The Boat Boy

SYNOPSIS

‘The Boat Boy’ Indian drama is the story of Baji Rout the youngest Indian freedom fighter and martyr. He sacrificed his life for the cause of his motherland at the tender age of 12. He was shot dead by British police when he courageously refused to ferry them across the river Brahmani on the night of 11th October 1938.

Baji Rout was born on October 5th, 1926 in a poor Khandayat (a quasi-martial caste) family, at Nilakanthapur a river-side village of Brahmani River in the Dhenkanal District of Orissa.

His childhood days were not so happy and joyful. He had lost his father Hari Rout who was a boatman, from a very early period of his childhood. He was brought up by his mother who used to do rice-husking jobs in the neighborhood village.

The cruelty of the then king of Dhenkanal, Shankar Pratap Singh Deo was at its peak. He built his 100-room palace at Jatan Nagar with forced labor. The laborers were tortured badly. Taxes have been levied on the poor villagers and the soldiers of the king were used to snatch the incomes of poor villagers. Shankar Pratap placed a Raja Bhakta Tax or Loyalty Tax, and those who did not pay, had their houses razed to the ground by royal elephants, and all their property confiscated. Baji’s mother was also a victim. The British Raj had helped the king in all his atrocities and suppressed the people.

The people were looking for an end to this merciless ruling. It led to the organization of the Prajamandal (Party of People), under the head of Baishnab Charan Patnaik, popularly known as Veer Baishnab. Baji joined this revolt despite his teenage. He worked as an active member of the Vanar Sena, the children’s wing of Prajamandal. The members of Vanar Sena have to roam around and collect news about the movement of the British army and give it to the activists of the Prajamandal.

Patnaik met as many people as possible, instigating them against the King, and establishing contacts with leaders of the National Congress in Cuttack, drawing their attention to the terrible situation of the oppressed people of Dhenkanal. The movement grew slowly but steadily. The King decided to end this once and for all and targeted Veer Baishnab and confiscated his ancestral properties. The British sent a platoon of 250 gunmen soldiers from Calcutta to support the tyrannical King and to quell the mass movement.

The angry authorities kept searching for Patnaik and stumbled upon news that he was camping in the Bhuban village. The King and the armed forces attacked the village torturing people for information. But, no information on Patnaik was forthcoming.

At midnight on 10th October 1938, the police forces attacked the village destroying houses arrested some persons without any reason, and took them to the police station. The Conch was sounded by the villagers as a signal to alarm the Prajamandal leaders. The people woke up and gheraoed the Bhuban police Station with a loud noise to demand the release of the arrested persons. The soldiers opened fire at the agitators to disperse them which killed two people named Raghu Naik and Quri Naik; many persons were injured.

However, after this incident, the police forces realized that their life is in danger and tried to flee away. They wanted to go to Dhenkanal via Nilakanthapur Ghat, which was the shortest route. On the wee hours of the rainy night of 11th October 1938, they reached Nilakanthapur Ghat of Brahmani River.

Baij Rout was at the Ghat and was at a night vigil, as he was asked by senior activists to keep an eye on the Ghat to ensure that cops would not get ferried across the river. He was in charge of a country boat at the Ghat and was sleeping when the troops came. The British police ordered Baji to ferry them across the river in his boat. But he denied bravely. Instead of ferrying them, he started shouting and making noise, to warn the villagers regarding the presence of the troops. A soldier hit Baji on the head with the butt of his gun, fracturing the boy’s soft skull. Baji collapsed but continued raising his voice, warning villagers of the presence of the troop. The angry police force shot him dead along with four others.

Baji Rout has sacrificed his life for the nation. History does not tell much about him. But his patriotism and love for his country have made him the youngest martyr of the freedom struggle in India.

Poet Sachi Routray, the Jnanpith Award Winner, wrote a poem about Baji Rout titled The Boatman Boy which made the story of Baij Rout immortal.

