Need for more opportunities to present various perspectives: Ganesh N. Devy

Linquist Ganesh N. Devy inaugurating Nirdiganta Utsav at Srujana Rangamandir in Dharwad on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Linguist Ganesh N. Devy has said that at a time when people are losing patience and refusing to acknowledge the perspective of others, there was a need for understanding that everything could not be in line with one’s views and there was need for creating more opportunities to present other perspectives.

Inaugurating Nirdiganta Utsav, a festival of theatre and other programmes, organised by the Nirdiganta organisation at Srujana Rangamandira in Dharwad on Saturday, Mr. Devy said that at a time when the system was pushing one into slavery, festivals like Nirdiganta, which stood for life, had sparked a new hope.

Referring to two instances of attempting to snub perspectives, Mr. Devy mentioned the incident of halting of Jayant Kaikni’s play in Shivamogga and another of disrupting the speech of social scientist Shiv Vishwanathan in Dharwad. “While some disrupted Mr. Vishwanathan’s speech in Dharwad, there were others who insisted that he should be given the opportunity to speak. These are two faces of our society. We must decide our own choices within these,” he said.

Elaborating the significance of theatre, he termed theatre as a powerful medium which was like lifeline of culture. “As long as theatre remains alive, culture will survive. Watching and performing theatre both require stepping into another’s perspective. If theatre declines, culture will not endure,” Mr. Devy said.

He said that theatre was about creating something on stage that was not real. “But we are in a situation where we cannot differentiate between what is reality and what is theatre. This is like walking on the edge of a sword. However, if we keep walking, we reach one horizon, then another and eventually, it becomes an endless expanse. Let that happen,” he said.

Actor and head of Nirdiganta Prakash Raj, writer Rajendra Chenni, theatre personality Prakash Garud, and others were present. The four-day festival has various plays lined up along with talks on various issues, play reviews, and other cultural and literary programmes.