समीक्षा — अनिल गोयल
मराठी और बंगाली रंगमंच से आक्रान्त होने की सीमा तक प्रभावित रहे हिन्दी रंगमंच में कुछ चरित्र, विशेषकर भारतीय इतिहास, संस्कृति और धर्म से जुड़े हुए लोग किनारों पर ही रहे… जिसमें विभिन्न विचारधारावादी बौद्धिकों का बहुत बड़ा योगदान रहा. हालांकि, हमारे फिल्म-जगत ने ऐसे अनेक व्यक्तियों पर फिल्में बनाईं. स्थिति में परिवर्तन आने से, नकार दिये गये ऐसे कुछ चरित्र अब रंगमंच के प्रकाश-पुंज की परिधियों में आ रहे हैं.

ऐसे ही एक महान संगीत-नायक बैजू बावरा के जीवन पर 2024 के जनवरी माह की चौथी तिथि को अरविन्द सिंह चन्द्रवंशी ने अपना नया नाटक ‘बैजू बावरा’ दिल्ली के श्रीराम सैंटर में गाँधी हिन्दुस्तानी साहित्य सभा के सौजन्य से प्रस्तुत किया. नाटक का लेखन विशाल सिंह और अरविन्द सिंह ने किया है.

यह नाटक एक बार फिर से इस बहस को जन्म देता है कि क्या उन व्यक्तियों का कोई अस्तित्व कभी रहा होगा, जो राजदरबारों में नहीं रहे, जिनका उल्लेख राजाओं-बादशाहों के द्वारा लिखवाये गये इतिहास में नहीं है, और जिनकी भव्य राजसी समाधियाँ या मजारें नहीं बन सकीं! ऐसे अनेक ऐतिहासिक लोगों के योगदान को उनके अपने क्षेत्रों के दिग्गज तो स्वीकार करते हैं, परन्तु हिन्दी रंगकर्मी अपनी दृष्टि उन दिग्गजों तक नहीं पहुँचाना चाहते. एक वर्ग कुछ गैर-ऐतिहासिक चरित्रों पर ‘अनारकली’ और ‘मुगले आजम’ जैसी फिल्में बना लेता है. परन्तु दूसरा वर्ग तुलसी, मीरा, सूरदास, रसखान, बैजू बावरा, शिवाजी, महाराणा प्रताप, नेताजी सुभाषचन्द्र बोस और इन जैसे अनगिनत महान चरित्रों को गुमनामी के अन्धेरों में खोये रहने को ही विवश करता आया है.

इस बहस से बाहर निकल कर, आज के काल के हिन्दी रंगमंच के परिदृश्य में, अत्यन्त सीमित साधनों में इस प्रकार के एक ऐतिहासिक नाटक को करना साहस का नहीं, अपितु दुस्साहसिक कृत्य ही कहा जायेगा! अरविन्द की इस नाटक की यह पहली प्रस्तुति थी, जिस कारण से इस प्रस्तुति से बहुत अधिक अपेक्षाएँ की भी नहीं गई थीं. और एक संगीतमयी नाटक में सबसे पहली आवश्यकता होती है गायक-अभिनेताओं की. आज की तिथि में दिल्ली में गायक-अभिनेताओं की खोज करना रेगिस्तान में पानी ढूँढ़ने के समान ही होगा. पर्वतीय कला केन्द्र से जुड़े कुछ रंगकर्मियों को छोड़ दें, तो बाकी अभिनेता और अभिनेत्रियों को इस विषय में कोई विशेष दक्षता प्राप्त नहीं है. ऐसे में, इस नाटक का क्या भविष्य होगा? इस प्रश्न का उत्तर तो भविष्य ही दे पायेगा! हाँ, अभिनेताओं ने अपनी ओर से भरपूर मेहनत करके नाटक के विषय को दर्शकों तक पहुँचाने में कोई कसर नहीं छोड़ी.

