Gaude said that there are politicians who fear tiatrs. His exact words were, “Tiatrists have always highlighted what is happening in society and have kept a tab on politicians. Let me admit that even politician like me fear tiatrists.” Gaude is perhaps the first minister or even politician to admit that the political class fears tiatrs and so by inference they fear also tiatrists, and the reason he spelled out is that tiatrs highlight social issues and portray social realities.
What the minister said is absolutely true that tiatrs ‘portray a real life incident and create social awareness among the people and also send a strong message having effect on the minds of the people’. It can be inferred from this statement of the minister that there is a substantial amount of realism in the tiatrs, and that what pans out on the stage is not an exaggeration of the truth in society. Tiatrs have always been known to clearly portray social situations without prejudice and without fear of repercussions. That is why the art form is so popular in Goa. But, if the script is portraying realities, why should the politicians fear them?
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If what is being staged are not realities, but are fabricated themes aimed at maligning the reputation of an individual then one could understand that it could cause some anxiety among politicians as the audience may get taken in by the script. But what one sees on stage is often reality with a lot of dramatisation and creative liberty. So, why should politicians fear tiatrs? Is it because the art form has a large following and can influence the people better than any other form of theatre or art in the State? The tiatr has a dedicated audience and perhaps it is this large viewership that makes the tiatrist feared by the politician.
For the tiatr artistes, especially the singers who are known for directing some scathing criticism at the politicians with their stinging lyrics that lead to repeated encores, this is evidence that what they sing and act on stage is not going unnoticed by those in power. It may even spur the artistes to be more critical – within limits of course – but can we expect change from the establishment when the wrongs are pointed out on stage? Tiatr will truly have achieved much if it can bring about such change. It is not just entertainment that emerges from the pen of the writer, there are also social and political messages that hit home. It is these that make the political establishment uncomfortable.
What the minister said was a flattering remark at an event to mark the theatre form, but this statement brings to mind the recent incident when tiatrists complained of step-motherly treatment from the government and said that the curtains were being brought down on all the halls where Konkani tiatrs were being staged. They had even asked whether the tiatrist fraternity is the last priority of the State. It is time to make it a priority and give the tiatr fraternity what they need to keep the art form alive. This is the least that the government can and should do as tiatrists have often complained in the past too, of not getting their due recognition from the government.
Gaude, who is handling the Art and Culture portfolio, is perhaps best suited to give tiatr its due. He is an artiste himself and understands the problems of the fraternity better than any other.
