Long before cable television, and certainly long before the internet, dramas and plays were among the most cherished forms of entertainment in the Darjeeling Hills. Beyond amusement, these performances created an immersive atmosphere and often carried strong social messages. A staged play brought entire neighborhood together. People travelled from surrounding areas, dressed in their finest, to witness the spectacle. The success of a drama depended on many layers of skill and labor. Stage actors, musicians, singers, and technicians all worked in harmony to bring stories to life. Over time, the Darjeeling Hills developed a vibrant and diverse theatrical culture.
In 1909, Dhanbir Mukhia founded the Gorkha National Theatrical Party, one of the earliest organised theatre groups in the region. Alongside it emerged the Muslim Union Theatrical Club, established by Noor Mohammad and comprising mainly Bengali and Bihari Muslim members. English residents of the hills also took part in these productions, reflecting the multicultural environment of the time.
The themes explored in these plays ranged widely, from mythological tales to contemporary social concerns. One example is the staging of Sati at the Gorkha Dukha Niwarak Sammelan Hall, which depicted a widow being placed on her husband’s funeral pyre. The dramatic intensity of the scene drew loud applause from the audience. Performances were multilingual as well, with scripts written and enacted in English, Nepali, Hindi, Tibetan, Bengali, and Urdu.
Dramas were staged in various clubs and community halls across the hills, including the P.W.D. Recreation Club, Hindi Himachal Bhawan, Darjeeling Kala Sadan, Amar Jyoti Club, and Parvati Bhojpuri Yuva Manch. During the Durga Puja season, Nripendra Narayan Hindu Public Hall became a major venue for theatrical performances.
Indra Bahadur Rai notes that Hastalal Giri’s Kanjoosh Ko Dhan is likely the first indigenous Nepali drama produced in Darjeeling. In 1910, Hastalal Giri, an associate of Dhanbir Mukhia, staged this play, which was a translation of A Miser’s Wealth. The role of the miser, ‘Kanjoosh’, was played by Timothy Benjamin, who later became the first Gorkha to be sent to Rome for priesthood.
Dhanbir Mukhia also directed a play written by Pahalman Singh Swar of Nepal, performed in 1909 at the Nripendra Narayan Hindu Public Hall.
According to Sanjay Biswas and Sameer Roka in Darjeeling: Truth and Beyond, most scripts from this early theatre culture were never preserved. Many were used and discarded, and numerous plays, whether staged by English or Gorkhali performers, were neither published nor documented. Some scripts remained incomplete, leaving no trace in historical records.
The authors identify two key reasons for the decline of drama in the Darjeeling Hills. First, the arrival of satellite television drastically altered entertainment habits. People now preferred watching cable TV from the comfort of their homes. Second, alcoholism among theatre practitioners became a growing problem. Many artists had devoted their lives to theatre and remained unemployed, leading some to fall into alcohol dependency, especially as economic hardships increased.
Censorship also played a role. The authorities frequently denied permission for plays that touched on political themes. Dal Bahadur Giri’s drama on the Indian National Movement, for instance, was barred from public performance by the then colonial government.
By,
S. K. Ghising
Reference :
- Sanjay Biswas and Sameer Roka, Darjeeling: Truth and Beyond, Darjeeling, 2007.
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