इस नाटक में मंच-आलोकन ने निराश ही किया… आज यदि रंगमंच के प्रकाश-आयोजक नृत्य के लिये बनाई गई लाईटें नाटकों में प्रयोग कर रहे हैं, मंच के पीछे से दर्शकों की ओर को, उनकी आँखों पर प्रकाश फेंक रहे हैं, जर्क या झटके के साथ प्रकाश को खोल और बन्द कर रहे हैं, अकारण ही पूरे नाटक में धुएँ का प्रयोग कर रहे हैं, तो वे रंगमंच को हानि ही पहुँचा रहे हैं. रंगमंच एक सामूहिक प्रक्रिया है. यदि प्रकाश, संगीत, परिधान इत्यादि किसी भी क्षेत्र का व्यक्ति एकाधिक बार रिहर्सल में आ कर विषय को समझने की चेष्टा नहीं करता, तो नाटक कैसे उठ पायेगा? आज मुम्बई में फिल्म इंडस्ट्री में भी, गानों के गायन के समय पर इस सामूहिक प्रक्रिया को एकल बना दिया गया है, जहाँ पहले से रिकार्डेड ट्रैक्स हैं, एक गायक आते है और गा कर चला जाता है, फिर कभी और, दूसरा गायक आता है और अपनी पंक्तियाँ गा कर चला जाता है, तो उस गाने में भाव और फिल्म के दृश्य के लिये आवश्यक कोमल संवेदनाएँ कैसे पैदा होंगी? बहुत सुनियोजित तरीके से हिन्दी फिल्म संगीत की हत्या की जा रही है. आशा है कि दिल्ली के रंगकर्मी इससे कुछ सीखेंगे और अपने काम को एक सामूहिक प्रक्रिया के रूप में ही स्वीकार करेंगे… अन्यथा दिल्ली के रंगमंच के दरवाजे सदा के लिये बन्द हो जाने वाले दिन शायद बहुत दूर नहीं होंगे!

एक अछूते विषय को लेकर नाटक करने के लिये अरविन्द सिंह को फिर बधाई!

The husband-wife relationship is considered to be the most sacred in the world. Love and trust bind both, but many times husband and wife quarrel by finding shortcomings in each other and a third takes advantage of it. Something similar was seen in Anuragna Theatre Group’s presentation “Couples Shuffle“, written and directed by Ashraf Ali. The play was performed on December 24 at Black Canvas, L.T.G. Auditorium, Mandi House, New Delhi-01.

Sharma ji (Chirag) house where he lives with his wife (Shruti Aastha) Chawla. There is always a tussle between the two over small things. Meanwhile, their neighbor Dubey (Bilal Khan) enters, who tries to take advantage of the conflict between those husband and wife and put a string on Shruti. Meanwhile, Maya (Manisha Sharma) enters. Sharma ji is very impressed by seeing Maya and tries to increase friendship. This dilemma goes on for a long time and finally it is revealed that Dubey and Maya are husband and wife, and they came to Sharma ji’s house to investigate them in search of the Best Couple Award in which both of them failed.

Amidst laughter, this play also gives a message to the audience that ‘husband and wife should never leave each other in any situation and should maintain trust in each other’. Chirag played his character well in the role of Sharma, as well as his wife Shruti’s character had many shades, which she succeeded in keeping in front of the audience. In the role of Dubey, Bilal Khan kept the entire drama tied with his acting and put many laughs in it, as well as the performance of Manisha Sharma in the role of Maya was also praise worthy.

Behind the stage were Goldie in the music, lighting was done by Manik Sharma, Kamal Negi was in the costumes and Ankit was in the stage material as well as Shamsher Khan and Avinash Tiwari in the set.

Maharashtra Sanskritik Sandhya at IIC

A review by Manohar Khushalani First Published in IIC Diary

Maharashtra Sanskritik Sandhya,  is an annual feature at IIC. This year, they presented dramatized readings, Beyond Gender, on LGBTQ communities, from two plays: Satish Alekar’s ‘Begum Barve’ & Mahesh Dattani’s ‘Seven Steps Around the Fire’. It was brilliantly and imaginatively directed by Sohaila Kapur, who has a knack for choosing very powerful and relevant themes . Six actors read the two plays. The event began with a mesmerising dance by Kaustav Ghosh, doing the role of Begum Barve, the female impersonator. The performance was also interspersed with carefully curated soulful marathi music played in the background.

