(Enter Shiva as a mendicant)

Mendicant: O Tripurasundari! How shocking it is to see a paradigm of delicacy as you performing such a rigorous penance! What is it that has provoked you to leave your father’s paradise and come to this snowy wilderness to cause yourself such agony?

Parvati: Salutations to you shree Guru. I am here to fulfil my most coveted desire to marry the Lord of the three worlds!

Mendicant: O! Is it? Yes. Indeed, I must say then your desire is worthwhile.

Parvati: I am so pleased to hear this from you shree Guru. Indeed. I tried explaining this to my mother and father who are so adamant in their standpoint of labelling my desire to marry Shiva as unwarranted!

Mendicant: What? You are performing the rigors to marry SHIVA?

Parvati: Yes. Be doubtless about your listening skills Shree Guru. They are flawless. You have heard it right. It is him…My Lord and Master Shiva. I want to be his ardhangini! It is he whose desire has instigated this urge in me to continue appeasing him with my offerings unless he agrees to bless me by granting my wish to marry him.

Mendicant: And I am sure this all would have been planned by that shrewd Narada if I am not incorrect in my conjecture?

Parvati: Yes. And I am so glad he explained it all to me that I needed to perform this enduring penance in order to win my Lord’s grace in my favour. So blessed will I consider myself if he happens to accept me as his sevika.

Mendicant: Sevika…you mean his slave. What a menial desire! O! Tripurasundari, have you seen yourself ever in the mirror to speak so lowly of yourself! How can you be so unfair to your unparalleled beauty that can stimulate many to submit in front of your unprecedentedly captivating, indomitably alluring visage, your incessantly long black tresses that can powerfully entwine the fate of many who claim to have solved the most intricate of all labyrinths and the above all your charming and graceful personality, your sweet voice that can cause even the best of nightingales to shame! Your doe-like eyes impair the best of sights when they dare to even compete with them! Perhaps you do not seem to have an idea of the unbeatable strength of your indisputable attraction that can hypnotize anybody who proclaims to stay indifferent to Kama’s shoot!

Parvati: Shree Guru. First and foremost, I bow down to you for your kind words. I think I am not worthy of such appreciation as had I been the way you have described myself to me, the god of Love would not have failed in his attempt, the way he did! I am just another ‘ordinary’ woman with no such extraordinary appearance as you have described me. All I can say is – ‘thanks’ for the adjectives you have used for me as they are indeed flattering for any woman and do give her the joy of being “recognized” and the pride of not being “bypassed”.

Mendicant: I do understand Tripurasundari. I do construe the immense sadness caused when a MAN ignores a woman. I heard the way HE did to you! Simply intolerable! To just reject the advances of a celestial nymph as YOU! Horrible! But you know. You need not feel sad. He is just unworthy of your attention. Trust me! He deserves to be left the way he is! My beautiful lady! You simply do not know you can avail ANY MAN you want in your life! What have you to do with such a personality as Shiva? I fail to understand!

Parvati: Shree Guru. Applying conventional wisdom to my understanding of a personality as you, I do acknowledge that if someone as respectable as YOU is stating something, it has to be in my favor as you cannot be unkind towards me and wish ill of me. Having said so, I hereby request you to explain me the cause of your concern. I wish to obtain the Lord of the three worlds as my husband. As mendicants are not oblivious of past, present and future, you, I suppose, already KNOW my association with him is not of this birth but of the past many births and that we are destined to be together as we are inseparable. My earthly form as Parvati is germinated as per the need of the hour but YOU certainly possess the caliber of viewing us in our ardhanareshwara swaroopa the indivisible Shiv and Shakti. Therefore, I am incapable of fathoming your LEELA at the moment shree Guru! What on earth has provoked you to deter me from following my determination? Kindly explain.

Mendicant (laughs): Now that you are so resigned to gather the reason of my objections towards your desire Trailokyasundari! Let me tell you the full-fledged TRUTH that is unavoidable and that has provoked me to express my concern and thwart you from making the same mistake that you’ve been making since eons! Listen to this very carefully. YES. Indeed I am well aware that you are the incarnation of Shakti that is born to seek Shiva. In the countless births that you’ve taken since the inception of this universe, you have been desiring the inseparable UNION of shiva. But…THAT IS NOT THE POINT. The point here is did you EVER OBTAIN SHIVA? The answer is NO. NEVER! You have been perpetually seeking his union and have perpetually remained incomplete. The inception of Shakti as the embodiment of Shiva and yet left to yearn for eternal union with him! Remember your birth as SATI. What did you attain? You had to finally give up your life! Again the chakra continued. Your incarnation as Parvati – And in this birth too…you are being tortured for attaining his union. Remember, even after you unite with him, you will have to bear the agony of separation. It is written in your destiny Parvati, you will have to suffer. You will have to take numerous births and in every birth, you will have to pass through the continual strife for uniting with him. My question is…when you already KNOW this; why on earth do you want to undergo this hellish experience again and again? Why do you not stop this? Why do you agree to experience this travail when you have the power to discontinue this tradition? Why do you wish to endure the torture? Disagree. Tell that ruthless shiva you no longer want to participate in the cycle of striving to unite with him. Tell him to let you be in your original form as Shakti, the power within the shiva that gives him life and the strength to sustain the universe. Deny; Parvati or else you’ll never be able to attain beatitude. You will be incomplete for infinity! Mind you! This division that shiva has inflicted upon you is nothing but a CURSE!

