A dreamer of dreams & a performer par excellence, Debasish Chakraborty talks with Dr. Himabrata Das

August 3: There are many qualifiers to describe Debasish Chakraborty- a fine actor, director, street theatre performer, poet, lyricist and upcoming Tollywood sensation. But Sayan (the nickname by which he is lovingly referred to as) is at heart a dreamer. Born in the remote village of Niz Fulbari,Siyaltec, the toddler Sayan crossed the Barak to grow up in Silchar at the tender age of 5. His late father was passionate about acting and was part of legendary “jatra” productions such as “Nihoto Gulaam”. In this free-flowing conversation, Sayan talks about his fascinating creative journey. What strikes me most about him is his humility and demeanor. Before signing off, he provides a disclaimer seeking mercy for the unforeseen omissions he might have made while recounting the role of those who played their parts in shaping him to what he is today.

H.D. How tough has this pandemic been for cultural activists? How have you been dealing with the crisis yourself?

D.C. Actually every moment of the present times is teaching me a life lesson.The pandemic has not succeeded in dampening the artistic spirit inside us. I have missed being on stage and on the streets performing. But social media has helped in compensating for the lapse. Life is all about movement. We have to proceed with our creative mindsets no matter how big a pandemic we are up against.

H.D. What role do you believe theatre plays as an instrument of social change?

D.C. Sri Ramakrishna recognised theatre as a means of mass education. We perceive the same during our creative lives. Theatre is more than just a mere source of entertainment. It is a storytelling device that conveys the trials and tribulations of daily life. In my opinion, theatre as an experimental art form has the potential of transforming lives.

H.D. Who were the iconic theatre personalities who inspired you during your early days?

D.C. My love affair with the stage started at the tender age of 5 and it has only blossomed in all these years. My late father Shankar Chakraborty, my mother Sushmita Chakraborty and my elder brothers Shibasish and Shubhasish Chakraborty instilled in me the urge to discover myself through prose and poetry. I was initiated into the arm form by the highly accomplished theatre personality and actor from the Northeast Mr Biswajit Choudhury. He was my mentor as well as my inspiration. It is difficult for me to single out the most iconic theatre personalities as I regard all those involved in acting and direction were heroes for me growing up.

I got the opportunity to work with such eminent names such as Dipak Shome, Kiran Shankar Dutta, Anup Das, Bidhan Choudhury, Amit Sikidar, Biswanath Mukherjee, Biswajit Dutta, Rupak Chakraborty, Samir Roy, Subir Bhattacharjee, Champa Bhattacharjee, Bikash Chakraborty, Mousumi Debroy, Ishani Bhattacharjee, Aparajita Kar (later Choudhury), Biswajit Paul, Santanu Paul, Sujit Paul, Ashit Chakraborty, Jayanta Bikash Purkayastha and Balaram Dey.

Later on, I was privileged to learn from and work with some of the biggest names from the Barak Valley in the world of theatre, such as, Chitrabhanu Bhowmik, Pradip Das, Ashish Bhowmik, Subrata Bhattacharjee, Sekhar Debroy, Nikhil Paul, Subrata Roy, Biswajit Samajpati, Dipankar Chanda, Rahul Dasgupta, Debojyoti Bandopadhyay, Ashok Chakraborty, Santanu Sengupta, Bhaskar Das, Biswajit Das and Sayan Biswas. Those from the backstage from whom I constantly get to learn include Aveek Sengupta, Debjyoti Roy, Suman Roy, Jagadish Das, Sukanto Das, Raja Paul Choudhury, Ranjan Das, Rupraj Deb, Juyel Das and Gobinda Das among others. Apart from them, countless actors and actresses from different generations teach me.

H.D. As a performer,which roles did you find most challenging? What is the role of the director and the co-actors in boosting an actor during such a situation?

D.C. I believe acting per se is challenging considering the fact that you have to leave behind your personal self and imbibe the elements of the character you are playing and prepare yourself on a war footing. In group theatre, the entire team works collectively to ensure that the production is an overall success. The director is like a guardian at home. Co-actors complement each other to bring out the best on stage.

H.D. You are a prolific poet apart from being a theatre personality. What are the themes that most often feature in your poetry? And has being a poet helped you on stage as an actor?

D.C. Theatre is an art form which blends features of dance, vocal and visual performing arts. Likewise writing offers a vent to the emotions of the mind and also serves as an agent of expressing protest. I try to write poems keeping the wheel of time and the contemporary era in the backdrop.I don’t claim to be a poet but would rather call myself a prisoner of poetry intrigued by the art form. And to answer your question, Yes, my poems do help me all the time on stage.

H.D. What measures do you believe can increase the popularity of theatre among youngsters?

D.C. With time we enter different phases of life and we apply our learning from this ongoing life to our art. The youth has a huge role to play in theatre all over the Barak Valley. I am of the opinion that accountability and commitment are more important than popularity. I think the focus should be on continuing and propagating the rich tradition of theatre that we are blessed. A dedicated youngster can attract and inspire more youngsters to this art form.

H.D. You are also a very good singer and have been associated with ‘Dolchhut’. How does it feel to look back and think how far the group has reached?

D.C. Every endeavour of mine has always been deeply rooted in my love for theatre. I am not a singer. But I look at singing as an instrument of celebrating life and also of enriching myself. How far Dolchhut has come can be better answered by the audience. It is difficult for me to make a comment as a member of the group. Dolchut in its 12 years has received much love and blessings and we are going strong. We are currently working on a number of projects for the future.

H.D. Who are the young talents that delight you on stage from the current generation? And finally some words of advice for all the aspiring actors.

D.C. A majority of the younger generation are working with a lot of sincerity and dedication. Quite a few of them are involved in direction apart from acting. The shining lights from our valley include Binayak, Biprajit, Debraj, Anirban, Aritra, Biplab, Anuronon, Subhojit, Arunava, Sovan, Drohit, Godai, Sneha, Neha, Prisheta, Uddipta, Gargi, Ananya and Somsikha, Dibyendu, Novoleena, Shubhajit Dey, Bijoy, Piklu, Adib, Nirjhar, Niladri and Hiya among others.

Every one seeks rewards after putting in loads of hard work. But I believe one month or one year is not sufficient to master the craft. Practice is the only way. You have to be laborious before being ambitious. To conclude, I would like to see our theatre progress with an amalgamation of the experience of age and the exuberance of youth. Our mantra going forward is to discover after inquiry, to experience and assimilate those findings, picking up by observation and to keep applying the wisdom to our creative lives.

**Dr. Himabrata Das, Registrar, Department of Psychiatry, Tezpur Medical College & Hospital (TMCH). Apart from this, he is a vivid lover of sports, an eloquent commentator and a columnist.