ABSTRACT
When one speaks of theatre and performance in India, one approaches a numerical dilemma. The number of extant forms, regional traditions, and paradigms of representation confound attempts to speak in a generalizable way, and from one perspective. This section of the Companion, on Indian languages, is a particular challenge. The two parts of this section’s title, juxtaposing the purportedly singular concept of “Indian” with a plural of “languages,” already encapsulates the tensions between national and regional, let alone grassroots, thinking. Whereas other sections focus on one language, this section emphasizes the heterogenous nature of “India” itself, taking a layered approach that addresses questions of region, language, power, caste, class and gender. Speaking to rural and urban differences, too, is significant here. This section, therefore, is as much a deconstruction of a socio-cultural matrix as it maps onto theatre and performance in India as it is an elaboration and incremental beginning that approaches a few concepts whose presence in Indian theatrical life is pronounced.