Parvati: Shree Guru, firstly, I express my sincere gratitude to you for your concern. Having said so, I would like to make certain clarifications with the limited intelligence of mine that I have obtained by the grace of many a learned people as you. The ceaseless travail that I have been undergoing since the inception of this universe is the self-imposed strife that I have chosen to experience as without experiencing separation, it is virtually impossible to experience LOVE. Since my feelings for my lord and master are beyond definition, I have always wanted to feel every bit of him. As I happened to recognize myself in him, I yearned for a separate identity; a form different from that of his because only by extricating myself from him could I avail the pleasure of pining for his union and valuing it so dearly. Remaining within him I was simply lifeless. I obtained my “identity” in the process of separating myself from him and became KNOWN as “Shakti”, shiva’s “better half”. I was no longer shiva’s entity- somebody of Shiva. I was another “entity” who was important for defining his existence as he required my presence to introduce himself fully as ardhanareshwara the composite of Shiva and Shakti wherein both are equal- not a tinge of gender difference. So, when we both are one in our separate identities, why do you think I should erase every possibility of the divine union happening through acknowledging the “difference” between the two of us? Why should I refuse to become his ardhangini, his wife when I know that it is only by choosing to be one I would be able to attain the inseparable union with him that would give me the recognition I truly deserve- of becoming indispensable element in his life. Remaining unrecognized within him, I lose the privilege of making my presence felt as the energy in him that keeps him charged for anything and everything, as the divine soul that keeps an entity alive, as the motivation that he avails of breathing life into this lifeless universe. Shree Guru. With utmost humility I hereby declare that Shakti is the requisite of shiva and when despite very well recognizing this, if Shiva chooses to ignore or bypass the eternal truth, it is Shakti’s duty to make him realize her mandatory presence in his life. I am NOT here to give up so easily. I am here to stay. I am here to remind shiva of his promise of enabling me attain unison with him because HE NEEDS ME to keep the cycle of creation and destruction ongoing, to regulate this cosmos or else, everything pertaining to creation will come to a halt. Everything will become unresponsive if the sublime prakriti that is the root of all creation does not unite with shiva to engender CREATION. I hope your doubts are clear shree Guru?

Mendicant: O! So you think so. But, Tripurasundari. Let me tell you. Listen carefully. That shiva does not believe in a tinge of what you have told me right now I suppose. Had he thought the same about your indispensable presence in his life, he would not have caused you this agony. And if he is testing you, I do not see any point in doing so as he already happens to KNOW you since eons. So, why is he being so unkind towards you and why do you take the onus of getting back his short-lived memory of your importance in his life since time eternal is my point. Can’t be he accept you without causing you such misery? What is the point in making you suffer so much? He is behaving foolish that’s all I can say by refusing to accept your pre-destined presence in his life? Can someone who is actually the Lord and the master of the three worlds be so gullible? I doubt in his so-called divinity now after seeing you in such misery!

(To be continued)

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By: Dr. Payal Trivedi

Guwahati is about to experience an International Drama Production, likely the first of its kind, a play that brings together theatrical talent from several countries worldwide. Gathering such talent in one place for a purpose is incredibly challenging in terms of communication, time, money, and the arduous labour required. The point is that such plays impact the intellectual and cultural environment of the time, stirring the minds of creative individuals. This impact may initially be small, but it delves deep, illuminating the realm of creation with new possibilities. Creative individuals from different countries come together for work and reach a consensus after discussions—this creative process is challenging. However, these challenges give rise to new possibilities and experiences. It’s not just the creators who experience this but also the audience. Many such experiments are underway worldwide, but this will be the first artistic experiment of its kind in Guwahati, which is exciting news for the cultural community.

This production is organized by a theatre group titled AANK, led by Dr Mrinal Jyoti Goswami, an academic who works in a state university and is passionate about theatre. He initiated an international theatre festival last year. At this festival, a theatre troupe from Sri Lanka staged two plays that captivated the audience. Safeer directed one of those plays, ‘Love and Lockdown,’ and will also direct this new play, while the allure of his previous work still lingers. Naturally, the audience is excited about the upcoming play.

Safeer combines various elements in drama production, transforming the play into a unique experience. He has been invited from various countries worldwide to showcase the achievements of his art. He is also an established book publisher and has made his debut as a film director. The film has already been screened at several film festivals.

Witnessing the first performance of a play, movie, exhibition, etc., is a satisfying and often rare experience. We will witness the first performance of Safeer’s latest production here in Guwahati. I had the opportunity to witness a rehearsal of the production and engage in a brief discussion about it.

‘The author of the play, Manjula Wedivardhana, originally from Sri Lanka but now living in France, is a renowned novelist and poet. I had a concept like this: there will be five scenes—five different colours, representing five men—and there will be one woman. She will be the last woman on earth, acting in front of the five men, her final act. He wrote a play based on this concept, a poetic play written in Sinhalese. The play was translated into English by the Australian author Dilini Areawala. In 2016, I met an Italian actress named Julia Filippo at the Colombo National Theater Festival. She was seeking an opportunity to work with an Asian director, having already worked with many European directors and wanting to gain new experiences and knowledge. We began working on the play, which premiered in Dubai at the Foreza Monodrama Festival. The festival is attended by thousands of theatre professionals from different countries worldwide. The play was well-received by audiences worldwide. The main feedback was that monodrama is usually centered around the actor, but this play incorporates a combination of set design, lighting, dance, music, and acting. The play received invitations from many countries, and we performed it in several, including Korea and Azerbaijan. I also staged the play in Pune, India, and in Sri Lanka. My friends expressed the need for a Sinhalese version of the play, so I staged it in Sinhalese with a Sinhalese actress. Then came COVID, and the play was put on hold. Last year, I spoke to Mrinaljyoti Goswami, and finally, we are here. Mrinal translated the play into Assamese, and we will perform it with an Assamese actress,’ Safeer said.