Directors Note

The Boat Boy is the production of a children’s play based on the life of the youngest martyr in the freedom struggle can instill a sense of involvement for the participants and for the audience as well. The Boat Boy, Retelling the story of Baij by a group of children from Kerala is very relevant so that the new generation of Kerala kids get connected to an episode of history that happened in a distant state, which also is relevant beyond the time and place. This can bring the idea that the freedom struggle was not limited to those great elderly leaders that they have studied in the history books, but also belongs to the children of their age. At the same time, the incidents take place from 1935 to 1938, and the echoes of civil disobedience, and the story of resistance of a local village to the overall freedom movement that happened in India.

The Boat Boy is fit to be performed as a children’s play since the hero of the story is a child, and it reflects and embodies the child’s responses to the issues regarding social injustice, and their eagerness to raise their voice without any prejudices with a childlike innocence. This can throw light into the social situation/history of the country in terms of the colonial ruling, feudal system, and the mindless Rajas who joined hands with the British to suppress and exploit the masses; and also, it can relate to the culture, and the reality of life in another time and space. The story of Baij reflects that the freedom struggle in many parts of India was a fight against colonial Rule and at the same time against the mindless Kings and rulers.

The story ‘The Boat Boy’ was knitted together from whatever is available from printed resources and from the history of Prajamandal and Vanar Sena in Odisha. The other major source was The Boatman Boy, the poetry of Sachi Routray, the Jnanpith award-winning poet. The adaptation of the images, poetic metaphors, and lines from poetry has contributed to this production with an aesthetic appeal that takes it beyond the dry rendering of history. This performance is in a poetic narrative and not a realistic retelling of an episode from the pages of history. Care has been taken that such a poetic narrative shall not be boisterous and superficial and bound beyond the facts of history. The production has to be true to the incidents in history without over-dramatizing and making it trivial; at the same time, it has to be converted and expressed in a form of theatre that makes the viewing and performing a stimulating activity.

Since this play is to be performed by children, it has to suit the imaginative and performance nature of children. They would always like to move, physicalize, sing, and engage in fantasy. A performance that engages their imaginative, and physical expression beyond realistic theatre is suited for them. This story has all the ingredients that can go into the nature of a children’s play. The reproduction of a rustic village, activities like paddy husking, the topography of a village with bushes greenery, small forests, and the river, the boat to ferry across the river, the activities of the Vanar Sena, the final encounter of Baij with the British Police, etc will be challenging and at the same time can create a visual background for the story and a suitable embellishment to the narrative of the play.

The Brahmani River can be a character in the play, which has witnessed the incidents and is still flowing. It is interesting that, now there is a bridge to connect the two shores of the river and the bridge is named the Baij Rout Bridge. So the river and the retelling of the story when there was no bridge, seems to be interesting.

I envisage this play ‘The Boat Boy’ as a musical retelling, narrated by a group singer performer, supplemented by movement and dance, visual and metaphoric recreation that suits the imaginative and performance skills of the child, providing flexibility for the performance. The making of the play will be done in a two-month workshop, where the creative engagement of children through improvisation can kindle their involvement. The improvisations will be the springboard to create the text, performance design, and visual and theatrical representation of the story.

Credit

Set In Charge- Rajesh Mohan • Art & Properties- Manosh T.P • Music- Sebi Nayarambalam & Jiffin George • Live Music- Kalamandalam Archalakshmi, Kalamandalm Sarath, Jinesh Kalamandalam & Sajeev Jos • Choreography- Soumya Balagopal • Costumes & Asst. Direction- Rema K Nair • Direction Assistance & Sound Control- Sreedeep Ps • Makeup Design- Jithu Rapha, Melody- Dorcas & Snehalata • Lighting- Saras Kumar Namdev, Jolly Antony • Production Coordination- Shobha Menon • Script- Dramaturgy, Design & Direction- Chandradasan