 Begum Barve, the Marathi musical, features a quartet of characters: Begum Barve, an exploitative employer, Shyamrao, and two clerks, Jawdekar and Bawdekar, who, trapped in a life of penury and prejudice, use their caprices as an escape from it. In the selected excerpt for performance, Begum Barve and Jawdekar celebrate a fictitious pregnancy during a baby shower, helping Barve to fantasize that (s)he could conceive. The scene ends in his humiliation, Shyamrao strips Barve off his fantasy and robes and scorning his manhood. The script explores the intertwining of fantasies and reality through the creation of a female fantasy character, Nalawadebai, bridging the impersonator’s male identity and the clerk’s desire for a traditional family life. This complex narrative challenge’s conventional storytelling, weaving a tapestry of gendered social meanings and re-evaluating contemporary perceptions of womanhood.

Seven Steps Around the Fire, depicts the miserable plight of eunuchs who make a living performing at marriages and child births. A eunuch is murdered at her wedding. Her friend, Anarkali, is arrested without proof by the SP, Suresh Rao. His wife Uma, a journalist, who is also the daughter of the DCP, decides to catch the culprit through investigative reporting. The performance was just an excerpt where Uma is interviewing the imprisoned Anarkali.

Although the murderer is known, the police traps Anarkali to protect the actual criminal who is a powerful person. The subaltern hijaras are too scared to speak. Anarkali says, “They will kill me even if I tell the truth. If I don’t tell the truth, I will die in jail.” The dramatist shows how the murder of Kamla has terrified other hijaras that they cannot reveal the truth and cannot get justice for the dead soul. Anarkali says, “One hijra less in this world does not matter to your husband.”.  In self-defense, Anarkali reminds Uma, that she treated the deceased Kamla as her sister. Uma realises the bond of love among the hijaras is even greater, because they are isolated from society.

The event was introduced by Suhas Borkar, Trustee IIC. It was concluded rather dramatically by Kaushal Kumar, a fine arts university professor with an intriguing body painting improvisation involving audience participation.

The unique event of “Fifth Tafarih” festival organized by Sili Sales Foundation provides us with a beautiful opportunity to connect with literature, art and cultural literacy. Under this festival, eminent persons from various fields have given us an opportunity to have an in-depth discussion on literary and artistic topics by sharing their experiences and perspectives.

The fifth edition began with the lighting a lamp by Senior Theatre Personalies K.K.Kohli, Diwan Singh Bajeli, Shyam Kumar, Pratap Sharma Somvanshi and Sili Sales Foundation’s director Priyanka Sharma. It began with a discussion on ‘Growing distance between novels and stage’, in which senior theatre persons, journalists, and writers shared their vision. It is a platform where an atmosphere of deep discussion on literary and artistic topics has been created. The guests were Diwan Singh Bajeli, Pratap Sharma Somvanshi, Aditi Maheshwari and Rama Yadav. In the discussion, Rama Yadav said, “Today the novel is getting distant from the stage, for which we have to take important steps. We have to inspire the youth to read books and novels. Maybe this will make today’s youth aware.”

Television actress Reena Agarwal and cinematographer Naresh Sharma shared their views on the impact and challenges of social media. The stage was moderated by Priyanka Sharma, Director, Silly Sales Foundation. Natsamrat director Shyam Kumar and senior theatre personality Himanshu B Joshi also shared their experiences.

The play “Stree Subohdhini” brought the festival to life in an entertaining and cultural form. The solo presentation ‘Stree Subodhini’ written by Mannu Bhandari and was directed by late Tripurari Sharma.  Munmun Singh was the winner of sangeet natak akademi award captivated the hearts of all the audience with his acting.   .

The last highlight of the first day of the festival was ‘Mehfile Sukhand’, which tied a different parallel and was directed by Shamir Khan. The fifth Tafarih Festival is being held from 2:00 pm to 9:30 pm on November 18th at 29/1 Civil Lines, Delhi, where there will be a confluence of art and culture. 

In the same way, an atmosphere of partnership has been created in the world of experience, art, and literature associated with various aspects of the festival. This is a time when together we can fill our cultural heritage with richness by connecting with literature and art.

“Tafreeh” is a unique celebration of the world of art and theater in Delhi organized by Silly Souls Foundation. It is the first garden arts festival known for plays, readings, mushairas, interviews, and musical performances. Its fifth edition is taking place from 16th November to 18th November at Silly Souls Studio, 29/1 Civil Lines, Delhi.

This year’s event is dedicated to the memory of Tripurari Sharma and will run from 2 pm to 9:30 pm every day. The main attraction this time is the plays performed every evening, including the comedy play “Stree Subodhini” on the first evening. Apart from this, this time “Mushaira” is also going to be held for the first time in “Tafreeh”.