“How will the play continue after this, and what are your plans?”
‘Manjula and I have a dream – we will perform the play in ten languages. It has been performed in English and Sinhalese, and it’s currently being performed in Assamese. Next year, it will be performed in French. The initial plans to perform the play in Hindi and Korean have been completed.’

“A play, not just a play, any artwork, has its roots in the soil of its place. How can the context of those roots be preserved during such phases of transformation?’ ‘It’s quite simple. In this Assamese play, we have incorporated elements that evoke the essence of Assam. As a director, I don’t rely solely on the text of the play. I take the dialogue, and the rest is my own interpretation. Manjula wrote many things, and I have selected only certain parts. We have created several versions of the play, which means we have interpreted it in various ways. Each production is an interpretation.’

“You are an advocate and practitioner of physical theatre. How do you view physical theatre?’ ‘Many people consider gestures alone as the essence of physical theatre. However, I believe and practice differently—physical theatre is not just about gestures. It encompasses dance, music, lights, sets—all components contribute to physical theatre.’

The play is translated by Dr. Mrinal jyoti Goswami and will be staged on April 28 and 29 at the Madhavdev Auditorium of Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra. ‘Premar Dolna (Swings of Love)’ introduces Jahnabi Borah, a promising talent and National School of Drama, Sikkim Centre alumnus, to Guwahati’s theatre aficionados. Under the guidance of director M Safeer, Jayadewa Upeksha Sandeepani, and H.M. Pasindu Nirmal Perera from Sri Lanka contributed as associates, with Dhrubajyoti Deka from Assam serving as the production manager.

Wacky Posters announced the opening of a new play in Gurgaon

The latest play, Inside Out, is one more feather in its writer and director, Gouri Nilkantan Mehta’s cap. Gouri is a graduate in theatre from Miami University and has directed more than a dozen plays in English and Hindi.Last time when I watched Gouri take an account of her actors’ preparedness (they were all on the stage and she was sitting with a mic down in the spectators’ place) I think that propelled them into lively action. Nine Jaloo Hill was a grand success and the uproarious applause from the audience made the actors jubilant in the end. A similar thing happened this time too when Gouri pulled up her socks and sleeves and reprimanded her actors for a lackluster approach (they lacked throw in their speech and crispness in their movement) in the first half of Inside Out and that resulted in a much animated and lively performance in the second half; and that made all the difference, compensating the loss suffered.

The play begins with a monologue of a teenaged bohemian girl, Kamini who now calls herself Nargis, played by Narayini Kumar. She comes from her secluded living in Kumyun her half Australian mother to Gurgaon aspiring to discover herself. The cactus pot that she carries along is her sole companion. In order to avoid sneering from the city guys, she pretends to have come from Bangalore.In another monologue, a young man Nikhil, played by Karan Madan, discloses his aspiration for becoming a lucratively paid litigation lawyer in Gurgaon.Nayantara and Nishant, played by Niyomi Dey and Sheel Kalia, through a light hearted conversation, portray a domineering wife and a henpeck husband. Nishant does not like her playing Mozart, her snoring in the bed, her using eight pillows in the bed, liking golgfish and suggesting to visit Vahamas and Neemrana. Nayan loaths his ‘aromatic’ socks, the overuse of air conditioning and a noisy flush in the bathroom, and so on. After twelve years of their married life, they decide to separate temporarily.

A Scene from the play – where two is company – three is ??

Nishant with the help of Nikhil, gets a room to share with Nargis, and Nayan is persuaded by the same Nikhil to accommodate Neil, a Kashmiri migrant and a Health Insurance personnel, as a tenant, played by Rajguru Mohan. Here, the guy playing Nikhil, Karan Madan, who replaced the actor playing this role in the last minute, made his presence felt with his remarkable confidence and zest.After some pretentious lies about herself, Nargis discovers her true identity. Nargis tries to befriend Nishant to which he gives a cold response. Both the actors – Narayini Kumar and Sheel Kalia – portray their characters well. However, more variations in tone and gestures when switching from the pretentious self to the true self could have done wonders.

Nishant makes an attempt to come back home but finds a chit left in the house by Nayan, dissuading him from coming back. When again he comes to fetch his belongings, Nayan tells him she had sold them off.Lok Kala Manch offers a stage which confines the scope for movement; and, apparently, the play seems to have been conceived for a bigger one. The stage encompasses a single bedroom of Nargis on the left, a bar at the right back and the sitting room of Nayan in the right front and the left front is used for Nikhil, and Neil meeting him. The wise use of stairs in the last scene deals well with the otherwise cramped stage.

