‘Sandhya Chhaya’ articulates old-age woes

SD Sharma

Chandigarh, November 17

The sordid realities of old-age woes and laments due eventual loneliness  were immaculately articulated in the poignant play  'Sandhya chhaya' staged to perfection on day of the ongoing Chandigarh  Sangeet Natak Akademi  Theatre Fest at Tagore Theatre here today.  

Adapted from Jayant Dalvi's Marathi play in Hindi by Kusum Kumar, the play brought alive the aspirations, anguish and laments of an old-age couple, fondly revered as Nana and Nani under the apt direction of Sudesh Sharma who along with Madhubala  shined through the production as lead actors. 

While their elder son Deenu is settled in USA and the younger one, Nandu, serving in the Indian Air Force. Shortly the old couple was shocked to learn that Nandu has laid down his life while fighting insurgents. Their agony gets compounded as the elder son marries a foreign national and decides to settle permanently in USA. Their fate had conspired to leave them with the emotional turmoil due to the circumstances the old parents had gone through. Longing for affection they seek solace in welcoming any unknown guest, attending to phone calls for a long time even in case of wrong numbers as also frequent interactions  with their domestic help.  Finally, failing to compromise with rising torments when they were constrained  to consume poison after a heated discussion with Deenu,  the story takes a sudden twist  as their  servant returns with  a daughter. The old couple gathers a volcanic courage to fight out the melancholy, loneliness and despair.