The festival will have daily conversations with renowned personalities from the field of theater and art, including Silly Souls directors Priyanka Sharma and Naveen Choudhary. The first day’s discussion is “The Growing Distance between Novel and Stage”, which will feature Devendra Raj Ankur, Diwan Singh Bajeli, Pratap Sharma Somvanshi, Aditi Maheshwari and Rama Yadav. The guests on the first day of Pratyaksha will be Reena Aggarwal and Naresh Sharma.

The Mushaira to be held on the second day will include Farhat Ehsaas, Tarkash Pradeep, Vikas Sharma Raaz, Irshad Khan Sikandar and Pallav Mishra. Professor and motivational speaker Vijendra Tafrih will be the guest of Pratyaksha. On the second day of the festival, you will experience a special and unique musical performance in the form of “Wife’s Letter”. After the open mic on the last day, our direct guests will be Hema Singh and Kushal Dubey.

The evenings of ‘Tafreeh’ are famous for their musical performances. Presentation by Subhradeep Sahu and musical rendition of poetry by Sahir Ludhianvi, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, and Kaifi Azmi by Raabta Group are the attractions of this time. Watching the “Tafreeh” festival will be a unique and enjoyable experience. At Tafreeh Utsav, you will not only immerse yourself in the roots of theater but also enjoy sharing the wonderful art and literature of Delhi.

 
Ajiib Dastan Hai Ye!
A Review by Manohar Khushalani
Originally published in IIC Diary

Wings Cultural Society presented, at IIC, Ajib Dastan Hai Ye, which was a collection of two dramatised soliloquies, in Urdu and Hindustani, that lampooned the absurdities of human behavior. The humour was created because of the imaginative craft of the authors, and the punctuated timing with which actors narrated the tales.

Bey is a hilarious anecdote penned by Shaukat Thanvi about a gullible protagonist who is warned by Tripathi, an astrologer, to beware of the Urdu alphabet ‘Be’ as his impending death will be caused by it. Thus begins, the narrator, Rajguru Mohan’s, roller coaster ride to avoid anything and anyone remotely connected to this alphabet, only to discover, that the whole universe was nothing but ‘Be’. It included objects he handled, his family members, friends and even strangers he came across. This first performance had the audience in splits and set the pace for an equally well paced and uproarious next performance

True to the style of the production of investigating comic text through soliloquies, the performance of Patras Bukhari’s, Marhoom Ki Yaad Mein was engagingly delivered by Tarique Hameed. The tale, as told, begins with an uninspiring conversation between two friends who have known each other for decades and have said it all, so there is nothing new to communicate. To spice up the conversation, the protagonist decides to impress Mirza Sahib, by boasting that he intends to buy a motor car. Amused and knowing his limitations, Mirza advises the narrator to think more realistically about buying a humble bicycle instead, which too it appears was way beyond the narrators means. At what appears to be a bargain, Mirza offers his own bike at a steal of a price. Thus, unfolds a hilarious series of disasters, when the author discovers that he has been taken for a ride on a contraption that he can’t even ride. So, ends his fantasy to be the owner of a motorcar, when he couldn’t even afford to repair the antique bike, in which each part had a mind of its own

As Published in IIC Diary June-July 2023

It would not be wrong to say that the audience always waits for Natsamrat’s plays. Something similar was seen at Black Canvas (LTG Auditorium) where two different plays by Natsamrat were staged on 30th September and 1st October at 3:30 pm.

The play Doosra Aadmi Doosra Aurat written by Vibha Rani was staged on 30 September at 3:30 pm and directed by Rajesh Bakshi. The acting talent of two actors, Munmun and Rajesh Bakshi, was commendable on the stage. The play depicts the problems arising from the disintegration of personal relationships due to modern materialistic lifestyle. In the drama, Shoma Das comes to Mumbai for a job and is attracted to her office colleague Sambhav Singh. Both of them try to move forward by taking support from each other in the difficult web of life. This two-character play based on the psychology of men and women was presented by Natsamrat.