By the last scene, actors seemed to have shed off any inhibitions they might have had so far and they came in the fore with their striking punches. In the two simultaneous scenes played by Narayini Kumar and Rajguru Mohan on the one hand and Niyomi Dey and Sheel Kalia on the other concluded the play marvellously well.Separation for over two months seems enough for Nayan and Nishant to realise that they could not live without each other. At the same time, Nargis and Neil too discover themselves to be a compatible match.Gouri surprises! She surprises with her zest and zeal, her innovations, her hard work and accuracy. She surprises by beginning with amateurs and turning them into professionals. She surprised this time once again with the same set of her skills, and endeavour.
– Dinesh Agrawal

Recently, Delhi’s theater organization Natsamrat presented a total of eight of its seven different plays. Where the audience appreciated all the plays very much. The special thing about Natsamrat’s plays is that this organization performs plays that touch the souls of the audience, giving heart-touching messages to the society through laughter or simplicity. These plays were staged in LTG Auditorium, Mandi House, New Delhi.

The play ‘Fauji’, written and directed by Sanjay Basliyal, was staged on 16 March at 3 pm and the play “Sakharam Binder”, written by Vijay Tendulkar and directed by Vishwajit Alexander, was staged at 4:15 pm on the same evening. The play “Kuch Tum Kaho Kuch Hum Kahan” written by Ashish Kotwal and directed by Shyam Kumar was staged on 17 March at 3 pm and the play “Kambakht Ishq” written by Satya Prakash and directed by Shyam Kumar was staged on the same evening at 4:15 pm. Went. The play “Comedy Junction”, written by Anton Chekhov and directed by Fareed Ahmed, was staged on March 23 at 3 pm and the play “Chandralok.com”, written by Harishankar Parsai and directed by Rakesh Kodinya, was staged at 4:15 pm. The comedy drama “Kallu Nayi MBBS”, written by Molière and directed by Shyam Kumar, was staged on 30 March at 6:30 pm and 7:45 pm (2 shows).

All the actors associated with the drama created a different place in the minds of all the viewers with the magic of their acting. One audience even said that our family always waits for your plays. Another viewer said that Natsamrat’s plays are such that every age member of the family feels happy. Natsamrat director Shyam Kumar said that we will continue to bring such plays in front of the audience and through our plays will continue to give messages to the society on deep topics through laughter.

समीक्षा: अनिल गोयल

मंच पर कविता का मंचन लगभग बीस-बाईस वर्ष पूर्व देखा था, जब भोपाल से भारत रंग महोत्सव में आई विभा मिश्रा का नाटक ‘उनके हिस्से का प्रेम’ देखा था. मंच पर वही कविता एक बार फिर मंचित होती देखी, वशिष्ठ उपाध्याय के निर्देशन में मकरन्द देशपाण्डे के नाटक ‘सर सर सरला’ में, जिसे संजीव कान्त के रंगसमूह ‘कॉमन पीपुल’ ने ‘श्रृंगार काण्ड’ के नाम से 17 मार्च 2024 को प्रस्तुत किया. प्रस्तुति गुरुग्राम में महेश वशिष्ठ के ‘रूफटॉप’ प्रेक्षागृह ‘रंगपरिवर्तन’ में हुई. इस प्रकार के एक छोटे से, ‘इंटिमेट’ स्टूडियो प्रेक्षागृह में इस नाटक की सुन्दर प्रस्तुति ने अभिभूत कर दिया, कि कविता आज भी जीवित है! प्रकाश की सीमित उपलब्ध व्यवस्था के बीच, अभिनय के अतिरिक्त कोई उपकरण कलाकारों के पास नहीं बचता! और सभी कलाकारों ने उसका भरपूर उपयोग किया!

और मंच पर ही नहीं, कविता दर्शकों के बीच भी विराजमान रही, जहाँ नाटक के दौरान लगभग डेढ़ घंटे में मुझे एक बार भी कोई व्यक्ति मोबाइल पर सन्देश देखता हुआ तक भी नजर नहीं आया! इसे नाटक की प्रस्तुति के उत्कृष्ट होने के प्रमाण के रूप में भी लिया जा सकता है! और मुझे लगा, कि तीन पीढ़ियों को लेकर भी कोई परिवार वहाँ नाटक देखने आया हुआ था! यही चीजें रंगमंच के भविष्य के प्रति विश्वास जगाती हैं!
मंच पर प्रो. जी.पी. पालेकर के रूप में वशिष्ठ उपाध्याय, सरला के रूप में ज्योति उपाध्याय और फणीधर के रूप में तारा सिंह ने अद्भुत कसी हुई प्रस्तुति दे कर दर्शकों को हिलने भर का भी अवसर नहीं दिया! अपनी विद्यार्थी की अनुरक्ति से दिग्भ्रमित से प्रो. पालेकर (वशिष्ठ उपाध्याय), अपने आदर्श अध्यापक के प्रति रसीला अनुराग लिये सरल सी सरला (ज्योति उपाध्याय), और सरला की इस अनुरक्ति से परेशान फणीधर (तारा सिंह), जिसे सरला के एक अन्य साथी केशव के साथ विवाह के दंश को भी झेलना पड़ता है – इन चार पात्रों की इस चतुष्कोणीय प्रेम कथा मनुष्यों के बीच के सम्बन्धों की जटिलता के प्रश्न को बहुत सुन्दर तरीके से प्रस्तुत करती है, जिसमें मंच पर केशव कभी उपस्थित नहीं होता. वशिष्ठ उपाध्याय और ज्योति उपाध्याय ने बहुत कसे हुए तरीके से अपनी भूमिकाएँ निभाई हैं. लेकिन जिस तरीके से तारा सिंह ने एक झल्लाये हुए कुंठित प्रेमी की कठिन भूमिका को निभाया है, जिसमें एक ओर उसके प्रोफेसर हैं, दूसरी ओर वह लड़की है जिसे वह मन ही मन प्रेम करता है, और तीसरी ओर एक अन्य सहपाठी है, जिसके साथ सरला विवाह कर लेती है, वह दर्शनीय था!
‘कॉमन पीपुल’ की रजत जयन्ती के अवसर पर उन्होंने महेश वशिष्ठ और हरि कश्यप को सम्मानित किया. इस सम्मानित व्यक्तियों साथ मुझ अकिंचन को भी सम्मिलित करके उन्होंने अपनी श्रेष्ठता का ही परिचय दिया!

