The Stage and Sri Ramakrishna Debjani Roy Moulik

Rangmahal staged a drama in 1959 or 1960, which was written by Dr. Sadhan Kumar

Bhattacharya, the noted critic of drama. It was performed by theatre personalities besides

the professors. In the hero’s role was Kamal Mitra. He arrived a little before the performance

was to begin. Instead of going to the green room, as generally expected, he went beside

the wings to pay his respect to the picture of Sri Ramakrishna. Only after that did he rush to

the green room. The curious Nalini Ranjan Chattopadhyay asked his teacher, Dr.

Bhattacharya the reason behind this unusual act. The latter replied that from the day when

Sri Ramakrishna came to the theatre and blessed Binodini, the professional actors and

actresses have marked him as the patron-saint of the theatre and pay their obeisance

before beginning their work. Now the question that naturally arises is: why Sri Ramakrishna?

What has this saint to do with theatre? This is precisely what this paper aims to show.

Sri Ramakrishna came to the public theatre around a hundred and twenty years ago.

The theatre has faced many ups and downs during these years. The paper aims to show the

role of Sri Ramakrishna in the overall progress of the theatre. He was aware of the

importance of theatre in promoting general awareness among the people. His

encouragement went far beyond the contemporaneous social strictures and lent a dignity,

hitherto absent to all those who were associated with the stage. And theatre, thus aware of

its new responsibility, began to actively spread the message of spiritualism and nationalism

among the common people.

Sri Ramakrishna’s love for stage can be traced back to his early childhood. He was

gifted with acting and mimicry. In his village Kamarpukur, every evening there were “jatra”

or “baul” songs. He would go through the programme with the careful eye of a critic. Thus

nothing incongruous could escape him. He soon formed his own group of “jatra” and taught

the art of acting to his friends. He himself appeared in the important roles. He was so

talented in performing female roles that none could identify him till he revealed himself. It

should be noted that those who could not identify him – all knew him personally. He could

put on the correct make-up, correct voice and correct gestures – all necessary elements of

performance. Moreover, he did not have the adequate stage decor and lighting. It all

happened under normal conditions – where to create this illusion was even more difficult. Sri

Ramakrishna’s love for theatre continued in his later life. It brought him to the amateur

theatre of Keshab Chandra Sen. The play staged was the latter’s Nababrindaban which was

a direct result of the influence of the saint on the author. Even the plays of Trailokyanath

Sanyal were influenced by Sri Ramakrishna’s teachings (Chattopadhyay 8). The latter also

watched the plays on secular themes – the “jatra” of Bidyasundar and Bibaha Bibhrat.

During Sri Ramakrishna’s times theatre was looked down upon. All those who were

associated with it were regarded as “outcasts”. The reason behind this was the recruitment

of actresses. They were taken from the quarters of prostitutes and so the educated men

would have no connection with them. Ahindra Chowdhury writes that the Bengali stage lost

the association of two great personalities – Vidyasagar and Rabindranath – due to the

presence of these actresses (Chattopadhyay 34). When the public theatre was beyond the

domain of the gentlefolk, Sri Ramakrishna went there. It was September 21, 1884 and the

occasion was the enactment of Chaitanya Lila. He was so impressed with the performance

and more so with the perfect impersonation of Chaitanya by Binodini, that he blessed her:

“Ma may you have chaitanya”(Bhattacharya 95). In “Benediction in Performance”

Bhattacharya writes: “The incident becomes the proof of the inexhaustible grace (kripa) of

the Patitpaban (deliverer of the fallen) and consequently responsible for the remarkable

transformation of Binodini’s life” (Bhattacharya 27). When Sri Ramakrishna was asked how

he liked the play, he said: “I found the representation the same as the real” (Nikhilananda

556).

In the early stage of theatre, all those who were associated with it were “pariah”. This

was so because no one was ready to respect the companions of the prostitutes. But the

person to pay this respect was none other than a monk, who had renounced everything!

Indeed the coming of Sri Ramakrishna to the public theatre provides a final seal of approval.

It gave the actors and dramatists a new confidence. Binodini writes: “If the world looks

down upon me with contempt, it does not matter to me, for I know that he who was the

most worthy of worship, Ramakrishna Paramhansadeb has been kind to me” (Bhattacharya

95). Girishchandra writes that those in the theatre “began to believe that Patitpaban [. . .] is

merciful towards the fallen” (Bhattacharya 217).

Sri Ramakrishna’s grace for the theatre manifested itself in his tolerance for

Girishchandra. Many times did the latter insult him. Some of the disciples of the saint sat on

the bench opposite to the actor. But their guru’s love for theatre and for Girishchandra

forced them to change their attitudes. Similarly did the society change its outlook. Coming

under the influence of Sri Ramakrishna, Girishchandra often wanted to quit theatre. But the

former would not allow him to do so. Sri Ramakrishna was aware of the important role

played by theatre in educating the masses. In a country with a very low literacy rate, how

should the message of spiritualism and nationalism reach everyone? He did not believe in

the efficacy of moralizing through lectures. He felt that the dramatist and the actor could do

this better. So he would tell his disciple: “No, no! Let things be as they are. People will learn

much from your plays” (Nikhilananda 677).

There were two other reasons for not allowing Girishchandra discontinue the theatre.

Together with the audience, the actors would benefit from the intense spiritual and

nationalist feelings. As a proof we can see how Binodini felt while playing the role of

Chaitanya in Chaitanya Lila. She writes: “It seemed as if my own spirit leapt out from within

me and sought refuge at the lotus-feet of Hari. [. . .] On some days it would come to such a

pass that unable to bear the pressure of performance, I would faint on the stage”

(Bhattacharya 94). The other reason was that theatre gave the actresses an alternative

means of earning their livelihood. They were prostitutes who found in drama a means to

earn a respectable livelihood and come out of their earlier stifling environment.

