Lalit Gupta
In times when there is hue and cry about dismal standards of government runs schools in the state, it will be very difficult for present generations to visualize that around 1950s and 60s, government schools were not only vying with each other for academic excellence of their students but also conducted regular calendar of various cultural activities to hone the budding talent.
Raghunandan Singh Bali, is one such example who after being encouraged by his school teachers in the field of drama, not only made acting as lifelong passion but also influenced many a young person to take up the creative hobby.
The seventy three years old tall, fair and handsome, in a chance meeting is bound will make you to take notice of him. His somber expression along with fluent gestures and body movements gives one the feeling that he is at home everywhere. It was due to this very natural gift that right from his school days he was picked up as a one of the lead participants in cultural programs that included dance and drama skits etc. Once he had tasted the thrill of performances during national festivals like Republic and Independence Day Parades, school and inter-school competitions coupled with recognition and encouragement of his talent by his teachers and even the political elite of the state, Raghunandan Singh Bali knew theatre acting was going to be his lifelong obsession With the result since last fifty years, the field of culture has been an inseparable adjunct of his life. Serving in various capacities as a teacher, headmaster and principal of number of schools where he was posted, he has been instrumental in galvanizing their cultural activities. But it was his skill as an amateur stage, Ramlila, TV and film actor that he has regaled generations of audiences and touched the lives of many a young persons who after being encouraged and tutored by him also took to theatre seriously and formed many drama groups.
Born in 1942, to the Mirpuri refugee family of Balwant Singh and Janaki Devi, who after Partition made Jammu their home, Raghunandan Singh Bali did lot of struggle to build life form a scratch. Brought up in conservative family, sustaining passion for theater has not been an easy affair for him. It was the inherited artistic traits from his mother who was fond of singing and a much sought after character for the ‘swangs’ done by women folk during marriages, that fructified as a natural inclination for dance and acting in him.
Being brought up and schooled in Julahaka Mohalla, Jammu, in 1950s, Bali like other kids was always excited about Ramlila performances held at Diwan Mandir. He along with a group of few friends would often create a makeshift stage on the roof top with a cot and bed sheets to enact scenes and battles of rakshas which they had seen a night before. It was during 1956, while as 8th standard student he was selected by his teacher D P Trikha to act in the Aga Hashar Kashmiri’s drama ‘Smt. Manju Devi’.
Initially given a small role, he was brought as a lead actor in the play due to his talent. His friend Mahesh Sharma enacted the role of a ‘pagal’. The successful performance of the drama so impressed the officers of the education department that after six-seven shows in Jammu, the play was also staged at Hiranagar and R S Pura. Later, ‘Mrs Manju Devi’ along with Ramesh Mehta’s play ‘Apradhi Kaun’, were staged at Srinagar during a camp. Impressed by the performance of the young actors, the then education minister Gulam Mohammad Sadiq not only felicitated the entire cast but also sanctioned scholarship for Bali and Lakshmi Kant Joshi ( student/actor, also a musician and had learnt music along with from Shiv Kumar Sharma from Pandit Uma Dutt).
Back to Jammu, drama became a regular feature for Bali and he started watching drama performances like ‘Buddh Kaam Shuddh’. Performed at a make shift stage at Ajaibgahr (presently State Assembly), the play directed by C Parwana had the cast of actors such as Jatinder Sharma, Mahesh Sharma, J C Bharti. Other play which he witnessed was Ved Rahi’s ‘Diya Aur Toofan’ at Zanana Park in which Master Manohar son of Jagat Ram Kalra, did a role of a lady. Bali became a regular audience at the Diwan Mandir Ramlila where actors like Narinder Sharma (as Kekayi) and Rishi Kumar were very well appreciated for their acting. Others associated persons were Chander Kant Sharma, Lal Chand, Krishan Dutt. These were the days when Krishan Lila was also performed for seven-eight days during the Krishna Janamashtmi festival.
