Breaking New Ground
Rahul Anand's arrival in theatre is synonymous with Prachyanat, as he is one of the founder members of the troupe. In the ranks of talented music directors and performers in theatre at present, the young activist-musician has directed music for almost every play that has been produced by Prachyanat so far (except "Kinu Kaharer Thetar" and "Raja…ebong Onnanya"). His compositions and musical arrangements range from traditional songs to contemporary modern music.
In a recent conversation with The Daily Star, Anand talks about his journey into the world of theatre.
Like many others, Anand's arrival in the theatre was not smooth. In 1991, he was a college student in Sylhet, when he first developed an interest in theatre. " I came across a poster looking out for new faces for a local troupe. I contacted them but somehow they didn't choose me. However, I had set my heart on it and began to see the rehearsals everyday. That gave me an opportunity to meet some of the members of the troupe. Later, they introduced me to Darpan Theatre, a well known troupe in Sylhet and I became a member of the troupe," said Anand.
"One more incident that influenced me to become a theatre activist was a Bangla Theatre production "Manush". I saw the production, where Mamunur Rashid and Azad Abul Kalam were performing. Their performance was so impressive that I instantly set my mind on theatre," he said.
Anand joined Aranyak in 1995. At the time he was a student in the Department of Graphics Design of Charukala. In 1997, when Prachyanat was established, Anand became one of the members of the troupe.
Music is obviously necessary for every theatre production. It is as important as acting, lighting and set designing. But not many people do it as well as Anand. His music direction in "Koinna," which featured a number of folk songs from Sylhet region, has won acclaim. About the direction Anand said, "From my early life, I have been a fan of folk music. My mother has a great collection of folk music, from where I used few for the play." Anand is also a regular performer in his troupe. He has performed in almost every play except "Kinu Kaharer Thetar".
Though he is a theatre activist, people know him as a musician why? According to Anand, he prefers to be treated as a theatre activist to musician. But he confessed that music is always in his mind.
"Though I am a theatre activist, I have to say that music remains the prime thing in my mind. When I was a student of Charukala, along with friends, I used to roam about and sing. I was the only student in my batch who played the flute and these gave me recognition as a music lover. Later I worked for many TV productions as a background musician, which also helped people to recognise me as a musician."
According to Anand, passion and spontaneity are the main reasons behind his success and he believes theatre is not only just performance or acting rather it is a composite field. "Theatre comprises so many things that you cannot only remain as a protagonist. The most important thing that I want to learn from theatre is to become a good individual. From theatre, I want to learn and practice new things everyday."
Prachyanat's “Musical Ensemble” is also a signature work of Anand's talent. The ensemble, which features songs from different Prachyanat productions, was first staged in 2001. The production is equally popular with the troupe's acclaimed productions like "Koinna" and "A Man for All Seasons". Anand, who conducts the ensemble, should be credited for the unique production. Along with music, Anand has an ardent passion for collecting rare musical instruments. Anand revealed that in future he wants to establish a museum featuring his rare collection of instruments.
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