Siddique Mohammad’s GOGA CHAUHAN KA KUCHAMANI KHAYAL

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Director: Siddique Mohammad
Group: Pt. Ugamraj Khiladi Lok Kala Prashikshan Evam Shodh Sansthan, Rajasthan
Language: Rajasthani
Duration: 1 hr 15 mins

The Form
Khayal is an all-night recital of the historic and Pauranic love-stories sung and enacted in the villages. Kuchamani Khayal is the most popular form of Rajasthani folk art. Late Lachhi Ram Ji of Kuchaman was the father of this form, and had a strong voice. Around a hundred years ago he created this form for the village Kuchaman and thus it came to be known popularly as Kuchamani. Initially the performance was accompanied by Dholak, Nagara, Turri etc. but over the years Harmonium, Tabla Sitar and Sarangi also got incorporated. The costumes of the artists are often symbolic. For example, the king doesn’t wear expensive clothes but puts on a crown or a kalangi over his regular clothes. By wearing a lehnga, kurti and kaanchali, and drawing a goonghat a man represents a woman. Pt. Ugamraj ji has contributed immensely in this folk form for the past 65 years, staging the message of patriotism, bravery and truth, in every nook and corner of the country. He has created a world record by staging more than 20000 performances of Kuchamani form of Khayal from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.

The Play
Mahapurush Goga ji is popular as a secular god of the middle ages who was above caste, creed, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh. Goga ji of Rajasthan, as per a famous story, was born as a blessing given by Guru Gorakhnath. His mother could not bear children and went to meet Guru Gorakhnath who was then meditating on a hillock. He gave her a boon that she will bear a son and gave her a fruit called Gogal as a blessing. On eating the fruit she conceived and later Goga ji was born. He was called Goga ji after the fruit Gogal. Qayamkhani Muslim society calls him Jahar Pir. He became a disciple of Guru Gorakhnath. To commemorate Goga ji, in the month of Bhadra, a fair is organised and is visited by all communities including Hindus and Muslims. This production is based on the life and works of the aforesaid Goga Chauhan.

The Director
Born in 1958 in village Medhta, District Nagaur of Rajasthan, Dr. Siddique Mohammad is currently the chairman of Ugamraj Khiladi Lok Kala Prashikshan Evam Shodh Sansthan. After completing B.A. (Hons), M.A. and Ph.D., and gaining popularity in the universities, he served as an associate professor. He has been an avid translator, publisher and researcher. During his research he was given a grant by the Department of Hindi by Jai Narayan Vyas University, Jodhpur; and Ambedkar Fellowship by Bhartiya Dalit Sahitya Akademi, Delhi. He has also received many awards and honours.

Cast & Credits
Team: Kachruddin, Sardar Khan, Chaman Khan, Mehboob Ali, Sishupal, Iqbal Khan, Raju
Nagadhchi, Janwru Khan, Prakash Mand, Shaukhat Khan, Nema Ram Roisa, Mangilal Kanoonga, Sarwan Sardi, Ayub Khan, Bilada, Shriniwas Sharma, Naryan Singh Peethal, Satyanarayan Sharma, Ramgopal Sharma

Director: Siddique Mohammad

Manohar Khushalani

Manohar Khushalani

Prof. Manohar Khushalani is a former Visiting Faculty at Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi. The courses he taught were: Animation & Graphics, Non-Linear Editing for Film and Radio and Theatre Appreciation.  He has won a total of nine Excellence in Teaching awards for all the courses he has taught at IIITD Earlier he retired from Government of India as Director Environment Management, Central Water Commission and held many senior positions in the Government Based on a Belief that Culture and Environment are the two keys to global sustainability , Manohar Khushalani has launched two portals: A Portal on Environment and Water called One Vorld at url: www.onevorld.org and two Ezines on Culture called Stage Buzz at url: www.stagebuzz.in He has taught extensively in varied subjects such as Dam Safety, Instrumentation, CAD, IT, Animation, Theatre, Newspaper Editing. He has conducted Courses on Environment Management, Water Shed Development, Team Building and Personality Development. He was an Expert Member of Prasar Bharti’s Committee for Grading & Short listing Films for Telecast on all channels of Doordarshan.  He is a Radio Anchor for All India Radio and has moderated several programs for the Rajdhani Channel He is a well-known Theatre Actor/Director and Critic, has been involved in theatre since 1977. He has worked as an actor in over 50 plays with almost every leading director/Actor in the Country including Badal Sircar, Feisal Alkazi, Amal Allana, M.K. Raina, Anuradha Kapoor, Maya Rao, Manohar Singh, Prasanna, Rati Bartholomew and Sushmita Mukherji. He has been active in the social sector as a street theatre activist. As a member of Workshop Theatre, Theatre Union and Prayog, Khushalani has participated in street plays taking up major social issues such as dowry, bride burning, Sati, banned medicinal drugs and communalism. Dario Fo’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist and Can’t Pay Won’t Pay, both directed by him, received rave notices from critics and audiences alike. Other plays directed by him include Badal Sircar’s, Sagina Mahato and Boris Vian’s Empire Builders for Ruchika Theatre Group. Khushalani has also acted in a few films such as Sudhir Mishra's Hazaron Khwaishen Aisi , Shoojit Sircar’s Madras Café and Pradeep Krishan's Annie Gives Those Ones. He is an Animator & Graphics Designer and has directed a number of documentaries. He also held a number of Honorary positions and was President of North India Films Association, He was the Chairman of  Jury for UGC CEC Educational Films Competition and has been on their Preview Committee since last many years. He was on the preview committee of Door Darshan Channel 3, was a visiting Professor at National School of Drama, New Delhi, and Film & Television Institute of India, Pune, AJKMCRR, Jamia Milia Islamia and Professor in Media at FICT, Delhi  He has judged a large number of Drama Competitions and conducted a number of Theatre / Management Games Workshops with Institutions such as AIIMS, NTPC, CWPRS, NWA, Karve Nari Prakshishan Sansthan, FICT, IIT, MAMC, Gargi College, KNC, Tagore International School and Vivekananda School. He is a Theatre Critic for IIC Diary, has also been a Columnist with Midday and Pioneer Daily and wrote Column's Called Culture Cocktail and Footlights Respectively. He was also the Guest Editor for an issue on Folk Theatre of ICCR Journal Horizons. He has written for Times of Indian, Hindustan Times, Blitz, Hard News, Hindu Business Line, Theatre India & Art Times. He has designed dams and hydraulic structures for the Government. He is a programmer and has developed Engineering design software in Fortran. He is a co-author of Irrigation Practice & Design (Vol 1 to5 - 1500 pages) published by Oxford & IBH and sponsored by National Book Trust. He has been a Director, Environment and Sociology, at the National Water Academy, Khadakwasla and Director, Environment Management Directorate, Central Water Commission and Member Secretary, National Environmental Monitoring Committee for River Valley Projects. He was also Director of Instrumentation Directorate in the Dam Safety Organisation. He was Chief General Manager and Head of Water Resources at Scott Wilson and is an accredited consultant with numerous other organizations He is a Delhi Public School, BITS Pilani, IIT Delhi and FTI Pune Alumini. He was also the President of BITS Pilani Alumni Association, Pune.

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