Other than encouragement at school, Bali gives also credit for honing his performance skills to a Rasdhari Bawa, who used to live at Pacci Dhakki, near his Bua’s home, and who taught him basics of music and dance through Talwaaran Wala dance and gymnastic movements. In an interesting reflection on the cultural life of old Jammu and patronage by citizens, Bali recalls that one Krishan Lala ‘thekdar’ has organized a show of the Rasdhari Bawa in a chowgan at Mohalla Malhotra.
After passing matriculation, Bali’s family shifted to Resham Garh Colony in Refugee Quarters. But his love for theatre continued. He and his group under the banner of Young Moderate Club staged ‘Kamini’, a Mahesh Sharma’s play on Kashmir problem, at Parade ground during an exhibition in 1959. Other actors were Mahesh Sharma, Rashid Shah, Vijay Suri, Puran Gupta. It was followed by the play ‘Pagla Janta Hai’ at a Park in Gandhi Nagar with actors like Subahsh Bali, Ravi Rampal, Prakash Sharma, Som Nath. Bali’s first job was as a daily wager in Dehat Sudhar Dept was followed by a short stint as a Lorry cleaner. The salary from these jobs enabled him to take admission in College. He joined M A M College which was then functioning from a GGM Science College. Bali remembers that during those days, cchut- putt plays were being staged at a Hall in the back side of Secretariat. It was the time when a drama club was also formed at the house of Uma Mahey I niece of Comrade Dhanvanrtri). After completing B.A. in 1962, Bali’s first posting as a teacher was at Gool where he actively participated in school functions including staging plays. He was posted at Gandhi Nagar Primary School in 1963 and during that period he got married.
Being a good actor, he was often invited by other drama groups to perform in their plays. So he acted in the drama clubs of Rattan Sharma, Narinder Sharma, C Parwana, Friends Club, Roop Wani Club etc at venues which also included Ranbir School. Some of his memorable plays include ‘Dail M for Murder’ (Gyarah Bajae), Kanchan Rang, Nishachar. Other than acting he along with Subhash Raizada also designed sets for plays like Vijay Suri’s Balidan.
One of the significant events in Bali’s life was when the newly formed Gandhi Nagar Lakshmi Narayan Temple Ramlila Club invited him to act as the director. His friendly personality and passion instilled a new kind of seriousness amongst the actors. Bali’s childhood friend Subhash Raizada in the role Ravan and he himself as Dashrath, along with many actors from Gandhi Nagar, gave a new touch of realism to Gandhi Nagar Ramalila that it attracted audiences from other parts of the city.
Since involvement in Ramlila is limited to the very days of its rehearsals and performance, Bali remained active by acting and directing stage plays (for drama competitions and other wise). “I was always attracted to stage plays with bold themes, which was daring act in those days when conservative elements in the Jammu society were ruling the roost. These plays included Under Secretary, Aur Aakash Jhuk Gaya, Pati Patni, Aakhari Swal, Barf Ki Minar, Prishatt Bhumi (by Baljit Raina), Balwant Gargi’s Abhisarika, Lakeer Se Pare (Giddaan Te Loth-Rajneesh Gupta’s play about the problems of an abnormal child), Baba nahin Jayaan, Dilli Ki Aakhri Shama etc. His young associates in drama included Surinder Goel and Raj Kumar, Santosh Sangra, Arun Bakshi, Sweety, Veena Dogra, Shobha, Lalita Tapasavi, J R Sagar.
A fine actor, schooled in traditional style, Raghunandan Singh Bali, is a passionate amateur artiste who since more than 50 years has been regularly involved with Ramlila, proscenium theatre and since 1990s with TV and films. He who laments the downfall of government schools as premier institutions, is still active in the field and driven by innate love and passion for stage, hopes to stage plays which always wanted to perform like Surendra Verma’s Suraj Ki Pehli Kiran Se Antim Kiran Tak.
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