Peep into the times

Loneliness, caste and class divide, discrimination against women to bridging the gap between our roots and modern sensibilities — Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi’s five-day National Theatre Festival in the tricity covers varied subjects. Theatre groups from Bhopal, New Delhi, Lucknow and Chandigarh bring many themes, and showcases their relevance in contemporary times through their productions..

Now is the time to be one

Sanjay Mehta’s play Shivoham opened on Tuesday. It offered a peep into the life and work of Adi Shankaracharya. “Now, more than ever before, we need to be one and Adi Shankaracharya’s life and teachings implore us to do that,” said Mehta, who runs Rangshirsh Sanstha in Bhopal. That he has Muhammad Faizan play Shankaracharya says a lot about him practicing what he preaches. “We have long been divided into religions, communities and castes, while Adi Shankaracharya talked of all living beings as one braham. To see and acknowledge all of us as one is a message that must be conveyed.”

Faizan feels fortunate to have landed the lead role. “To rise to the challenge, and the faith reposed in me by my guru has been one significant journey,” shared Faizan, who extensively studied scriptures and memorised shlokas to play the saint. “I am from Muslim faith. While my mother was all supportive, not the others. It was as if I was living Shankaracharya’s life all over again, where people were not receptive to his ideas of Advaita Vedanta,” said the actor, who called theatre his only karma and dharma!

Getting real with life

Theatre director Priyanka Sharma adapted Neil Simon’s The Star-spangled Girl into Haye Padosan. “We have done lots of intense productions. We wanted to make something fun this time around,” said the founder of Silly Soul Foundation, New Delhi.

She began the play before Covid, and later made some change to add mirthwhile also amplifying the message. “It’s the story of a man who woos his padosan. I cross-dress as a man to ensure it tickles while also pointing out that it isn’t so funny when a man does it.”

She raises a valid point about cinema blurring reality with increased use of screens through her play. “You say a situation and there is a set dialogue or song for it. But is life so filmy?” she questioned. On how safe she feels living in Delhi, she said, “As I have grown older and confident, I do feel safe.”

She recalled how back in college days her in-time was five in the evening, “I studied at Miranda House, Delhi University. I remember the dread as evening approached. We trembled with fear and would implore the seniors to let us leave to make it back at home in time.”

She remembered how cycle-rickshaws were the only option, as auto-rickshaws were considered unsafe. Today with phones and cabs, things have become easier. “Now, women have become stronger, more confident and don’t mind saying their mind, something which probably isn’t going down well with men and leading to crime. While women can finally report it, earlier it went unaddressed,” she said.

She also pointed out how social media had made news more accessible. “Now we have minute-to-minute reporting of what happened in Kolkata, social media sure has kept youngsters up to date.”

Loneliness amongst elders

Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha brought his play Shikashta. A new production, the Chandigarh audience caught its second show. Written and directed by Kulshreshtha and Bhartendu Kashyap from Nipa Rangmandali, Lucknow, this one talks of growing loneliness amongst the elders. “In two to three decades time, India would have the largest population of senior citizens in the world. How they adjust to changing dynamics is what the play is all about,” said Kulshreshtha.

A two-character play, it talks of how a man and a woman come together in an old-age home but how their respective egos make them clash. “Now is the time how our country is going to deal with senior citizens — would the retirement age still be 60, with many going nuclear family way would we need old-age homes…if we don’t start now, it would be rather late,” he emphasised.

For the remaining two days of the festival, August 30, will witness a lecture-cum-demonstration by eminent theatreperson Mohan Agashe and Dhrupad exponent Pt Umakant Gundecha.

On the concluding day, August 31, Sohni Mahiwal will be staged. The play is written by Ekam Maanuke, designed and directed by Navdeep Kaur, Chairperson, Department of Indian Theatre. It gives a new lease of life to this folk tale of Punjab. “The live folk music of Punjab gives it a complete regional flavour. It’s our attempt to bridge the gap between our roots and modern sensibilities through theatre. To explore the cultural heritage of our region and our traditions with the young generation is a beautiful experience,” shared Navdeep.

(On at the Tagore Theatre from 6:30 pm onwards)