By Phrangsngi Pyrtuh
The Shillong College English Department on 26th September organized an inter-School and inter-college Declamation competition to commemorate the 450th Birthday of inarguably the greatest writer in the English world- William Shakespeare also known as the Bard of Avon. The English Department in tune with the year-long celebration of Shakespeare’s birth, deserves accolades for reviving literary interest on popular characters from the Bard’s work literally brining them alive to the audience. The impact of the Declamation was there for all to see. The sheer hard work of the participants coupled with the universality of Shakespeare’s appeal (in theatrical format) found favour with the judges, audience et al.
The participants held the audience spell-bound. The passion with which the participants displayed their love for Shakespeare (and literature) had a huge impact on this writer. For general information, AIR had aired the programme on 1st October for the larger audience. However this write-up is on an altogether different theme in consonance with emerging issues. Briefly, declamation is an ancient rhetorical exercise practiced in Rome and Greece. It offered a platform for budding statesmen to practice their oratory skills on diverse issues. (Maybe this is the kind of exercise our current breed of leaders need).
Literature is in our blood and until recently it has always been a preferred discipline among the humanities. The exponential growth of business and management studies have dented a hole and questions are asked on the relevance of literature (and English) as far as its practicality and applicability is concerned in a changing globalized world. More on this later. English literature is incomplete without the Bard. He is a maestro of new words with many becoming a staple in the spoken English world today. One may hate/like literature but one cannot deny Shakespeare. Such is his impact that he is part of popular culture and his works are entrenched in the entertainment industry, theatre, music, philosophy et al.
Liberal movement no doubt started through various art forms foremost of which is literature. Its development was painstakingly slow and many works were condemned for being out of sync with the times. In fact literature a ‘liberal’ discipline became a standard discipline after a long struggle. Unfortunately interest in literature has waned not only in the western world but also in the developing world where focus has shifted elsewhere such as applied disciplines and research science. In fact, English Departments in most western universities of today are often regarded as a liability than an asset. There are both internal and external factors that this write- up is not in a position to elaborate. The concern being where do we see English (Shakespeare et al) in the contemporary world where indigenous languages are staking claims to supplant the alien language?
English has always been endemically localized to suit the local conditions in terms of accent, modulation etc. This customization and diversification enables it to prosper across time and space. Colonialism has played an important part in its diffusion (and in the process undermined local and indigenous languages). It was seen as a supreme language with a class of its own. At that time everyone wants to become like an English gentleman/woman. Even Gandhi attempted to fit in but failed.
Shakespeare and the like were celebrated and their stature enhanced beyond the English channel. Its grip on the psyche is such that one finds it impossible to replicate its accomplishments in drama, poems, songs etc which continue to this day. Movies, songs etc are still inspired or emulated from the English speaking world. Though one may argue that English is becoming even more trivial in the manner in which it is spoken and written (minus the nuance and delicacy). Some would even say it is on the verge of dying out. Yet there seems to be no substitute to English as a lingua franca of the spoken word which is why Shakespeare is going to shape/shake our consciousness for a long time.
The language contestation is becoming an apple of discord which we as a community would have experienced sooner or later. Demands to replace English with Khasi is becoming vocal by the day though this is problematic since what is Khasi to some section of the community is not to others such as the Jaintias etc. The existing Khasi literature is devoid of a normative culture which merits it to stake such a claim as representative of Hynniewtrep community. Moreover we have not seen a cultural renaissance in terms of works etc which merit such a transition. Some of our early literary works (which includes music) were inspired works including those from Shakespeare. We have shortage of intellectuals, no artist or performers worth the name who have contributed to enrich our cultural heritage with the exception if a few. Even their works are losing ground which is why we are still reading (and adapting) Shakespeare, listening to Dylan etc. And even this group is becoming a minority. Not many of this young generation bother to read Soso Tham or do so only in passing reference minus the inspiration or passion that one usually associates with a classic work. Our penchant for classics ( literature, music etc) is dying fast being overshadowed by the retro and techno culture. Still it is heartening to know that there is a concern to redeem the art and language form whether Khasi or English. At this point though, we need to redeem the Khasi art and literature from over-replication to secure some sense of originality. The next generation needs to be proud of the great works of great men which must become part of our cultural narrative. Our identity is hopelessly intertwined with our culture. Creativity must be accepted and embraced for our culture to grow from strength to strength. If it dies then we might as well abandon our scheme of existence. If Shakespeare can be part of a cultural embodiment ensuring the continuity of that culture I say let us have more of him. Period.