The play Anandmath: Celebrating 150 years of Vande Mataram.

Few know that one of India’s most influential nationalist novels was rooted in real events. In this special interaction with Economic Diplomacy, we speak with the directors of Delhi-based 5 Elementz Theatre to discuss their bold new adaptation of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s masterpiece, Anandmath—a work that revisits the Bengal famine of 1770, early anti-colonial resistance, and the enduring idea of collective struggle, reimagined for contemporary and global audiences.

Dr Rakhi Chauhan Mehta and Manuv Mehra on stage as the 'Sanyasi rebels'

Q: It would interest our international audience to know the significance of the novel Anandmath and the historical facts it is based upon. For Indians, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s Anandmath is a text often cited as the recounting of India’s first freedom struggle. British East India Company’s Warren Hastings, was the first Governor-General of Bengal between 1772 and 1785. He writes about the Indian rebels and calls them "hordes of desperate adventurers". Last year was the novel’s 150^th anniversary, and there is an ongoing year-long celebration in India. Is this the reason that 5 Elementz chose to stage this play now?

Dr Rakhi Chauhan Mehta: The first production of Anandmath was in 2021, so it is about five years old and over six stagings. Our decision is rooted in the "theatre of immediacy". We at 5 Elementz Theatre have always, and still show, through this production, the return to the historical reality of 1770, that is, the Bengal famine. It is the recounting of India’s first organised resistance, where Hindu Sanyasis and Muslims fought against the British East India Company’s predatory revenue policies. This was later dubbed the ‘Sanyasi Rebellion’. We are staging this to reclaim the narrative of solidarity among the common people of India.

Q: You mentioned the famine and the collective rebellion. Historical records of the ‘Sanyasi Rebellion’ feature Indians from varied backgrounds working in tandem. However, Anandmath focused heavily on the Hindu monk-warriors. How does your production reconcile the history of 1770 with this literary text?

Manuv Mehra: We view the 1882 novel Anandmath as a "political liberation myth" written under the constraints of the British’s extreme censorship. So, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee might have needed to tone down the ‘united rebellion’ narrative and also make it sound like it may or may not have happened. As theatre directors, we try to follow the spirit of the text, while adding the element of people from all walks of life joining in or helping the rebellion. By doing this, we present a raw, neutral account of resistance that is historically authentic while respecting the book Anandmath.

Mansi Mehta symbolizing the beginning of India's Freedom Struggle

Q: Coming back to the Great Bengal Famine of 1770. It serves as the harrowing backdrop of this play, a tragedy that killed ten million people. In an era of global corporate accountability, how do you expect an international audience to view the British East India Company’s (EIC) role as depicted in your play?

Dr Rakhi Chauhan Mehta: We want the audience to see the EIC not just as a colonial power, but as a "commercial tyranny." Even as a third of Bengal's population perished, the Company increased revenue collection by 10%. By highlighting that the Nawab, Mir Jafar, acted as a puppet enabler for this corporate greed, we draw parallels to modern economic exploitation that continues even after our nation’s independence. Thus, our play is also a critique of a system that values profit over human lives.

Q: "Vande Mataram" has transitioned from a revolutionary anthem to a point of political friction. Art, throughout history, has always taken sides with the people who suffer at the hands of politics and tyranny. How do you intend to present the song as artists?

Manuv Mehra: As a theatre group, we are neutral to political interpretations. We are returning to the original spirit of the hymn—the "religion of patriotism" in its purest, anti-imperialist form. We emphasise the stanzas of the poem Vande Matram, which celebrate the beauty of the land, a choice once supported by Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi to ensure its inclusivity. On our stage, it is a cry of survival by the united people against an oppressor and the inspiration for the uprisings that came later.

Dr Mehta and Sudhanshu Soumyan showing the emotional Dilemma of the play in the context of the Great Bengal Famine and the tyrrany of the British East India Company

Q: 5 Elementz is known for "daring and innovative" theatre. In a landscape where many artists avoid controversial historical subjects to prevent backlash, what is the specific creative risk you are taking with this production?

Dr Rakhi Chauhan Mehta: Let me correct you here, we have always taken the more realistic route as a theatre group. Like other plays, this play is neither about the Left nor the Right-wing political correctness. The Right may find our inclusion of Muslim as heroes "too revisionist," while the Left may be wary of our use of Bankim’s imagery. But as teachers of theatre, our goal is to show that Indian culture is not a monolith. With Anandmath, we are trying to show the resilience of the common man as a global phenomenon and relevant across countries and cultures.

Q: Finally, how do you expect the audience to react when the curtains fall? 

Manuv Mehra: Let the audience decide. Rather, let them reflect and celebrate. And maybe they will realise the reality of the historical facts. And maybe they will then celebrate it as well. When the audience ‘sees’ the three images of the Motherland—the past glory, the present starvation, and the future victory—they should feel the weight of the sacrifice made by the first rebels of our freedom struggle. We don't want the audience to leave with a sense of isolation and distance between them and the patriots, but with the realisation and relatability that India’s first call for freedom was voiced by the collective diaspora of Indians, just like them.