Chandigarh, July 14
‘Kahani Sangrah 2002’, a two-day festival of theatrical adaptations of stories by famous Hindi writers, organised by the Srishti Centre For Arts concluded in Bal Bhavan here today. The three stories staged today portrayed the fighting spirit of man.

The play that left a lasting impression was ‘Jeevan Shakti’, based on a story by Agyeya that shows how a poor woman survives against all odds. A poor beggar, Baatra (played by Preeti Sharma), makes her way upwards in life, but the social system tries to curb her. Even after losing her child and house, she visualises a new beginning for herself and her unborn child.

Another play, ‘Paramatma Ka Kutta’, is set at the backdrop of the Partition, in which, the lead character, Baba (played by Mahendra Dogra), fights to get a habitable land under the rehabilitation scheme. Frustrated by the attitude of government officials, Baba creates an ugly scene to make his plea heard. The third play, Khazana, an adaptation of a story by Habib Kaifi, reflects extramarital affairs.

On the inaugural day of the festival, three plays — ‘Kaadir Miya Ki Bhouji’ (story by Amritlal Nagar), ‘Saag Meet’ (story by Bhishma Sahni) and ‘Koi Dukh Na Ho To Bakri Khareed Lo’ (story by Munshi Premchand) — were staged.

The inaugural play, ‘Kaadir Miya Ki Bhouji’, was the story of a middle-class woman who takes physical abuse from her husband as coolly as food. ‘Saag Meet’ was the story of another middle-class woman, who exploits others. ‘Koi Dukh Na Ho To Bakri Khareed Lo’ was a comedy, the story of a man who buys a goat. The simplicity of the story is what makes it a good comedy.

“The plays leaves it to the audience to make the interpretation,” says Rohit Batra, director of the six plays. “All plays chosen for the festival are true to real life, so that, audience can identify with the characters,” says Namarata Sharma, who has acted in many of the plays. The stories were presented in the original form, with a Sutradhar to narrate these.