Natsamrat Natya Utsav has started in Delhi Theater. Amidst the fast-paced life of the city, there must be some moments of happiness and to fulfill the same, the audience can come to Natsamrat Natya Utsav which is going on at LTG Auditorium, Mandi House, New Delhi.

The first play “Fauji”, written and directed by Sanjay Basliyal, was highly appreciated by the audience. The drama ‘Fauji’ is the story of an 80-year-old ex-serviceman (Diler Singh) from Uttarakhand, whose family has a legacy of serving the Indian Army. A news channel wants to cover their story and present it sensationally to increase their TRP ratings. Parallely, the news anchor who will cover the story (Kritika) and the cameraman (Kishore) were once in a relationship and have stopped working with each other since the breakup. They are now forced to work together on this story. As the play highlights the life of Diler Singh, a soldier who paid a great price to serve the country, it leaves a lasting impact on Kritika and Kishore’s relationship. Suresh Chandra played the role of editor, Sumita Sharma played the role of Pinky, Mantu had Prateek Rawat, Krutika, Roshan played the role of Kishore and Sanjay Basliyal, the writer and director of this play played the role of Diler Singh. P.K.Khayal conducted the lighting, Ashu conducted the music, Hardeep Singh and Mr. Om Sharma took charge of the backstage. All the actors played their roles beautifully and the audience also got engrossed in their phenomenal acting. It was staged on 16 March at 3:00 pm.

The second play of the evening was “Sakharam Binder” written by Vijay Tendulkar and directed by Vishwajeet Alexander. The play’s title alludes to Sakharam who is alone, devoid of familial ties, and whose profession as a book-binder enables him to stay away from the milieu of conservative society and live a quaint life on his own terms. Vishwajeet played the role of Sakharam, Ekta played the role of Lakshmi, Krutika played the role of Champa, Shammi played the role of Faujdar and Naveen played the role of Dawood. The acting of all the actors was impressive. Yash and Sachin were in music, Archana Kumari did the arrangement and Naina was in lighting operations. The play was staged on 16 March at 4:15 pm.

Two plays were staged on the second day of Natsamrat Natya Utsav. The first play was “Kuch Tum Kaho Kuch Hum Kahe” and the second play was “Kambakht Ishq”.

Kuch Tum Kaho Kuch Hum Kahein” exemplifies excellence from the pen of Ashish Kotwal and directed by Shyam Kumar, which premiered on 17th March at 3:00 PM. Dr. Anand, closing the doors of happiness, gives life Meets Mansi who wants to be adopted. Vivek Sharma and Munmun’s heart-touching banter immersed the audience in emotions. The lead actors of the drama, Vivek Sharma and Munmun, sometimes have sweet and sour banter and sometimes support each other. The performance of both of them left the audience emotional. The audience appreciated the play a lot.

In the play “Kambakht Ishq” written by Satya Prakash, it was shown that the elderly, being victims of loneliness, create a separate world within themselves and fall ill, even though they are not ill. Two elderly people, one Kishan and the other Radha, fall ill due to their loneliness. The director of the play, Shyam Kumar, has given a very beautiful message to the society that in old age, when children become busy in their life’s work, they find it difficult to find time for their parents. Then how bad the condition of those elderly people becomes.

In the drama, Sanjay Basliyal played the role of Kishan and Munmun played the role of Radha, Vivek Sharma played the role of the son and Savita Gupta played the role of the daughter, P.K. Khayal played the role of the doctor. Aman played the role of compounder. The stage managers were Sunil Rathore and Rohit Prasad Prasad, Sooraj and Lokesh were in stage props, Rajrani was in makeup, Payal was in costume, Raman Kumar and Mahendra Kumar took charge of the backstage, Aman and Vansh Rathore were in song management. Light Designed was conceptualized by Natsamrat director Shyam Kumar. This play was staged on March 17 at 4:15 pm. This Natya Utsav is still going on. On 23rd March, two plays are being staged by “Comedy Junction” and “Chandralok.Com”, and on 30th there is a comedy play Kallu Nai MBBS. The festival is being held in LTG Auditorium, Mandi House, New Delhi.

The play Nirjan Karawas, written by Jaywardhan, was launched on 2 March 2024 at 4:00 pm in Delhi.

JP Singh alias Jaiwardhan has received ‘Honorary Degree’ from Bharatendu Natya Academy, Lucknow. He is honored with the Akademi Award for the year 2007 for playwriting by Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi, Lucknow. He is an expert in acting, direction and lighting concept. He has written many famous plays, including ‘Urgent Meeting’, ‘Kissa Maujpur Ka’, ‘Kaalpurush’, ‘Hai! Handsome’, ‘Mayaram Ki Maya’, ‘Jhansi Ki Rani’, ‘Madhyaantar’, ‘Mastmoula’, ‘Daroga ji Chori Ho Gayi’, ‘Jaisa Tum Kaho’, ‘Akhir Ek Din’, ‘Karmaev Dharmah’, ‘Antataha ‘, ‘Gorakhdhandha’, ‘Gandhari’, ‘Khairatilal Ka Kursi Tantra’, ‘Paro’, ‘Ek Aur Meeting’ and ‘Babu Harishchand’. 15 plays written by him have been published, along with 6 of his children’s plays have also been published. He has also made an impressive drama adaptation of Munshi Premchand’s classic novel ‘Godaan’. Many of his plays have also been telecast on Doordarshan and All India Radio.

