‘Le Mashale…’; The Struggle of Irom Sharmila

- Vishal Tondon

‘Le Mashale…’ (‘A Woman with a Torch’), a play on the struggle of Irom Sharmila for human rights, was performed in Hyderabad at Lamakaan, Banjara Hills, on Saturday the 16^th of June. The play has travelled for some time now and has managed a commendable run of over 150 shows at various locations including Manipur. The play reflects the present situation in Manipur; a land under the brutal control of the Indian military forces that stand in for the draconian AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act). Irom embodies a land which struggles for its democratic right to self-determination. 

‘Le Mashale…’ is a monologue by a sprightly young woman; Ojas S V. Ojas exemplifies the youth of a new India. Her interests are varied and her life experience is not limited to her educational qualifications. Consider the variety of her engagements; theatre, environmental conservation, film, traveling and documentation of local and traditional knowledge and wisdom.

We question Ojas about the efficacy of art in spreading social awareness. Can art fill in for activism? For Ojas, art and activism are not exclusive to each other. On the other hand, they are also not unconditionally dependent on each other. We can see that, for Ojas, the pleasure of performing is as important as the statement she is making. Fathom the scene where she enacts the shootout at Malom bus stop. She is depicting the moments that are just before the cold blooded killings of ten innocent people by the Assam Rifles. Unaware of their impending fate, the innocent victims – here enacted by Ojas – are patiently waiting at the bus stop, some of them smoking a beedi, while some others squat on the floor in a simpleton manner. Ojas has the power of observation, a virtue any theatre artist should benefit from. But more importantly, she has an acute and cynical vision that looks at the tragedy that lies beneath human vulnerability and humor.

Irom Sharmila’s fast that began as a response to the shootout at Malom, has lasted for over ten years now. Irom can take bail and go home; all she has to do is swear that she will not repeat her ‘crime’; her ‘attempt at suicide.’ But the problem is Irom never attempted suicide. Her fasting has not only been misunderstood but misrepresented as ‘attempted suicide’ by the State that is force-feeding her. Sharmila reluctantly submits to force-feeding because she is not seeking martyrdom. In her own words, she is “in no mood for suicide.” She is seeking only to further the people’s cause, push ahead the campaign against AFSPA. Drawing on Irom’s philosophy, Ojas brings to her activism the artist’s body. Her body becomes the conduit through which the trials and tribulations of her character are conveyed. This is especially relevant for a play that hopes to convey the struggles of Irom Sharmila who has fielded her body as a weapon.    

Ojas introduces ‘Le Mashale…’ as a soliloquy. But the format of the play is not that simple after all. Her Irom does think aloud to herself onstage now and then, but a major part of the play endeavors to elicit a response from the audience in a mode typical of Brechtian epic theatre. The influence of Brecht is so often found in Indian theatre with liberal leanings, and Ojas’s play, too, will not allow the audience to passively slip into the comfort zone suspension of disbelief allows. Not for her audience the release of pent up emotions through catharsis. Just when the audience is afforded moments of relief by Irom’s recalling of her granny’s fantastic fables or Manipuri folk song and dance, Ojas brings us back to harsh reality with the crackle of a gun or the cry of a victim being raped.

The difference between dramatic theatre and epic theatre comes to the fore in public performances like ‘Le Mashale…’ Epic theatre is meant to jolt the audience out of their placidity, tweak out their reactions and opinions, and eventually have a positive effect on the minds of the audience and society at large.

Instead of a linear progression of events as is expected in traditional, easy-to-digest story telling, Ojas’s play aims at the episodic narration of events that traverse to and fro across time and location, and change the mode of address often so that the audience is forced to sit up, observe and raise questions at the prevalent situation. The interactive and performative aspects of such theatre compel the audience to function as an active participant rather than a passive spectator. Brechtian Theatre, which is non-Aristotelian in its approach and attitude, works by repeated disruptions in tone and narration and does away with a linear progression of events on stage. In this aspect, it also comes closer to life; the genre is considered to be a more realistic form of theatre.

The play comes at a time when public support for Irom’s cause in mainland India is growing. An influential book on Irom’s struggle has been published by Penguin India now; ‘Burning bright: Irom Sharmila and the Struggle for Peace in Manipur’ by Deepti Priya Mehrotra is a well researched book, and deals with the situation in Manipur very sensitively.

Ojas’s ‘Le Mashale…’ is adapted from an original script by Civic Chandran. The artist’s statement to Ojas’s play includes the following lines:

“Irom Sharmila Chanu…A poet and activist who by her dedication and self-realization has become a living legend. This is her tenth year of fasting in response not only to violence meted out by the Indian Army but also by mainland centric Indian politics. Physically frail but strong in her dedication, she has become an inspiration to the valley as well as non violent struggles all over the country. Her body is her weapon – and this realization has made her a milestone.”

As the eminent writer Mahashweta Devi expresses – “The 21^st century should be known by the dedication and struggle of Irom Sharmila.”