by Chris Peterson
It has been a full century since the Scopes “Monkey” Trial lit a national fuse in Tennessee, and 70 years since Inherit the Wind turned that moment into a play that became a staple in high school classrooms and a favorite among civic-minded theater companies. But this summer, one of the most meaningful revivals isn’t happening on Broadway or in a midwestern black box. It’s happening in Bengaluru, India.
Yes, India.
Veteran director Jagdish Raja is revisiting his 1979 staging of Inherit the Wind, by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, with a new dramatic reading at Jagriti Theatre in Whitefield. Timed to the 100th anniversary of the Scopes Trial, this production runs from July 18 through 20 and clocks in at a brisk one hour and twenty minutes. With a cast of local talent including Yamuna Kali, Vishnu Surendran, Ashvin Mathew, and others, the production aims to reignite public dialogue around science, belief, and the right to think freely. Tickets are priced at ₹400, roughly five US dollars. Raja himself is directing.
At first glance, this may seem like a small regional effort, but that would miss what makes it powerful. There is something truly profound about this story finding renewed relevance in a country where the intersections of education, religion, and dissent are as present and complex as ever. Inherit the Wind is no longer just an American courtroom drama. It has become a global conversation.
Raja is no stranger to the material. As the founder of Bangalore Little Theatre, he first introduced Inherit the Wind to Indian audiences more than four decades ago. He has lived with the play for years and continues to see its importance. “It is ignorance and bigotry versus the thinking mind,” he said in a recent interview, perfectly capturing the tension at the heart of the play. That battle hasn’t faded. It has simply evolved.
There are no major script revisions here, no attempt to localize the text. Raja trusts that the words speak for themselves, and he’s right. The story may be rooted in the 1920s, but the questions it asks about authority, education, and freedom remain timely. The production format itself underscores this point. By presenting a dramatic reading rather than a full staging, Raja removes the distractions and leaves only the argument. Two lawyers, one courtroom, and a battle over what society is allowed to believe.
In today’s world, that argument feels urgent. Whether it is debates over school curricula, scientific fact, or political ideology, Inherit the Wind continues to speak clearly to anyone paying attention. That clarity resonates in India, a country defined by its dual identity as both ancient and modern. Here, spiritual traditions meet cutting-edge technology, and public discourse regularly toggles between reverence and rebellion. In that landscape, the play doesn’t feel like an imported period piece. It feels like a mirror.
If you happen to be in Bengaluru this July, consider yourself invited to witness a story that is as thought-provoking now as it was when it premiered. And if you are elsewhere, let this serve as a reminder that meaningful theatre doesn’t have to be flashy, expensive, or even American. Sometimes, it just takes the right story, the right moment, and a director with the vision to stage it again.