Girishchandra was of the opinion that avoiding the prostitutes, already present in the

society, was no means of curing it. He wanted to show them a new way, following which

they may lead their life with purity and stop seducing men by standing at the market-place.

Sri Ramakrishna, by showering his grace on Girishchandra, was actually nurturing the

cause of theatre. Gradually the latter attained self-consciousness. This is shown in the Act II

scene (ii) of Nimai-Sannyas, together with, how the presence of Sri Ramakrishna in the

world of theatre, is a means of emancipation for all who are connected with it. The actress

is afraid that being a sinner, she cannot enjoy the divine grace; an d the actor consoles her

that God is merciful. Then follows a prayer that voices the mental turmoil of the dramatist,

together with a note of hope: “The sinner calls you, O deliverer of the sinner, fulfill my

desire. Where are you, Gourchand, the saviour of the lowly? [. . .] My tormented soul

forever oscillates, O give me the taste of the nectar of love”. A more direct influence of Sri

Ramakrishna on Girishchandra is seen in the composition of Bilwamangal. It was Sri

Ramakrishna who gave the dramatist clues about the plot construction and character

portrayal, besides some directions on acting (Chattopadhyay 108). The two new characters

– the ascetic and the madwoman – are not present in the original story. Sri Ramakrishna’s

account of his encounter with few people and the associated mimicry made Girishchandra

introduce them into the text of his drama.

The cover picture of Natyamandir Chaitra, 1319 BS was of Sri Ramakrishna. The editor

Amar Dutta gave the reason behind it. He felt that the saint came to the theatre and

washed away all that was bad. It was he who made the theater dignified (Chattopadhyay

75). And indeed such was the case. Girishchandra once commented, “Chaitanya Lila gave

me everything – through it I got the grace of my guru”. The dramatist may have found his

guru, but the theatre world found its guru in the form of Sri Ramakrishna.

Christopher Isherwood comments:

One curious result of their [Sri Ramakrishna’s and Girishchandra’s] association is

that, Ramkrishna’s picture is found to be hanging backstage in nearly every

theatre in Calcutta. The actors bow to it before they make their entrances. By

giving his approval to Girish’s art and encouraging him to continue practising it,

Ramkrishna, became, as it were, the patron-saint of drama in Bengal (Isherwood

254).

Incense is burnt and flowers are offered before the picture of Sri Ramakrishna. Actors,

painters, prompters, shifters – all pay obeisance in front of it before beginning their work.

Even today if some amateur group performs in a public theatre hired for the purpose, the

professionals involved with the stage continue the tradition.

Not just this, but the handbills, posters and advertisements of drama bore the

superscription “In the Holy feet of Sri Ramakrishna”. Sometimes he was addressed as

“gurumaharaj” and “natanath”. Sisir Kumar Bhaduri used “natanath” in his handbills and

posters (Chattopadhyay 80). Amar Dutta began to write his drama Napolean Bonaparte on

the “auspicious occasion of Ramakrishna’s birthday”. The journal Natayamandir edited by

Dutta had its printing press named “Ramakrishna Printing Works” (Chattopadhyay 79-80).

Even in his letter to his son, Kshirod Prasad Bidyabinod uses the superscript of Sri

Ramakrishna.

Now the question that arises is why should Sri Ramakrishna be the “patron-saint” of

the theatre? Anil Chatterjee feels this is because he was the spiritual teacher of the

dramatist, encouraged him to write and gave theatre its due respect (Chattopadhyay 254-

255). But Chattopadhyay feels that the personal guru of Girishchandra cannot be the

patron-saint of the theatre. Sri Ramakrishna was so in his own right. He saw theatre as a

means of enlightening the masses. He also saw it as a part of the mystery of human life,

solving which one may attain the spiritual world. Chattopadhyay writes in Sri Ramakrishna o

Banga Rangamancha, “It was Sri Ramakrishna, the lover of human life, who accepted the

origin of the happiness of the masses – the stage. All those who are involved with the stage

offer their respects to this lover of mankind”. Gautam Buddha had blessed Amrapali and

Kuvalaya but they had already snapped their ties with the theatre. But Sri Ramakrishna

forbade Girishchandra to quit the theatre and blessed the actors. The Bengali artistes pay

their respect to the courage of the great lover of mankind.

In the conclusion, it may be said that the influence of Sri Ramakrishna continues even

today. Savitri Chatterjee says that by blessing Binodini, he had actually blessed all the actors

of the past, present and future. She says, “Even today when I face the footlight, I

remember the blessing of Sri Ramakrishna”. Had not Sri Ramakrishna come to the Star

Theatre, it would have been still a long way to go, before the theatre could enjoy a

respectable position in the society. Stage was the first place where women could earn a

respectable livelihood. And Sri Ramakrishna showed his courage in going against the society

and acknowledging this act of economic independence of women.

Works Cited

Bhattacharya, Rimli. “Benediction in Performance: Reverberations of Chaitanya Lila from the

1880’s”. Jadavpur Journal of Comparative Literature. 33 (1995 – 96): 26-58.

Chattopadhyay, Nalini Ranjan. Sri Ramakrishna o Banga Rangamancha. Calcutta: Mandal

Book House, 1978.

Dasi, Binodini. Amar Jiban and Amar Abhinetri Jiban. Trans. Rimli Bhattacharya. New Delhi:

Kali for Women, 1998.

Gupta, Mahendranath. Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita. Trans. Swami Nikhilananda. Madras:

Sri Ramakrishna Math.

Isherwood, Cristopher. Ramkrishna and his Disciples. Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1965.