Tara Arts' Samudra-manthan in the Oceans of Multiculturalism

Scientific Essay from the year 2012 in the subject Theater Studies, Dance, University of Exeter, course: PhD, language: English, abstract: This paper is an attempt to unfold the complex issues related with the plays/performances carried out by Tara Arts. The paper will focus on the issues related with multiculturalism, diaspora, and migration. For this paper the focus is on the plays like Exile in the Forest (1987), a play on migration to England; Exodus (1998), story of the Kenyan Asian exodus to Britain; Genesis (1999), story of the foundation of modern East Africa by Indian migrants at the beginning of this century; Journey to the West (2002), 3 inter-connected plays explore the journey of 3 generations of Indians, from 1900 to 2001, tracing their routes from India to Kenya to England. The process of challenging the dominant culture by remaining at the periphery has taken the centre stage for the Tara Arts which employs the actors from the British soil with their Asian background. The 'Binglish' way was churned out of this samudra-manthan (churning the ocean). The questions pose are of identity of the diaspora, going back to the roots while maintaining the existing new ones to the actors if Asian and confronting or learning if from dominant culture.