On World Theatre Day, we observe and celebrate the spirit of theatre to resist and be the voice of the streets through an evening of a theatrical performance at the YUMMY TUMMY restuarant situated at the Chatawala Gali.
March 27, 2023 from 6:30 pm onwards at Yummy Tummy, Chatawala Gali.
Minimum Donation requested : Rs. 150 inclusive of Chinese food and non alcoholic beverage.
Special thanks to our partner – Yum Tum restaurant & Urban Lore.
An introduction to a heritage gully
“The Bengal & Agra directory and Annual Register for 1850 says ‘ Chattawallah Gully, east of Vonlintzgy Apothecary shop loll Baazar’. The lane is where the Chinese, Muslims, Jews and Parsis lived cheek by jowl in the earlier part of this century. Not a single Hindoo family was found living there during that time. Evidently, the lane derived its name from umbrellas (chatta) sold there.”
We ‘descend’ into this famous heritage lane , next to what used to be the old Chinatown, before the Indo China war, along the B B Ganguly Street ( named after the revolutionary Bipin Behari Ganguly) who had assembled his fellow revolutionaries at Chatawala Gully to plan the Rodda Arm Heist.
What should be noted is that , “such has been the reputation of this narrow, congested lane (Chattawala Gali) , that in bygone days teachers and parents exasperated at some errant behaviour of their young chores, would frequently threaten banishment to this place – in the imagination, the lowest out of hell to which everything wicked was relegated” – Keith Humphrey.
‘Descend’ perhaps in the same ways perhaps, as the sons of Bharata Muni – the author of Natyashastra we fell from grace into the ‘hell’, due to their effective practice of Natyaveda.
In actuality we get together at Chatwala Gully on World Theatre Day to celebrate heritage of the streets.
We start by evoking the words of Eric Hobsbawm :
“the 21st century street requires a new political vocabulary. Vocabulary is imminent in struggles. It will emerge from its lived contradictions. The 21st century owl of Minerva has flown out at dusk. The 21st century street is dead.
Long live the street !
Culture Monks 