~ An Object & Material Theatre Performance ~ Clay Dolls of Sunderbans tell stories of their land!

In the dangerous and magical land of Sunderbans, living is about a fragile balance – between land and water, forest and field, domestic and wild, human and human, human and non-human, calm and storm. As each stakes claim on the other, as each encroaches upon the other’s space, survival here is possible only through stories and beliefs. 'Bonbibi' is said to have come to the ‘Land of the 18 Tides’ to help the people, the tigers, the deer, the crabs, the trees… all beings that cohabit the land. But, only if we agree to her terms. And when she looks away, devastation follows!

In this Object Theatre performance, clay dolls made by doll-artists of Sunderbans tell contemporary stories of their land. Stories that are as local as they are global !

Recommended Age: 12+

Maati Katha is a play that emerges from the soil. Born out of an ongoing 3-year research project that documents and archives the rich plethora of stories surrounding traditional & contemporary doll-making practices of West Bengal, Maati Katha marries traditional art-forms with contemporary performance techniques and global concerns. The performance draws inspiration from Sunderban’s folk legends and stories, rich performance tradition of 'Bonbibi Jatrapala', music traditions like Bhatiyali, Baul, Jhumur; and marries traditions to contemporary object and material theatre practices.

The play draws inspiration from the arts, lifestyles & philosophies of one of Eastern India's most marginalized & at-risk people. The people of Sunderbans ~ a unique deltaic mangrove region divided between West Bengal & Bangladesh and under UNESCO World Heritage Site. The region's unique, precarious terrain and ecology have deeply impacted the lifestyles, philosophies, legends, and stories of its people, giving rise to rooted but universal belief systems. Through the play, Sunderbans emerge as a reflective surface for global concerns. Resulting in a performance that is earthy, devastating, joyful and transformative. Tram Arts Trust, with support from Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society UK, Pickle Factory Dance Foundation Kolkata, and Harkat Studios Mumbai, presents ‘Maati Katha’ or Earth Stories, an object & material theatre performance celebrating the doll-arts & stories of Sunderbans!

DOLLS EXHIBITION: The performance will be preceded by a walk-through exhibition of significant doll-arts of West Bengal, both traditional and contemporary. Titled 'PUTUL KATHA ~ An Exhibition of Dolls of West Bengal & Their Stories', the dolls will be accompanied by the myriad stories that surround this age-old living artform. Stories that are historical and contemporary, ritualistic and whimsical, communitarian and deeply personal, profound and quirky. This exhibition may well be Mumbai's first glimpse into the rich plethora of West Bengal's doll stories! #Please Note: The exhibition will be at Harkat's 2nd Floor terrace accessible through a metal staircase. Don't worry, it is perfectly solid & safe.

RECOMMENDED AGE: 12+ years

LANGUAGES: The show is partially verbal and partially visual based (non-verbal), allowing the audience space for their own interpretations. Shows will be performed in either Hindi or English, with Bengali songs in both versions. Please check the performing language of the day of your booking. Please note that translated handouts will be provided for the Bengali songs.

DURATION OF PLAY: 65 minutes. (Please arrive 40 minutes BEFORE your show time to view the exhibition.)

CREDITS

Supported by Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society for ‘Voices From The South Programme 2023’, UK. Curated by Pickle Factory Dance Foundation, Kolkata.

Sunderban (Manmathanagar) Dolls Created by: Dinesh Mondol, Subol Mondol, Naresh Das, Ronojeet Sarkar

Additional Dolls procured from: Artists Dibakar Pal, Shubhojit Pal, Howrah; and Artists Lakshminarayan Chowdhury & Koyel Chowdhury, Bansberia.

Co-Directed by: Choiti Ghosh & Mohd. Shameem

Performed by: Choiti Ghosh (English) / Mohd. Shameem (Hindi)

Playwright: Manjima Chatterjee Hindi Translation: Kapil Pandey

Content Guide: Poulomi Das

Research Support: Sharvari Sastry, Ruma Ghosh, Ashish Ghosh

Production Manager & Lights Operation: Abhisar Bose

Music Direction: Mihir Basu Vocals: Choiti Ghosh, Ashish Ghosh, Md.Shameem

Poster Design: Sumon Sengupta, Harkat Studios

About Tram Arts Trust

Tram Arts Trust, based in Mumbai-New Delhi is India's first dedicated Object Theatre company. They are dedicated to the study, evolution and propagation of object theatre, that finds expression from the cultural histories, objects and contexts of India. Their creations include Nostos (2011), Bird's Eye View (2011), Alice in Wonderland (2013), Objects in the Mirror are Closer than they Appear (2014), Dhaaba (2016), Oool (2018), Khidkiyaan (2020), and Maati Katha (Earth Stories) (2023). As part of their commitment to building object theatre practices in India, they conduct workshops for young people, provide mentorship, and run training programmes for theatre professionals, educators and arts-based practitioners. During the pandemic they also began to support practitioners through micro-grants. Their festivals (including the small-scale Baby Theatre Festival & Fairytales Retold, and the large-scale ThingsAMagic International Object Theatre Festival of India) and museum-based engagements (Museum of Ordinary Objects) are designed to proactively build audience sensibilities towards experiencing ordinary objects as carriers of memories, histories and living cultures. Their work has been presented at festivals and venues accross India and abroad including Germany, Japan, US, UK, France and Sri Lanka.

About Choiti Ghosh, Co-Director & Performer

Choiti Ghosh practices Object Theatre and is the artistic director of Tram. Her theatre career began at a very early age, working with some of India's leading directors & companies including Habib Tanvir, Sunil Shanbag, Jana Natya Manch, Anurupa Roy, Ashish Ghosh and Q Theatre Productions. Following a masterclass under the famous Belgian Object Theatre artiste Agnés Limbos at Institut International de la Marionnette in France (2010), Choiti has since been immersed in the study, practice, experimentations & dissemination of Object Theatre in India - directing & performing, facilitating trainings & mentorships, designing festivals & museum-based experiences. She received Sahitya Rangabhoomi Vinod Doshi Fellowship, 2011 and the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, by Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2016.

About Md.Shameem, Co-Director & Performer

Md. Shameem is a puppeteer and puppet-designer, trained since the young age of 15yrs under notable Indian puppeteers like Kapil Dev, Dadi Pudumjee and Anurupa Roy. His art of sculpting was further honed under renowned sculptor K S Radhakrishnan. After participating in a masterclass under Yael Rasooly in Norway (2023), Shameem added Object Theatre to his repertoire. He works with artists & educators around India & the world, and runs ‘Puppetshala’ designing puppets, directing and performing. Shameem was a recipient of the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, by Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2014.

About Manjima Chatterjee, Playwright

Manjima Chatterjee is an Indian drama explorer, school administrator and writer. She won The Hindu Metro Plus Playwright Award in 2013, for her play, The Mountain of Bones, which has since been published by Dhauli Books. Her dramatic and academic writing has been published and presented in India and abroad, and she has been a part of podcasts, web shows and other public conversations. She lives in Noida, India, with her husband and two children.