30 Years of Dandakaranya – N M Chetna

An authentic participant’s account, presenting chronologically the step-by-step journey of the revolutionary cultural movement in Dandakaranya over thirty years. It describes with candour and humour the initial errors and setbacks on the road to achieving success in establishing deep roots within the existing people’s culture. The narration covers related theoretical questions, the adaptation and development of existing local cultural forms and the changing content according to the requirements of the various phases of the ongoing people’s revolutionary struggle. The analysis embraces not only the performing arts, but also literature like stories, novels, poetry and other writings which have grown exponentially during the period. There is also description and discussion on the building of an organizational structure to develop and train cultural and literary activists and even an exposition of the place of culture in the embryonic People’s State – the Janathana Sarkar. All in all, a very comprehensive book, rarely available in English.