When Shahiri met theatre: Explore this performance that unfolds as a sung story

More than a musical, opera has questions of life and death in the form of song

What happens when grassroots Shahiri meets contemporary theatre? The result is Kavan. Centuries-old Dalit oral traditions take shape in a new musical form, billed not as a play, but as an Ambedkarite opera.

Kavan draws from the traditions of Shahiri, a form of Dalit resistance poetry and song that has historically been sung in public spaces to take Babasaheb Ambedkar's teachings to the masses.

Kavan is also about making caste seen and heard in urban spaces where it's often obscured

The word opera might raise eyebrows. Often associated with velvet-draped balconies and Western classical training, the form seems a far cry from grassroots activism. But director Abhishek Majumdar is quick to challenge that perception.

Kavan follows the story of Bejul and those around him as they navigate their dreams, desires, and dilemmas through the lens of caste and class in a rapidly changing India. "An opera has questions of life and death in the form of song, unlike a musical," says Majumdar. "Only Western opera became associated with the elite. Historically, it was the form of working-class people. Similarly, Kavan emerges from a people's movement," he explains. "We're not reclaiming Western opera, we're using the word for what it truly means: a sung story with high emotional stakes and formal discipline."

For Abhishek Majumdar, the process of creating Kavan was as educational as it was artistic

That form, in this case, is Shahiri, a Dalit musical tradition with deep roots across Maharashtra and southern India. With a cast of Lok Shahirs (people's poets), every element of Kavan is shaped by their lived experiences and musical legacy.

The name Kavan, too, carries layered meaning. "It's the Marathi word for poems that are sung, not written," Majumdar says. "It reflects both the oral, musical nature of the piece and the story of the Shahir (the people's poet) it follows."

Kavan draws from the traditions of Shahiri, a form of Dalit resistance poetry and song

At its heart, Kavan is a collaboration with members of Yalgaar Sanskrutik Manch, a cultural and musical collective grounded in Ambedkarite thought.

"I've been a huge admirer of Yalgaar's work," says Majumdar. "So I came in not as someone directing ‘my' play, but as someone entrusted with real voices, real stories. My job was to help shape Yalgaar's vision."

Unlike traditional top-down productions, Kavan grew organically through dialogue. The process involved months of conversation, song creation, and dialogue. The ensemble, which includes Siddharth Pratibhawant, Pravin Mukta, Priypal Dashantee, Amruta Todarmal, Apurva Kadam, and Dhammarakshit Randhive, worked along with writer Sudhesh Jadhav, Irawati Karnik, and Abhishek Majumdar.

"We first spoke about this idea during the COVID lockdowns. It probably took us two or two and a half years to write, practice, and piece the play together," says Randhive.

Kadam adds, "There's a lot of personal association that each performing actor feels throughout. All the scenes are written out of personal experiences."

The ensemble says that the process and acting exercises to reach production were a long road. Yet Majumdar is quick to point out that Yalgaar needed no lesson in theatricality. "In realism-based theatre, we're always asking: where's the drama? But Shahiri is inherently dramatic," he says. "The way they [Yalgaar] perform - with dhols, ek taras, ghungroos - it's already theatre. Our challenge was just to find the right staging language for this new form."

If Kavan is about voice and music, it's also about visibility: making caste seen and heard in urban spaces where it's often obscured. Majumdar shares a striking anecdote: "A woman from a Valmiki basti told us she came to Mumbai hoping for relief. In her village, upper castes had blocked their wells. In the city, the water tanker came at 3 AM, so she lined up from midnight. It's not that the oppression ended; it just changed shape."

For Majumdar, the process of creating Kavan was as educational as it was artistic. "There are things you know, and things you don't know you don't know. Working on Kavan exposed both."

Despite the heaviness of its themes, Kavan isn't designed to lecture. It moves, it sings, it breathes. "I hope the audience enjoys the songs," Majumdar says. "But I'm also sure they will step out and see the city differently. I have watched it happen during previous shows."

Yalgaar says that there is no special message. "It's simply the history of the discriminatory society we live in. It shows the psychological trauma and the years of slavery that have been enforced on us." Kadam adds, "It's our way to tell the audience to come, sit, and have a dialogue about caste." Or as Randhive puts it, "We are saying: Jai Bhim, Dosti Zindabad."

Following its Mumbai shows, Kavan is headed to the Serendipity Festival in Goa later this year, and a Pune staging is also in the works. Soon, they will kick off their international tour as well with a performance at The Arts Centre at NYU Abu Dhabi; and later, a US tour as well.

But what Majumdar is most excited about is, "We are creating a site-specific version, which will only be performed at Nirmik Cultural Centre [in Kandivali East]," which is also Yalgaar's home. Audiences can expect a performance twice a month here.

WHERE: Prithvi Theatre, Juhu
WHEN: August 1 and 2
PRICE: Rs 500
BOOK: BookMyShow

Poetry of equality

An allied programme, Poetry of Equality, will see four poets - Dr. Abhijit Shahaji Khandkar, Disha Pinki Sheikh, Sharmishta Bhosale, Dr. Sudam Rathod - share their work in English and Marathi. The poets, from diverse backgrounds, will share works that challenge discrimination, affirm human worth, and inspire collective hope.

WHERE: Prithvi House
WHEN: August 2; 2 pm to 3.15 pm
TO BOOK: Pre-register at IG/@yalgaar14