No Dogs, No Indians

Three intertwining stories explore the effects and legacy of the British in India.It is 1932 in occupied Bengal. A young revolutionary prepares to storm a whites-only club in Chittagong, an act of defiance that will end in her taking her own life. The sign above the club reads No Dogs, No Indians. Decades later, an aspiring intellectual born in post-independence Kolkata is in love with all things British: Shakespeare, cricket, The Beatles. But as he contemplates the past and imagines his children’s future, he begins to question his own identity. Now in 2017, a man returns from London on the news of his father’s death. In the New India, he encounters steel magnates, supermodels and tech millionaires, but is haunted by ghosts from the past. Three intertwining stories explore the effects and legacy of the British in India in a powerful new play by poet and playwright Siddhartha Bose to mark the 70th anniversary of Indian independence.

About the Author :
Siddhartha Bose’s books include two poetry collections, Kalagora and Digital Monsoon (Penned in the Margins, 2010 & 2013), and a monograph on the grotesque, Back and Forth (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015). He has been featured on BBC Four, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Asian Network, and was dubbed one of the ‘ten rising stars of British poetry’ by The Times. Sid’s theatre work include Kalagora, London’s Perverted Children, long-listed for an Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust award, and The Shroud. He has made a film on Mumbai, Animal City, and guest-edited a special issue of the literary journal Wasafiri (Routledge, UK/USA) on international urban writing. Siddhartha was a Leverhulme Fellow in Drama at Queen Mary, University of London (2011-13). He is an Associate Artist at Penned in the Margins, and currently teaches at Global Shakespeare (QMUL/Warwick). He lives in London.

Review :
This beautiful work by poet Siddhartha Bose [...] The excellent acting makes this into an arresting and exciting show [...] the four actors deliver a performance that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Whether this show is your first introduction to Indian history, heritage and culture, or you're already familiar with it, No Dogs, No Indians will surprise and satisfy you EVERYTHING THEATRE Siddhartha Bose's state of the nation epic [...] Performances shine in this dark play EASTERN DAILY EXPRESS An ambitious if sprawling examination of the deep scars of the British Empire, both personal and political [...] in a country used to a sanitised, flag-waving version of its history, where the British Empire is fetishised and its victims erased, the piece should be lauded for its ambition THE STAGE No Dogs, No Indians is without a doubt one of the most amazing performances out there, trumping most movies in dialogue, character and plot. I cannot recommend it enough RAVENCLAW BOOK CLUB