Chattisgarh Government bans Charandas Chor

for an Article on the Dramatic Performances Act

We are shocked to learn from press reports that the BJP government of

Chhattisgarh has banned Charandas Chor, a classic of the modern Indian

theatre, written and produced by Habib Tanvir. The play was first done in

the 1970s, and is originally based on an oral folk tale from Rajasthan.

Habib Tanvir worked on this tale, introducing into it elements of the art

and beliefs of the Satnami community. Satnami singers and dancers have

performed in this play, and it has been seen by members of the community

several times. In Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, there are several rural

troupes who are today performing some version of this play.

The play itself is the story of a thief who, under the influence of a guru,

pledges never to tell a lie. He sticks to his pledge, even at the cost of

his life. This superb tragic-comedy, in a thoroughly entertaining and

artistic manner, brings into focus the moral and ethical degeneration of our

society, in which, paradoxically, it is a thief who ends up being more

honest than those who supposed to be the custodians of our morality.

Charandas Chor remains Habib Tanvir’s best-known play, and has been

performed literally hundreds of times by his world-renowned Naya Theatre

troupe all over India and in several countries across the world. It was made

into a film by Shyam Benegal, with Smita Patil in the lead, in 1975, and was

the first Indian play to win the prestigious Fringe First award at the

Edinburgh Theatre Festival in 1982. It then did a successful run on the

London stage.

We demand that the Chhattisgarh government immediately revoke this absurd

ban.

Arvind Gaur

Brijesh

Govind Deshpande

Javed Malick

Madangopal Singh

M.K. Raina

Moloyashree Hashmi

N.K. Sharma

Shahid Anwar

Sudhanva Deshpande

Vivan Sundaram

Wamiq Abbasi

Act One Theatre Group

Asmita Theatre Group

Bahroop Art Group

Jana Natya Manch

Jan Sanskriti

Janvadi Lekhak Sangh

Sahmat