The Indian Stage (4 Volumes bound in two books)

Contents: Vol. I: Introductory chapter. 1. The legendary stage. 2. The time of Jarjara festival. 3. The time of Bharata. 4. Sutradhara. 5. Drama and the Rig Veda. 6. Drama and the Upanishadas. 7. Post Vedic period. 8. In the Buddhistic period. 9. Archaeological evidence. 10. Yavanika. 11. Kalidas.12. Bhasa’s drama. 13. List of Hindu dramas. 14. Early Bengali dramatists. 15. Greek drama. 16. The position of an actor. 17. Dramas in stone. 18. Chaitanya period. 19. Jatras. 20. Jatra distinguished from theatre. 21. Krishna Jatras. 22. Jatra in Bharat Chandras’ time. 23. Parma’s Tukko. 24. Premchand. 25. Govinda Adhikary. 26. Jatrawalas. 27. Amateur Jatra. 28. From Amateur to professional. 29. Gopal Ooray. 30. Decline of the Jatra. 31. Tastes in Jatra. 32. Fusion of Jatra and theatre. 33. Jatra in East Bengal. 34. Krishnakamal. 35. Mati Roy. 36. Jatra in imitation of theatre. 37. Kavi. 38. Antony Feringhee. 39. John Halhed. 40. Netai Das. 41. Entertaining Europeans. 42. Half Akhrai. 43. Panchali. 44. Kirtan. 45. Bengali drama in Nepal. 46. Bengali drama in Assam. 47. At Manipur. Part II: 1. Play houses. 2. The play house. 3. The Calcutta theatre. 4. The performers. 5. Performances. 6. Actresses. 7. Harmeonican tavern. 8. London tavern. 9. Mrs. Bristow’s theatre. 10. Poor soldier. 11. Other artists. 12. In male characters. 13. Mrs. Bristows departure. 14. Lebedeff’s Bengali theatre. 15.Who was Lebedoff. 16. The site of the Bengali theatre. 17. Dramas and dates of performances. 18. The artists of performances. 19. Prices of admission. 20. Other English theatres. 21. The Atheneum. 22. The Kidderpur theatre. 23. The Dum Dum theatre. 24. The Baitakkhana theatre. 25. The Fenwick place theatre. 26. The Chowringhee theatre. 27. The Sans Souci theatre. 28. The influence of English theatres. 29. The first Bengali theatre. 30. The Hindu theatre. 31. Nabin’s theatre. 32. The native theatre. 33. English plays by Bengali students. 34. The oriental theatre. Summary.

Vol. II: 1. The early Bengali plays. 2. Bengali dramas in the mutiny year. 3. Belgachhia theatre. 4. Dinobandhu era. 5. Three aristocratic theatres. 6. At Bowbazar. 7. Opera Yatras, other theatres. 8. National theatre. 9. Bengal theatre. 10. Great national theatre. 11. Dramatic performances act.

Vol. III: Girish Chandra--The Man and Moment : 1. National theatre at 6, Beadon Street--1877-1883. 2. Star theatre (at 68, Beadon Street). 3. Star theatre at Hati Bagan. 4. Minerva theatre (at 6, Beadon Street). 5. Girish at star theatre. 6. Other theatres. 7. Theatre at Gujrat. 8. Marathi theatre. 9. Sanskrit dramas. 10. The classic theatre.

Vol. IV: 1. Minerva theatre. 2. Minerva theatre. 3. Minerva theatre. 4. Classic theatre. 5. Kohinoor theatre. 6. Monmohon theatre. 7. The Bengal pavillion. 8. Star theatre. 9. English theatres of Calcutta. 10. Hindi theatres. 11. South Indian stage. 12. Sanskrit dramas. 13. Rabindra Nath on the stage. 14. Famous amateure theatricals. 15. Reformed theatre. 16. The East Bengal stage. 17. Natya Mandir and Mr. Sisir Bhaduri including his American tour. 18. Other theatres. 19. Conclusion.

"The stage constitutes a very important chapter in the social and political history of a people and the bend of the national genius can’t be fully comprehended without its study. A puritan may look askance at the play-house, but its influence over the mass can’t be ignored, and it is no exaggeration to say that a ‘nation is known by its theatre.’ One can know more about Greek character from their immortal plays than from the pages of a formal history. Likewise the Mricchakatika or the ‘Toy-cart’ gives us a more graphic picture of the ancient Indian society than any other treatise of that time. From the pure stand-point of art, dramas and the stage have an ethical and historical value of their own.

Bengali drama, like Bengali language, has its origin in the remote past, but like many other modern institutions of the country, is an adoption after the western ideal, and the modern Bengali stage was, in fact, first founded in imitation of the early English theatre of Kolkata. Still the spirit of a Bengali drama is essentially eastern, and some of the present techniques of the Bengali stage can’t be fully understood without a study of Sanskrit drama and the ancient Indian stage." (jacket)