The play Chandralok.Com was staged on 1 October before a houseful audience. Two different stories were staged in this play. The first story was on earth and the second story was on Chandralok. The first story was based on “Bank Manager” written by Anton Chekhov and the second story was based on Harishankar Parsai’s famous story Inspector Matadin Chand. The director of this play is Rakesh Kodinya and the creative director is Shyam Kumar.

All the artists on stage made the audience laugh a lot with their acting and also gave a message through the elephant. The actors were Munmun, cipf-es.org Vishwajeet, Arun Prakash, Sudhir Khanna, Mohd. Zaheed, Abhishek, Himanshu, Aman. Music was conducted by Shivangi and lighting was conceived by Vikrant Sharma. Stage props were by Rohit Prasad, set props were by Suraj Singh and Lokesh, makeup by Payal Rani and costumes by Rekha Joshi and Chhobi Saha and stage assistants were Vansh Rathore.

विदाई सूचक: हिमांशु बी. जोशी

नब्बे के दशक की शुरुवात में मैं जब दिल्ली आया था तो उस वक्त राष्ट्रीय नाट्य विद्यालय रंगमंडल के वरिष्ठ अभिनेताओं श्रीवल्लभ व्यास जी और रवि खानविलकर जी की मदद से रंगमंडल के जो नाटक देखने को मिले उनमें काठ की गाड़ी और आधे अधूरे भी शामिल हैं। इन दोनों नाटकों ने मुझे अलग अलग तरह से मुतासिर किया था चाहे वो लेखन हो या निर्देशन या अभिनय और दोनों मेरे ज़ेहन में अब तक बने हुए हैं। फिर जब कीर्ति जैन जी के नाटक सुवर्णलता से एक लाइट डिजाइनर के तौर पर थोड़ा बहुत पहचान बनी तो रानावि में सबसे पहले जिस नाटक का लाइट डिज़ाइन करने के लिए मुझे तत्कालीन निर्देशक राम गोपाल बजाज जी ने बुलाया वो उन्हीं निर्देशक का नाटक था। नाटक का नाम था चेरी का बगीचा (चेरी ऑर्चर्ड) और उन निर्देशक का नाम था – त्रिपुरारी शर्मा। चेखव के चेरी ऑर्चर्ड को उन्होंने छात्रों के साथ बहुमुख स्पेस में बहुत ही कल्पनाशीलता से निर्देशित किया था। फिर दुबारा से एनएसडी टाई के लिए उनके द्वारा लिखे व निर्देशित किए नाटक हैलो टू माइसेल्फ के लिए भी लाइट डिजाइन करने का अवसर मिला। दोनों नाटक जहां निर्देशन के लिए जाने गए वहीं दोनों की लाइट डिजाइन की भी खूब चर्चा हुई। फिर उनके कई और नाटक देखे और रंगकर्मी के तौर उनके काम को समझा।

त्रिपुरारी जी मितभाषी तो थीं ही, अपने काम को मेहनत और लगन से करने के लिए भी जानी जाती थीं। निर्देशन और लेखन में उनका समान दखल था। अल्काज़ी और कारंथ जी के बाद की पीढ़ी के रंगकर्मियों में वो निसंदेह एक सशक्त हस्ताक्षर थीं। वो लगातार अपने काम से अपने छात्रों को प्रेरित करने वाली टीचर थीं। उनका असमय जाना बहुत ही दुखदाई है। देश की स्वास्थ्य व्यवस्था पर भी क्षोभ है कि उन्हें किसी भी तरह बचाया न जा सका। और अंत में यही बचता है नमन, अलविदा!
अलविदा त्रिपुरारी मैम।

Bhopal – The students from different states of the country, who worked day and night in the nine-day drama workshop (2nd to 9th September), made the presentation of the drama “Dootvakyam” written by Mahakavi Bhas unforgettable with their lively acting.

By Rabindranath Tagore University’s Sanskrit, Prachya Bhasha Shikshan Evam Bhartiya Gyan Parampara Kendra’s PG Diploma in Natyashastra Evam Vishwarangmanch and Master in Performing Arts students enthralled the audience with their wonderful presentation of “Dootvakyam” under the direction of Shri Manoj Nair (Director of Tagore National School of Drama).

It is noteworthy that in ‘Dootvakyam’ the character of Lord Shri Krishna was played by three actors and the characters of Duryodhana and Sudarshan Chakra were played by four actors each. Everyone, with their acting, brought life to the characters on stage and kept the audience engaged till the end.

