On the 107th birth anniversary of the founder of The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Christy Varghese tunes in to understand the vision of the man and the institution he created
The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) was the brainchild of JRD Tata and Dr Jamshed Jehangir Bhabha (brother of nuclear physicist Homi Jehangir Bhabha), two visionaries, who foresaw India's need for an all-encompassing world-class performing arts centre, when it was still a young independent nation. Those who think Dr Homi’s work was of more use to the country than Dr Jamshed’s, in all probability, are not aware of this one time when Dr Jamshed had sought out JRD Tata’s help for setting up NCPA, which was founded in 1969. As Dr Jamshed recalled, “I apologised for taking up his time when he had to attend to so many matters regarding the steel company. I shall never forget his reply: ‘No, Jamshed, you should not underestimate what the NCPA is doing. One day, perhaps, the NCPA’s work may be more important for the country than the work of the steel company.’”
Tata wasn’t entirely wrong about his grand vision given the legacy that the cultural institution has built over the past five decades. From a humble beginning in a small rented space in Akash Ganga building on Bhulabhai Desai Road, today the NCPA houses five theatres sprawled over eight acres on the southern tip of Nariman Point, and hosts over 600 events each year spanning all art forms,to promote and preserve India’s heritage of music, dance, theatre, film, literature and photography.
On August 21, the NCPA commemorated the 107th birth anniversary of Dr Bhabha by presenting the Jamshed Bhabha Memorial Lecture, wherein every year, a distinguished speaker from diverse disciplines is invited to speak on art and culture and allied fields. In the 2021 edition of the series, eminent physician and author Dr Farokh E Udwadia, emeritus professor of medicine, author, and a Padma Bhushan awardee, delivered a lecture on ‘Art and Mankind’ and discussed why art deserves a place of importance in all human endeavours.
Khushroo N Suntook, chairman of NCPA, kickstarted proceedings by addressing the gathering. “The last year and a half have been a gloomy time for the performing arts. I am extremely curious as to what Dr Bhabha’s reaction would have been to the current problems… Back in 1997, after four-five years’ worth of work, mere months before its completion, a fire destroyed his long-cherished dream project of creating a world-class performing art space in Mumbai. But the, then, 83-year-old Dr Bhabha is said to have responded with a simple, ‘Tomorrow, we begin reconstruction.’ Two years later, in 1999, the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre (JBT) was inaugurated. I wish he was with us, with his indomitable spirit, in these uncertain this time also. The importance of art in our daily lives was keenly understood by him and it was a pleasant surprise that Dr Udwadia suggested the same subject when he agreed to speak at this memorial lecture on Dr Bhabha’s birthday,” Suntook observed.
After Dr Udwadia took to the podium, he patiently waited for the applause to fade away before sharing something about his patient and friend, “Dr Bhabha was a dreamer who dreamed and got to live his dream. Everyone is a dreamer, but how often does one turn his dreams into reality? He was someone who went against norms to live his dreams.”
Dr Udwadia’s love of art and literature has been a constant companion and guide in his distinguished career spanning six decades, explained how art and human existence are inseparably linked by saying, “Art is the breath, smiles and tears of all mankind. When life climbed its evolutionary ladder to become human, art became part of what’s human. You cannot separate art from mankind. It is a great communicator and brings people, societies and countries together. Art builds bridges across countries, sometimes a bridge over troubled waters. Art is not only important but essential to man; it is a window to the world around us. Don’t forget — art and science are twin pillars that have marked the ascent of man from early history to the present times and it is the balance between art and science that will determine our future.”
Theorising that art led the path to the civilisation of man, Dr Udwadia continued, “Apart from art offering a window to the outside world, it lends some much-needed perspective into the world within us all. It nourishes our spirit, our stream of consciousness. It enriches our feelings and in doing so, art moulds us into a better, more civilised human being. Talking about feelings, man is driven by emotions… Can you imagine a world with poor emotions? Semi-robots, moving around the world, how sad would it be? When immersed in the rapturous beauty of some transcendental art, the world ceases to exist — you lose yourself. You delve deep within yourself, you discover yourself anew. Isn’t that incredible? Discovering and rediscovering yourself helps you in knowing yourself better and you are able to, perhaps.”
Touching upon our country’s storied and colourful heritage, he expressed, “As Indians, we should be proud of our heritage…We are a civilisation, a vibrant one at that, which goes back about 5,000 years. The cultural heritage of this country is second to none. The light of civilisation shone on this country when the rest of the world was in bleak darkness, except perhaps Egypt and China. I don’t think that there is any other country which possesses a greater store of treasure than what we possess. Be it poetry, visual art, literature, songs, dance, music, theatre, rites and rituals, languages. Now, it should go without saying that this heritage has to be passionately preserved. And for this, it is imperative that the people in this country be aware of art and participate in art, and its functions. However, there is a strange apathy that people have towards art in this country. Look at the number of people visiting museums and exhibitions in, say, London or New York, and compare it with the footfall our country’s museums entertain.”
What can we do to change this apathy, you ask? “I remember a sentence from Dante’s great work, The Divine Comedy. It goes, ‘It is at school that I learnt, O’ Dante, to tread the path that was to lead me here.’ I am taking it out of context to say that it is at school that we need to teach children the relevance of art. Art must be a subject very much like physics, geography, language or mathematics. It should not be a side show, it should not be about ‘teaching art’ but it should be about trying to make children practice art. Be it songs, theatre, or any form of visual arts, it is only when children, who have practiced some form of art, mature and have to make their own way in the world that they realise how much art really matters. They will learn to protect the art they practice…” remarked Dr Udwadia.
(You can catch the complete proceedings of the event on NCPA Mumbai’s YouTube channel.)
