Ratan Thiyam and the Theatre of Movement: Body as Text in Modern Indian Drama
| Author |
| Sujeta Beishamayum |
| Date of Publication: June, 2026 |
| Volume: XXIII |
| DOI:10.65734/tgi.ssei.avp.ijcsss.ti.23.4 |
| Abstract |
| This paper examines Ratan Thiyamâs concept of the Theatre of Movement, where the body functions as a primary text in modern Indian drama. Moving beyond dialogue-centred realism, Thiyam employs gesture, rhythm, silence, ritual movement, martial discipline, and collective choreography to communicate psychological depth, historical memory, and socio-political conflict. Rooted in indigenous performance traditions of Manipur yet globally resonant in appeal, his theatre creates a visual-poetic language that transforms performance into embodied thought. Through selected works such as Chakravyuha and Nine Hills One Valley, the paper argues that Thiyam redefined Indian stage aesthetics by privileging movement over speech. His dramaturgy demonstrates how the human body becomes a site of resistance, spirituality, and cultural identity in contemporary theatre practice. |
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