There has long been a tradition of popular theatre, in its various manifestations, seeking to make positive interventions in Indian society and politics. In urban and semi-urban areas street theatre, a form predominantly in the domain of the ideologue, is an established vehicle for political agitation and protest, and has achieved a high degree of technical accomplishment as an art form. However, in rural areas, the use of theatre as a tool for the building of social awareness has been primarily the responsibility of the numerous Social Action Groups (SAGs) that have mushroomed since the mid-1970s. Given the Indians' inherent taste for theatre, it is hardly surprising that SAG workers should have seen its potential as a means for educating and conscientising the rural masses. Several SAGs operate more than one theatre group, and their daily performances in the villages are seen as a vital means of developing awareness of social and political issues among the poor. In this chapter we examine both the current and the potential value of this kind of work as one contribution to rural development in India, basing our arguments on field-work and research undertaken by Father Jacob Srampickal, himself a practitioner in the area.

Development in India has occurred through three distinct, but complementary, areas of social work. The first consisted primarily of relief-oriented, project-development initiatives wherein non-governmental and voluntary agencies targeted disaster-stricken and economically backward areas with capital projects such as the building of houses, roads and wells.