Padmashree Sh. Daya Prakash Sinha, Senior Dainik Jagran Journalist Shri Anant Vijay, Akhil Bharatiya Co-Treasurer Subodh Sharma, Senior playwright Sh. Pratap Sehgal, Senior Drama Critic Sh. Anil Goyal, Senior Theater Artist Sh. Avtar Sahni were the chief guests at the inauguration. Jaywardhan welcomed all the chief guests.  Pratap Sehgal, while praising his writing, was seen saying on some issues of the play that more pages of history could have been added to it. In response to this, Jaywardhan said that the play ‘Nirjan Karawas’ depicts the period of solitary confinement of Maharishi Aurobindo Ghosh, that is why only one incident has been discussed in detail in it, due to which the author focuses the attention of the readers on one place. All the chief guests said about his writing that just as he wrote comic plays, he also wrote on serious subjects, which touched the hearts of the readers. The special thing is that he is an actor as well as a director, so he writes the scenes of the story more beautifully. It was also said to him that despite being so busy, he is writing many plays, which are present in the library even today and the plays written by him are being played in every corner of India.

Senior Critic Sh. Diwan Singh Bajeli, Senior Writer Sh. Hari Suman Bisht, Senior Critic Sh. Sangam Pandey, Senior Drama Director Sh. Shyam Kumar, Senior Drama Director Vashishth Upadhyay, Senior Drama Director Sh. Bhupesh Joshi, Senior Drama Director Sh. Ravi Taneja etc. participated in the audience.

Natsamrat unfolded a captivating display of theatrical brilliance, showcasing four remarkable plays. Commencing with “Kuch Tum Kaho Kuch Hum Kahen,” written by Ashish Kotwal and directed by Shyam Kumar took stage on 20th January at 6:30 pm & 7:45 pm. The narrative delves into the collision of two disparate worlds. Dr. Anand, shutting doors to happiness, encounters Mansi, aspiring to embrace life. Vivek Sharma and Munmun’s poignant exchange left the audience immersed in emotions.

Following this, “Sakharam Binder” by Vijay Tendulkar, directed by Vishwajeet Alexander, took center stage on January 21 at 3 pm & 4:15 pm.. Vishwajeet portrayed Sakharam alongside Shruti, Krutika, Nasir, and Naveen, delivering an impressive performance. The timeless narrative, dating back to 1972, resonated, with Akash handling music and lighting, Archana overseeing aesthetics, and Sangeeta managing props.

The comedic gem, “Kambakht Ishq,” written by Satya Prakash and directed by Shyam Kumar, unfolded on January 26 at 6:30 pm & 7:45 pm. Offering a humorous take on the loneliness in old age, Vishwajeet, Munmun, Sanjay Basliyal, and Savita Gupta, among others, left the audience oscillating between laughter and tears. A meticulous production, featuring Sunil Rathore and Rohit Prasad as stage managers, showcased the multifaceted talents of the Natsamrat team.

Closing the theatrical extravaganza was “Chandralok.com,” an adaptation of Harishankar Parsai’s story, directed by Rakesh Kodinya on 28th January at 3 pm & 4:15 pm. The ensemble cast, including Munmun, Vivek Sharma, Sanjay Basliyal, Sudhir Khanna, Jagbir Choudhary, and Aman, not only evoked laughter but also conveyed a profound message through their performance. With music conducted by Shivangi and lighting envisioned by Shyam Kumar, this play added a delightful conclusion to the series.

These four enthralling plays graced The Blank Canvas (LTG Auditorium), Copernicus Marg, Mandi House, New Delhi, leaving an indelible mark on the audience.

Felicity Theatre’s unprecedented presentation of the play “Humare Ram”. Today the whole of India is rejoicing over the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, at the same time Rahul Bhuchar brought the play ” Humare Ram” to the audience. It is written by Rahul Bhuchar and Naresh Kavayan and directed by Gaurav Bhardwaj. Very beautiful music was used in the play. The songs were written by Alok Srivastava and Ramkumar Singh and composed by Udbhav Ojha and Saurabh Mehta. Well-known Bollywood singer Shankar Mahadevan, Sonu Nigam, Kailash Kher and Ashutosh Rana gave voice to the songs.

This play is an epic in a way whose words have been beautifully woven into a garland. Felicity Theater director Rahul Bhuchar played the role of Shri Ram and well-known Bollywood actor Ashutosh Rana played the role of Ravana while Harleen Kaur Rekhi played the role of Mata Sita. Danish Akhtar was seen as Lord Hanuman, Tarun Khanna as Lord Shiva and Karan Sharma as Surya Dev.

While the audience got engrossed in devotion due to Ram’s dialogue, the audience applauded a lot after seeing the style of Ravana (Ashutosh Rana). While Kailash Kher’s voice created magic in the drama, Ashutosh Rana’s voice also created magic. The audience became engrossed in devotion with the voice of Sonu Nigam.

