Natyabhash by Shambhu Mitra [Hardcover]

"The distinguished theatre personality, Shambhu Mitra, delivered a series of lectures related to theatre at Santiniketan in 1977, at the invitation of Visva-Bharati, where he was a guest professor. The printed versions of three of those lectures are compiled in the book 'Natyabhasha'! Edited by Alpana Roy, this book allows readers to grasp the astonishing theatrical prowess of Shambhu Mitra, as he vividly portrays the magical play of theatre creation from within. His spontaneous narrative brings forth his exceptional experiences as a theatre spectator. Like writing stories or painting pictures, a stage actor cannot leave their creation for posterity.

'What people get at that moment is its value. If they cannot understand it then, there is no chance of them understanding it in the future...' - This is Shambhu Mitra's sentiment at the end of his lecture 'Natya Darshan'.

Shambhu Mitra, one of the leading figures of the new theatre movement, remains legendary in the production of Rabindranath's plays. Many believe that during the staging of Rabindra plays like 'Raktakarabi' and 'Raja', he was at the peak of his theatrical creativity. Mitra candidly admitted that initially, he had reservations about Rabindranath's plays, especially regarding their theatrical language; he felt that this new kind of language would not bring dialogues to life and would lose connection. Later, he realized that Rabindranath's plays represent the form of our country, not a poor imitation of foreign theatre. He discussed the pre-production preparations of plays like 'Char Adhyay', 'Raktakarabi', and 'Muktadhara', which are valuable and intriguing. According to him, Rabindranath's plays offer a scope for self-exploration. The invaluable 'Natyabhasha' book's Ananda edition is undoubtedly a golden collection for readers."