Forum demands justice, safety for women in theatre
Times of India | 5 September 2024
Kolkata: Members of Surokkha Istehar — a Bengal-based forum of theatre workers, independent artists, queer-feminist activists and educationists — assembled at Paschim Banga Natya Akademi on Wednesday with a charter of demands to ensure justice for women in theatre. However, the organisation’s secretary did not meet them.
Before Kolkata saw protest marches across the city, members of Surokkha Istehar had raised their voices when an actor who faced rape allegations was seen in a play titled ‘Tin-er Talowar’ directed by Suman Mukhopadhyay in March.On April 23, the collective drafted a list of goals and submitted it to the secretary of Paschim Banga Natya Akademi. These included formulation of an IC under POSH, organising gender sensitisation programmes, instituting a code of conduct and launching a network of legal and mental health professionals.
“We demanded that Natya Akademi not give any portfolio to an abuser and also hold the group accountable if a member is found to be a predator. Though we were assured of action in a month, the secretary didn’t even meet us,” said Titas Dutta, a founding member of Surokkha Istehar.
Daminee Benny Basu, a founding member, said: “How could celebrated actors like Debshankar Halder, Sujan Mukhopadhyay, Poulomi Bose and Shankar Chakraborty share the stage with him (the actor)? Halder is chairperson of Natya Akademi.... On Monday, Sujan cancelled his play with Kanchan Mallick in protest against his comments on the RG Kar case but in March, he shared the stage with an actor implicated in a rape case.”