On this occasion, Senior Poet-Storyteller, Director Vishwa Rang and Chancellor of Rabindranath Tagore University, Shri Santosh Choubey said that ‘Dootvakyam’ is a difficult play. Its presentation is a very challenging task in itself. It is a very happy occasion that the students of Natyashastra accepted this challenge and gave this unique presentation.

Dr. Radhavallabh Tripathi, a well-known litterateur and advisor to the Center of Sanskrit, Prachya Bhasha Shikshan Evam Bhartiya Gyan Parampara Kendra, said that I have seen the presentations of many Sanskrit plays, but I had never imagined such a presentation of ‘Dootvakyam’. It was truly an unforgettable performance. This experiment of playing one character by four actors at the same time is a welcome innovative initiative in the direction of theatrical productions.

At the beginning of the drama presentation, the subject of ‘Dootvakyam’ was highlighted by Sh. Vinay Upadhyay, Director of Tagore Vishwa Kala Evam Sanskriti Kendra. Professor Sangeeta Johri, Dr. Ruchi Mishra Tiwari was also on the stage.

It is noteworthy that the successful coordination of the seven-day drama workshop and the unforgettable event of priesthood ritual workshop and drama presentation were done by Dr. Sanjay Dubey, Co-ordinator, Sanskrit, Prachya Bhasha Shikshan Evam Bhartiya Gyan Parampara Kendra. Great support by Deepak Tiwari, Savitri Singh Parihar, Sanjay Singh Rathore, Abhishek, Sharad Mishra etc.

On this occasion, all the artists and students of priesthood rituals were honored by presenting them certificates and insignia. Tagore National School of Drama had special support in this.

On stage in the play Dutvakyam – J.P. Singh, Nagendra Kumar Sharma, Uma Shankar, Vaidyanath Sharma, Mandeep Kumar Nemewal, Vashishtha Upadhyay, Shraboni Saha, Surendra Kumar Pandey, Tarun Jalota, Sachin Verma, Sanjeev Sharma, Ansh Rathore, Namrata Mali, Vansh Rathore, Neha Rani, Jyoti Upadhyay, Ganesh Madulkar, Ashfaq Noor Khan Pathan lent their talent.

Dr. Sanjay Kumar Dubey and Vikrant Bhatt were the stage managers, Abhishek Deshman was the assistant stage manager, Dr. Anand Kumar Pandey did the stage decoration, Sharad Mishra was in the stage props, Smita Nair and Rashmi Acharya were in costumes, Tagore National School of Drama student’s did the stage decoration. Flute player Nitesh Mangrole, Harmonium player Aagya Dubey, Rhythm and musical support were given by Abhi Srivastava and Jai Ravare, Light Design & Co-Director wereShyam Kumar and the Director of this play is Manoj Nair.

The Concept:

Ramayana has been told and retold over centuries but the difference lies in the way it is reiterated. Not with the perception of recounting a tale but with an intent to reinvent it to unleash the hidden secrets of this unbound narrative we attempt to retell again and again taking the artistic liberty that it affords timelessly to revisit it with an innovative perspective. The project is an enterprise to endorse the epic as a narrative that is much ahead of its times in its intrinsic potential to dislodge our linear interpretations of this colossal tale as a religious account of Hinduism. The endeavour is to re-evaluate the learn by rote method through which we have perpetually studied this epic; any change in the script is a larger than life or a utopian idea. In a country like India where the myth goes beyond the circumference of the story and becomes a ‘sacred tale,’ to conceive certain alterations in the script is a indeed a formidable venture. Yet, this redoubtable interpretation on our part has been an outcome of our humble initiative of making the narrative appear different and hence more thought- provoking as it raises questions on the fundamental aspects of human existence without tampering with the organic theme in a unique way. The Ramayana is fractured, fixed and foretold for an audience of today that’s intelligent enough to accept variations in established Literature if it offers food for thought. This differently abled understanding of the epic cognitively sheds light on the of presence of the elements that demystifies the glory of this mythological narrative making it a poignant tale of a King’s sacrifice, struggle and his confrontation with the ultimate evil that is insurmountably challenging. Accompanying him is the divine feminine- the motherly prakriti, his consort whose worthiness being questioned every moment despite her inevitability in life is a tragic disclosure. When Nature is so serene and comforting, why do we exploit her? Is the question that resounds in every chant of the story teller who happens to have taken the onus of narrating the epic his own way without letting the cliche notions of propriety affect him. It is the kathavachna tradition that comes to the fore in the process wherein the kathavachak tries his level best to arrest the attention of the spectators who have gathered around him to witness his ability of telling a tale fascinatingly.

