Three Cheers to our Cultural Club. After one and a half years in this college I can speak of participation in several fests and events that have led to my identity as an established actor in my Institute. I thank the club for the opportunities I was given and express gratitude especially to those seniors who took the initiative to start this platform due to which we could showcase our talent and deliver classical performances on stage.
Drama has always been a passion for me and the determination to perform well has ensured I give my best on every stage I step on to. I can attribute the success in my performances to patience, perseverance and the long hours of practice with a goal to get better and better with each take. Thanks to that, Dr. Prem Khurana, Bhalu Fasad Yadav, Lala Ji and ACP Pradyuman have been successes and widely acclaimed.
Nevertheless, I cannot deny the constructive feedback and quality advices from my co-actors that have prevented me from committing many blunders. With the Institute we are bonded to for three precious years of our lives being so adamant on maintaining its ‘Scrooge’ image, it’s all left for us to do ourselves, being deprived of expert assistance that our competitors enjoy. Yet I say we can be proud of what we have achieved. With a podium finish to our name in majority of the events we have been part of, no one can deny what a talented pool we are. With the indication of how much more we can achieve if we are provided some more support from ‘You-know-who’. But we have no option rather than cribbing and continuing to be independent.
Sadly, the truth is much uglier. We have learnt in our childhood in the numerous stories and moral values lessons about looking at oneself before pointing a finger at anyone else. This is just the mistake the club has committed. While the verdict regarding the Management woes may be unanimous, and completely justified, what is the credibility of the current post holders? I strictly speak in terms of management and responsibility, not talent. Least to say is that the way the club has been running after the retirement of the predecessors is absolutely preposterous. With an astonishing number of five people at the helm of just the drama segment, with their mentalities in four different directions, we can imagine why the condition of the drama team is so pathetic.
Although the club was under constant criticism by other clubs and committees alike regarding politics and the President a deemed ‘autocrat’, no one could question the commitment of the then heads of the respective departments and the manner of function. Though still flawed in many ways, it had tied the team together and ensured that everyone gave activity the top-most priority rather than vested interests and ego clashes.
Needless to say, the day they left, so did this culture. Slowly, the club moved towards a downfall, the evidence being that the recent Delhi fest was the first time the drama team failed to qualify in any of the events. Not only was it a disappointing end to a satisfactory run of decent results given the constraints, but also a blessing in disguise for our dear old ‘well-wishers’ to take another jibe at us, that too when they crave for such opportunities.
But what else can we expect when the people at the helm are at loggerheads, so much to question one another’s integrity as well as seeking their ousting from the post? While one questions the selection of another, the other accuses the third of trying to be authoritative. Is this the attitude with which we dream of making a mark at the National level? I disagree. At a time when all should be sitting together and discussing what went wrong and planning a revival, what we see is finger-pointing and the natural blame-game.
I wonder if it is difficult to comprehend that we being part of the same contingent and traveling with a single purpose should be a united party. Things go wrong when one distinguishes his or her responsibility from another’s. And that’s when a division starts taking place.
It is disheartening to see the way things are conducted. No sensible dramatist in this world will have the slightest hope of even performing five percent of his potential if the script is not ready till the day of the performance. With such an established committee in place is it really difficult to get three scripts ready with more than a month and a half in hand? So much that work should stay incomplete till the last day and characters should be switched at the eleventh hour to accommodate last minute changes? On a normal course when teams are ready with their plans well in advance and having mastered their roles well in time for the big day, I see no reason that the situation for us to sacrifice an entire night’s sleep should arise by any means. I do not call that drama; I call it a disgraceful attitude towards theatre.
Moreover, if discipline is that integral to the success of the team and indiscipline intolerable, then why do we still see people coming up to three hours late for a rehearsal with all the excuses in the world from illness to the visit by a relative during those very hours and getting away with it and then all authority and strictness coming out on the day of the performance?
In a place where everyone is supposed to be equal, if the ones with authority take undue advantage and indulge in unprofessional behaviour, there is no reason for the others to tolerate such ill-treatment. If one doesn’t have the attitude to accept suggestions and changes that could better the set-up, such a bullish individual has no right to be given any role. I would say the same for a person who would rather exercise his or her right to stay silent; reserving all differences in opinion to be thrust once a mistake has been committed.
Whoever has the courage to accept the truth will agree that we by no means deserved to even perform at such a level, let alone dream of qualifying. There are many areas where we lack, in some cases unaware of knowledge. It surprises me that instead of working on that, more attention is paid to take up authority and have one’s way. When the newcomers questioned me as to the functioning of the club, I could hardly express surprise that the question did arise. All I could answer is they better get used to it if they are here to stay. I had decided though, that enough is enough and I wouldn’t want to be where time and energy are wasted to no avail. When they come across and ask me why I am no more to be seen at the events or auditions, the reasons are quite clear. I have not ruled out working with the drama team completely in the future, but surely not for some time now. One thing’s for sure; if we have to make a mark and get back to the good old days, we have to bid farewell to politics and ego. But if the focus lies on whose head the ‘Taj’ is, we can very well expect the sorry days to continue.
