The Dramatic Performances Act of 1876: Reactions of the Bengali Establishment to Its Introduction

Abstract

The Dramatic Performances Act of 1876, puts curbs on the exercise of theatrical representation in India. Although it drew severe criticism from a wide section of the intelligentsia, there were still others who were in favour of such a draconian law, both in order to maintain the status quo within Indian society and to not antagonise the British government. From correspondence between the government and some of the most influential Bengali personalities, and accounts of the vernacular media, it is evident that a section of Bengali intellectuals was serving the interests of the colonisers so as to protect their own profits and status in future.