The alterations made in the tale are the result of an adaptation of the epic on which it is based. Nonetheless, the fact remains that these changes are made to inspire a generation of listeners to re-read the epic with an open mind without being influenced by the halo of divinity that revolves around it. This performance is towards giving Ramayana a form and shape that traverses the boundaries of conventions, religions and even Nations becomes a tale of global reality that surrounds human existence today. Our utilitarian approach towards nature, her exploutation under the garb of progress and development are universally undeniable truths that prevail in this tale of a magnanimous King who readily sacrificed everything in his life. His tales of heroism that prevail in our memory must not be confined to the deeds of valour but beneath there lies a purpose – to make the realization that the victory of good over evil comes with a price to pay. Divine Prakriti is insulted, hurt when the divine masculine shows his worthiness ascertains his valour and she ultimately chooses a silent retreat into the oblivion. Ramayana is indeed fractured at this juncture but the fact remains that it has to be fixed and again told for the generations to come and the Kathakar takes up this responsibility. Everything we see is an illusion, it is just a dramatization of a popular tale but it aims at restructuring and reframing our often erroneous understanding of the tale as synonym of dictation of certain principles. It is therefore that often every time the tale adopts a new form and incidents do not coincide with the actual epic. Shoorpanakha becomes Mareecha and Sita Swayamvar takes place after the exile of Rama and Laxmana in the forest; only to make us comprehend that the kathakaar’s choice to tell a tale remains uninterfered which opens up newer possibilities of engendering a CREATIVE PIECE- retold with a purpose: to enlighten. This is Ramayana – Fractured, fixed and foretold.

The Performative aspect:

The finer aspects of the kathakar’s( Janardan Ghosh’s) stage presence are intrinsically interwoven in the tale so inseparably that his gait, the gestures, the postures the expressions all depict a conceptual assertion of the Ramayana. The fluidity of the narration is indelible and the intonation is deliberately controlled to suit the parameters of excellent dialogue delivery which ought to have a thunderous proclamation of the epic coupled with a subtle yet effective volume that’s verbose and yet aptly restrained. There is a performative glory inseparably blended with the musical beats of a folk rendition that invites the onlookers to participate in the performance. The Kathakar’s splendid stage presence with his enormous voice modulations make the characters live in stage; needless to say- male or female. There’s a quaint androgyny that Janardan Ghosh establishes on stage with his one man army – himself who appears as a reservoir of actors essaying different roles evocative of the Bahurupi artists that are used to playing diverse roles and yet one at a time. Slow and steady wins the race is the strategem that the Kathakaar deliberately adopts when he narrates simultaneously playing varied roles- Rama, Sita, Shurpanakha and above all the colossal Ravana. The entry of Ghosh defines folk narration that’s charming endearing and at the same time prudent in its discretion of becoming stern when the narration becomes the somber from the recreational. It is a folk teller whose telling of the tale exploiting all the assets of performative aspect become more than conspicuous. He cries and groans and shouts and screams and laughs and proclaims and sits and stands and jumps and circumambulates the stage as if capturing it from all its directions. Yet he releases the stage equally well and comes back to himself as he knows the tale will speak for itself. The brilliance of a learned actor becomes visible in Ghosh’s choice to be Indian in his compassionate and anxious mannerisms of flourishing a folk tale of his nation and yet intellugebtly global in his approach towards narrating it objectively putting up a universal concern: Eco feminism. A subject matter of relevance for all across ages, Sita… a woman of education he so confidently he says and ends it so poignantly saying and in the end she immersed herself in the earth. And we automatically question ” Why? Why do we hurt her – the one who nurtures us so fondly? The divine feminine. Ghosh brings the ties together: Of Sita’s separation from Rana and of her being deserted in the end: Both are aligned. Whether she got accidently separated from him when Ravana abducted her or when he sent her away, in both cases, she is the sufferer. The performative narration impresses upon re-reading the epic independent of the notions of divinity attached to it.

Dr. Payal Trivedi

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