The special thing about ” Humare Ram” is that this drama exposed many hidden incidents of Ramayana which may not be known to many people. The story started from Luv and Kush’s perspective. All the scenes were shown very beautifully and the entire Ramayana was depicted in three hours. Be it the arrival of Sun God on the stage or the entry of Hanuman on the stage. Shurpanakha got a lot of applause for her acting. The light design was amazing with LEDs. The children played the role of monkeys who are very adept dancers and made their entry with a beautiful and energetic dance. Rahul Bhuchar had laid the foundation of this play two years ago, which came true today and this play got a lot of love from the audience.

The play “Hamare Ram” was staged at Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi from 25 to 28 January.

रामानुजन
— अनिल गोयल

दिल्ली के रंगप्रेमी दर्शक साठ और सत्तर के दशकों से लेकर एक लम्बे समय गम्भीर नाटकों के साक्षी रहे हैं. परन्तु पिछले कुछ समय में हास्य-व्यंग्य के कुछ हल्के और कुछ बहुत सस्ते नाटक ही दिल्ली के रंगमंच परिदृश्य पर अधिकतर छाये रहे हैं. ऐसे में एक गम्भीर नाटक में, विपरीत परिस्थितियों में भी दर्शकों की उपस्थिति बहुत उत्साहवर्धक रही, और इस बात के प्रति आश्वस्त करती है कि दिल्ली में अभी भी गम्भीर नाटकों के दर्शक हैं.
संगीत नाटक अकादमी पुरस्कार से सम्मानित प्रताप सहगल के नाटक ‘रामानुजन’ का हिमांशु यादव द्वारा साहित्य कला परिषद दिल्ली के युवा नाट्य समारोह में प्रदर्शन किया गया. यह इस नाटक का कहीं भी पहला प्रदर्शन था. 12 जनवरी 2024 के दिन, इस नाटक से पहले एक और नाटक एल.टी.जी. प्रेक्षागृह में चल रहा था, जो बहुत लम्बा खिंच गया, और नाटक ‘रामानुजन’ अपने निर्धारित समय से एक घंटे से भी अधिक देरी से प्रारम्भ हो पाया. लेकिन फिर भी हॉल लगभग पूरा भरा हुआ था, जिसे देख कर बहुत सन्तोष हुआ.
हॉल देरी से मिलने के कारण प्रकाश परिकल्पक रमन कुमार लाइट्स भी ठीक से व्यवस्थित नहीं कर सके. लेकिन तो भी, अरविन्द सिंह के मार्गदर्शन में हुए इस नाटक के प्रथम प्रदर्शन ने ही दर्शकों को इतना आकर्षित किया कि अन्त तक भी सभी दर्शक बंधे बैठे रहे.
नाटक प्रसिद्ध गणितज्ञ श्रीनिवास रामानुजन की जीवन-यात्रा की एक झलक है. इसमें पाठकों और दर्शकों को एक बहुत गरीब घर में जन्मे रामानुजन की अद्भुत, कुछ सीमा तक दैवीय प्रतिभा की जानकारी मिलती है. रामानुजन बचपन से ही गणित की अद्भुत प्रतिभा ले कर पैदा हुए थे, जिसे उन्होंने ग्यारह वर्ष की आयु में ही दिखा दिया था! हाई स्कूल में वे गणित के उच्च-स्तरीय सूत्रों, प्रश्नों और अन्य सिद्धान्तों को आसानी से सुलझाने लगे थे. इस समय तक वे अपने साथियों के लिये एक पहेली बन चुके थे, और उनके साथी उन्हें बहुत श्रद्धा की नजरों से देखने लगे थे; हालांकि गणित पर बहुत अधिक जोर देने और अन्य विषयों की उपेक्षा करने के कारण वे उच्चतर परीक्षाओं में सफल न हो पाये! फिर गरीबी के कारण वे अपना समय मद्रास पोर्ट ट्रस्ट में क्लर्क की नौकरी करके गँवाने को मजबूर हुए.
उन्होंने इंग्लैंड में कैम्ब्रिज में वहाँ के गणितज्ञों के साथ पत्र-व्यवहार प्रारम्भ किया. कुछ समय पश्चात उनकी प्रतिभा को पहचानते हुए उन्हें मद्रास के बोर्ड ऑफ स्टडीज इन मैथेमेटिक्स के द्वारा लन्दन जाने के लिए स्कालरशिप दी गई. विषम आर्थिक, सामाजिक और पारिवारिक परिस्थितियों से लड़ते हुए वे जैसे-तैसे लन्दन पहुँचे और अंग्रेज गणितज्ञ जी.एच. हार्डी के संरक्षण में गणित पर अपना शोध करते रहे. लेकिन स्वास्थ्य के बिगड़ने पर उन्हें भारतवर्ष लौटना पड़ा, जहाँ वे बहुत लम्बे समय तक जीवित नहीं रह सके.
