Of Gandhi and Tagore
ROMESH CHANDER
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A look at two of Arun Kukreja's latest works.
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PROMISE OF MORE Ramgopal Bajaj as Mahatma Gandhi.
Arun Kuckreja, basically a theatre man wears, different hats in the field of performing arts. His interest in theatre started from his college days when in 1972, he along with Faisal Alkazi formed Ruchika Theatre Group that today is very much a part of India's theatre history. Since then, he has directed over 70 plays, like "Dashaanan" (1991). "The Bhagwad Gita" (2003), "Buddha" (2005) and "Mother Teresa" that broke new ground. This past week he held a presentation of his latest work in theatre, "The will of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru" at the India Habitat Centre. The work holds promise of being a good play when staged, as the reading certainly held audience interest. As the presentation begins various technical terms used in the text of a will are explained. The spotlight then shifts to Gandhiji reclining next to a motif of a Charkha, and we hear Ramgopal Bajaj read in his beautiful voice, "Let noble thoughts come to us from every side... " It is one of the most effective passages in the entire narration when Gandhiji talks of many things and says, "I own no property and yet I feel perhaps I am the richest man in the world....Contentment is the richest treasure I own. My mission is not merely freedom of India. My patriotism includes the good of mankind in general".
Gandhiji goes on to talk of many things, like finance, Panchayati Raj, formation of districts and provinces, etc. Bajaj with his narrative style, holds the audience in rapt attention. And so we move on to the will of the man who signed as " J.N." and who said "Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge... At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom... After I am gone, if any people choose to think of me then, I should like them to say that this man with all his mind and heart loved India and the Indian people and they were indulgent to him and gave him their most abundantly and extravagantly...
Nehru goes on to say that he did not want any ceremonies performed after his death and states, "I do not believe in such ceremonies and to submit to them, even as a matter of form would be hypocrisy and an attempt to delude ourselves and others." "The Will of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru" is a well researched play with immense potential, but as it stands today, it still needs a second look by the playwright, for at times the speeches are far too long. The narrator's opening explanation of technical vocabulary needs more rehearsals for it to be fluently delivered. Then again, though Anup Bose, a newcomer, has a good voice, his timing and delivery need more rehearsal.
Second play
Arun Kukreja's second play is "Rabindranath Tagore - Gitanjali and The Nobel Prize" a soliloquy inspired from Tagore's Nobel Prize acceptance speech in which poems or songs from Gitanjali and other works are incorporated. What is more, an attempt is made to look at the political situation in India through the poet's eyes as also his differences with Gandhiji, besides his hint that some people in India and abroad believed that Gitanjali was written by Tagore's friend Yeats
The soliloquy delivered by Sunit Tandon touches upon many subjects such as politics, personal issues, children, the education system and, above all, humanity as such, and of course Santiniketan - The Abode of Peace. Talking of his love for children, Tagore says at one place, "I had suffered when I was young through the impediments which were inflicted upon most boys while they attended school, and I have had to go through the machine of education which crushes the joy and freedom of life for which children have such insatiable thirst. And my object was to give freedom and joy to children of men." To bring Tagore's point, Arun often uses some of his poems, particularly from Gitanjali. For instance in his poem "Poorest, Lowest and Lost" he says, "My heart can never find its way to / where though keepest company with the / companionless among the poorest / the lowliest, and lost".
Tagore sums up his life saying, "It is not easy to know oneself. It is difficult to organise life's various experiences into a unified whole. I have tried to make sense of my life at different times through its various activities and experiences." Sunit Tandon tells Tagore's life story mostly in the poet's own words, and at times he is very good, but most of the time his performance bears what has become his trademark "populist style!"
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