of India – our long distance trains like Coromandal will continue to prevail as multitudes of Indians cannot afford any other option. One can only hope against hope that each one who lost their lives will be identified, including the vendors, vagrants, juveniles etc. It isn’t just the trains which collided and jump tracks killing so many people. It is the trust we all have that our systems are functioning smoothly and we are on track that has been broken time and again. These deaths no longer feel like an unpredictable accident, it is again the cliched – chronicle of the death foretold. We all know our nation is being put on a track which will lead to disastrous consequences. How long before we won’t just be a spectator of multitudes of dead?
Couple of years ago, I had taken a years break from work. I did many things which I wouldn’t have had liberty to do as a full time working teacher. One of things was – a week long course on History Of Indian Science hosted by Asiatic Society. Icing of the course (cake) was the grand finale – a theatre group called Mukhosh presented an anti-Superstition play – ‘Uncertainty of Principles’ ( ‘https://maddecadence.wordpress.com/2019/04/29/uncertainty-of-principles-a-brilliant-play-on-conflict-between-science-and-superstition/) in the historic auditorium of Asiatic Society. That’s when I first saw scientist duo Dr. Ayan Banerjee and Dr. Anindita Bhadra with their family on stage calling out superstition and astrologers through their brilliant play.
Having been a fan of playwrights like Brecht whose famous play on Galileo still gives me goosebumps, I felt a great sense of relief to see scientists reaching out to society to spread awareness, to open their blindfolds which has been put cunningly by those in power. That play was a grim reminder of work and sacrifice of stalwarts like Dr. Narendra Dabholkar and many others.
While there are quite a few professional theatre groups in Kolkata who are putting up incredibly brave shows to call out fascism, autocracy, highly critical of state and central governments but what makes Mukhosh a little different is that it is literally a small home grown theatre group, none of them are professional theatre persons but are rather well established names in their scientific academic circles and they really don’t have to do anything additional for the society – as we are often led to believe that scientific contribution is one of the most gratifying one to the society.
But we often ignore that modern scientists rarely dare to call out societal, religious and political wrongs like their glorious predecessors – Copernicus, Galileo and many others (whom they admire) did, as much is often at stake. Prof. Ayan Banerjee, Dr. Anindita Bhadra are carrying forward the brave legacy by staging dystopian truth as a dark comedy and making a call for scientific rationality of thought and action.
Their second play 2034 which was staged yesterday at Academy of Fine Arts on the eve of the anniversary of their theatre venture is truly a commentary on dystopian current times. Though the play backdrop is set for the year 2034, but I guess realities have accelerated fast beyond the expectation of the playwright.
It is a brilliantly scripted play about how an innocent magician couple’s famous stage act becomes their Achilles heel and they end up behind bars, framed to be anti-nationals by the fearful fascist government in power. I don’t want to give away the script but the way play unfolds as yet another show of the magician while breaking the fourth wall – involving the audience and ending in similar manner is quite innovative and engaging – making audience feel complicit and victim at the same time. It blurs the line between precarious predicament of protagonist and audience. Also, it ends on a mixed note as baton by legacy is passed on to the younger generation who are left to fend for themselves as society abandons them but the seed of creativity instilled by their parents holds a promise.
2034 addresses the important question as well – who are fearful ones here? We, the people of the government or is it really the other way around? Do fascists do what they do out of sheer mental fear psychosis – a fear of being called out and voted out of power? Are they so fearful that they wish to imprison any innocent who they feel is an perceptive, rational, gifted, thinking individual who can unmask their sinister blueprint? It also depicts how fear psychosis percolates when even neighbours, co-workers refuse to stand with the victims as media descends to hound them for the truth which has already been cleverly buried!
Kudos to Mukhosh, Ayan Banerjee, Anindita Bhadra and their family members for not fretting from holding the mirror to current times and calling out that ’emperor is truly naked and fearful’. Unfortunately, it is the audience/people of the republic which has been cleverly blinded.
Certain parts of the play did seem slow but I guess it was deliberate to build up the momentum for the end. Auditorium sound system needs a revamp. Academy of Fine Arts is undergoing renovations so one can hope they will improve infrastructure of the theatre as well.
Also, it was heartening to see many scientists and research scholars coming together to watch the play on a rainy saturday afternoon.
Looking forward for more such plays. These efforts truly are like proverbial straws of hope or silver linings – much required during current dark times which I guess will only become worse in future if we don’t act now.
Mad Decadence 