नाटक में उस समय की विषम सामाजिक परिस्थितियों, और उनके चलते रामानुजन के संघर्ष को युवा निर्देशक हिमांशु यादव ने बहुत सफलता के साथ दर्शाया है. साथ ही, असाधारण प्रतिभा वाले लोगों के, जो साधारण डिग्रियाँ में कई बार असफल रहते हैं, संघर्ष को भी उकेरा गया है. मद्रास के बोर्ड ऑफ स्टडीज में रामानुजन को स्कालरशिप दिये जाने के प्रश्न पर हुए विचार-विमर्श से यह स्पष्ट नजर आता है. इस दृश्य में निर्देशक ने उस समय की परिस्थितियों के तनाव को दिखाने में सफलता पाई है. परन्तु रामानुजन का संघर्ष यहीं नहीं समाप्त होता, उसे अपने परिवार के उस समय के गुलाम भारत के रूढ़िवादी विचारों से भी जूझना पड़ता है, हालांकि यह शोध का विषय हो सकता है कि रामानुजन की बूढ़ी दादी सबसे पहले उसे विदेश जाने के लिये अनुमति कैसे दे देती है! इन सब संघर्षों के बीच से निकल कर लन्दन जाने, वहाँ के अत्यन्त ठण्डे मौसम के साथ संघर्ष करने, और उस समय पर चल रहे प्रथम विश्वयुद्ध की विपरीत परिस्थितियों में भी, जहाँ उसे शाकाहारी होने के कारण खाने के लिये आलू के अतिरिक्त कुछ और नहीं मिलता, यह सब परिदृश्य रामानुजन के अनेक-स्तरीय संघर्ष को बहुत सुन्दरता के साथ उभारता है! इसी के साथ-साथ लन्दन के अनेक गणितज्ञ उसके काम को समझ न पा कर नकार भी देते हैं. यही चीज ‘स्ट्रक्चर्ड’ और ‘नॉन-स्ट्रक्चर्ड’ अध्ययन के बीच के अन्तर को भी दिखाती है, और भारतवर्ष की पराधीनता की बेड़ियों को भी दिखाती है! ऐसे में प्रोफेसर हार्डी उसके काम को पहचान कर उसका साथ देते हैं, जिससे रामानुजन की समस्याएँ कुछ सीमा तक कम हो पाती हैं!
रामानुजन के रूप में विपिन कुमार ने एक दक्षिण भारतीय व्यक्ति के चरित्र को बहुत अच्छे से जिया है. इसमें उन्हें अन्य सभी कलाकारों का भरपूर सहयोग मिला, जिससे यह नाटक अपनी तमाम समस्याओं और कमियों के उपरान्त भी एक दर्शनीय कृति बन गई. रामानुजन की पत्नी जानकी के रूप में पूजा ध्यानी नाटक का एक प्रमुख आकर्षण रहीं, जिन्होंने हर समस्या में रामानुजन को पग-पग पर सम्भाला! रामानुजन के साथ लन्दन जाने से पहले के समुद्र-किनारे के भावपूर्ण दृश्य की बात हो, रामानुजन से उसके पत्रों का उत्तर न मिलने की बात हो, या फिर रामानुजन की मृत्यु के अन्तिम दृश्य की बात की जाये, पूजा ने हर स्थान पर अपने सशक्त और भावपूर्ण अभिनय से नाटक को गति प्रदान करके दर्शकों को अपनी सीटों पर बैठे रहने को मजबूर किया! अम्मा (प्रज्ञा बैस) और प्रो. हार्डी (अतुल ढींगरा) से लेकर छोटे रामानुजन (भाग्येश कौशिक) तक सभी कलाकारों ने अच्छे से अपने चरित्र निभाये!
भारतवर्ष का हजारों वर्ष पुराना इतिहास, और सांस्कृतिक विविधताओं वाला एक विशाल देश होने के कारण यहाँ इस प्रकार के व्यक्तित्वों पर नाटक लिखने की अपार सम्भावनाएँ हैं, परन्तु उन पर काम नहीं किया गया है. प्रताप सहगल का जीवनचरित्र दिखाने वाला यह नाटक नाटक नये उभरते नाटककारों को इस ओर काम करने के लिये प्रेरणा देगा. नाटक केवल एक व्यक्ति के जीवन की कथा को ही नहीं दिखाते, अपितु वे अपने समय की राजनीतिक, सामाजिक और सांस्कृतिक परिस्थितियों से भी दर्शकों को परिचित करवाते हैं! समाज में बड़े स्तर पर उथल-पुथल मचा देने वाला एक नाटक बांग्ला नाटकार दीनबन्धु मित्र का 1860 में प्रकाशित नाटक ‘नीलदर्पण’ रहा, जिसने न केवल भारत के स्वतन्त्रता-संग्राम को एक नई दिशा प्रदान की थी, बल्कि यूरोप के अनेक क्षेत्रों के किसानों की दशा के बारे में भी चिन्तन को प्रारम्भ किया था.
मुकेश झा के संगीत सयोजन ने नाटक को आगे बढ़ाने में सहयोग दिया. नाटक में दृश्य-संयोजन में कुछ अनुशासन रख कर निर्देशक दर्शकों के प्रति न्याय कर सकेंगे, पूरे मंच पर पूरे समय गणित के फॉर्मूले दिखा कर निर्देशक ने दर्शकों का ध्यान भंग ही किया है. साथ ही, समुद्र-किनारे के रामानुजन और जानकी के बीच के भावपूर्ण दृश्य में भी रामानुजन के हाथों में स्लेट थमा कर निर्देशक रामानुजन के चरित्र के प्रति न्याय नहीं कर पाये हैं. इन एक-दो छोटी-मोटी चीजों के होते हुए भी, अरविन्द सिंह के मार्गदर्शन में एक सुन्दर नाटक की प्रस्तुति देख कर दर्शकों को एक अच्छा नाटक देखने का सुख मिला, इसके लिये अरविन्द बधाई के पात्र हैं!