Friday, December 15, 2006

ASMITA plays Nov.-Dec 2006


Hidden Fires
solo Play by Rashi Bunny
22nd Dec.
Nandikar Theatre Feastival,
Calcutta


Mahesh Dattani's
FINAL SOLUTIONS
11Dec.2006 at 6.30pm
Manch-Rangmanch National Theatre Festival
Naatshala,Amritsar,

Mahesh datttani's
30 days in sept.
hindi translation by Smita Nirula
8th Dec.
LTG audi. ,6.30 pm

Final Solutions
Raipur IPTA national theatre festival festival 13nov.
Log -Baag,14 nov.
Final solutions 15th Nov. Bilaspur

Musical satire
Mote Ram ka Satyagrah
Adaptation by Habib Tanveer and Safdar Hashmi.
Music by Sangeeta Gaur

1st show-
On 25th November,2006
at PSK, Laxmi Nagar, Vikas Marg at 7 pm

2nd show-
On 30 th November
at LTG Auditorium,Copernicous Marg, Mandi House , 7pm
_________________________________
Neil Simons’s comedy play
based on Chekhov's stories
Log-Baag
Directed By Arvind Gaur
29th Nov. at 7 pm
LTG auditorium, Mandi House, New Delhi
presented by Arth group


Manjula Padmanabhan's Hidden Fires
Solo By Rashi Bunny


Powerful hard hitting monologues on issues of violence,
intolerance, narrow concepts of community and nation,
each with a twist
that lifts it into the realm of real drama.
Award-wining play-wright Manjula Padmnabhan, in her
attempt to come to grips with the violence of these
times excels this suite of short one-handers which
leaves the audience both shaken and thoughtful.
'You say you're a lion, but your greatgrandmother,three
generations ago, she wasa deer , some one told us and that
makesyou a deer! And thats your Hidden Fire. Sowe have got to
put you out.
'A woman confesses that her husband has 'stamped out'
countless 'hidden fires' human lives that are less than human
to him, merely faceless threats to his own security and then
finds himself on the receiving end of the same ruthless treatment.
A young woman anchoring a television programme called 'Know the Truth'
smiles her way dismissively through a stream of panic-striken phone
calls from viewers reporting violence in their neighborhoods, refusing to
admit that the Government can be wrong in its insistence that the
situation is under control.And, in 'Invocation', the names of ordinary
people are used to create
a memorial to all those killed by violence through no fault of their own,
innocent victims whose names, sometimes, have been the sole cause of their
death.

Manjula Padmanabhan
is a playwright, writer, illustrator & cartoonist and widely published.
Her play 'Harvest' was awarded Onassis International Cultural Prize for
Theatrical Plays in 1997.

DIRECTOR'S NOTE
The riots of 1984, in Delhi , still float in my eyes. More than 20 years and yet the horror stays in my memory. And stirs me. The three monologues we are presenting now are not slogan based anti-violence propaganda plays. They are an attempt to establish a dialogue amongst people, a voluntary decision to initiate an intense, serious over-hauling to our mindsets.The play is not about
highlighting communal harmony, or pointing the flows of the socio-political system, but it is aimed to be a reminder of the fact that - we all are humans, we all are on this earth together, we all share the same breath & same sky and the same aspirations for warmth and happiness. Let us be compassionate, let us be sensitive,
let us be humane.

AUTHOR'S NOTE
These monologues were written at the time of the Gujarat riots in 2002, I began with the intention of making a record of what was happening in Gujarat , but by the item I finished 'Invocations', the last of five pieces, I realized it was pointless to tie them down to specific dates or personalities or governments.The despair I felt in 2002 was no different to what I had felt during the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 or while reading about the pogroms against the Jews in Hitler's Germany . There is a sameness about violent mobs that transends nations, communities, religions, politics. We go to war because of imagined differences between ourselves and our enemies but we are all much more the same than we are different.
It was in the name of that sameness that I wrote these pieces.

ABOUT THE ACTOR
Following her graduation in Science from Delhi University
and after a brief stint at the Living Theatre Academy under Shi. E Alkazi, Rashi pursued her training in Theatre Arts and Design at the University of Alabama and Rutgers University , New Jersey , USA . She is a recipient of Young Artist Scholarship & Junior Fellowship from department of Culture, HRD and Ruby Llyod Artistic & academic Excellence award and Best International Student Scholarship Award in the USA . She is also Chosen as one of the 50 Icons: emerging personality of India in 2005 by Sahara Group. Bhishma Sahni's MADHAVI , her first Solo, directed by Arvind Gaur won accolades all over India and abroad. It received special award for experimentation
with tradition at International Solo Theatre Festival Armenia and “Colour of Nation” award at the International Theatre festival in NIZHNEVARTOVSK THEATRE FESTIVAL, Russia . Recently Madhavi was performed in Vangneray,Lyon International Theatre Festival March 2006, France. Manjula Padmanabhan's Hidden Fires was Rashi’s other solo directed by Arvind Gaur that has been selected by SKP as one of the best plays of year. It was also performed for Queen’s award project ( UK ) for Communal harmony. Walking Through the rainbow, her latest Solo premiered in Chennai and deals with domestic abuse and other NRI issues.Under the direction of Arvind Gaur, she has also acted
in Mahesh Dattani's Tara & Final Solution, Vijay mishra's Tatt Niranjana, Swadesh Deepak's Court Martial and Sabse Udas Kavita, Munshi Premchand's Moteram ka Satyagrah, Rajesh Kumar's Me Gandhi Bolto and Street play Teen Kanastar for Asmita theatre group, New Delhi.These plays have been performed for various Theatre festivals, Institutions and NGOs in India and abroad including NSD, SKP, Nehru Centre, IHC, Darpana Academy, IIT, Old World festival,British Council, Vivechana National festival, Muktibodh Natya Samaroh, World Social Forum, Satta Festival, JNU, IILM, PCVC, Stella Maris, DU, Jawahar Kala Kendra, Action Aid, Heinrich Boll Foundation, Armmono-II (ITI Unesco) and Nizhnevartovsk Theatre Festival. In USA , even though design was her main focus she acted as lead in many plays like - Beth Henley's Abundance & Jules Feiffer's Feiffers People and worked with directors like Karma Ibsen, Ward Haarbauer and Anne Car Michael. On her return to India , she received the Young Artist scholarship and worked under Shyamanand Jalan in Calcutta and was part of many productions, like Khamosh Adalat Jari Hai and Char Sau Karod Bhullakar. "Nabh Taaron Se Khandit Pulkit" translated from an American Dark comedy, was her directorial debute at PadatikAs Founder Director of Banjara Theatre Group at IIT Kharagpur, she has designed and directed Dharamveer Bharti's'Srishti ka Aakhiri admi', Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena's Bakri, Habib Tanveer's Gadhe and many open air productions like Daldal, Swaha-Swaha, Bandar Kaun, Girgit, Pahle Aap, Teen Apahij, Deewaren Kuchh Kehna Chahti hain, Haathi ki Po(n) etc. For the Children's Theatre Wing of Banjara, she has written and directed musicals like Veer Abhimani, Aazadi
Muft Nahin, TunTun TunTun Tana Bana, Education gives Real Freedom, Gopi Gayan Bagha bayen, Beda Dekho Ki. Rashi has conducted theatre workshops for Engineering and management students, children, Youth and adults from all kinds of background and judged many drama competitions in Bengal, Delhi and Rajasthan. For IHC, she has conducted Theatre workshops and was the coordinator for the Platform theatre. She is guest faculty at NIFT and has lectured widely in schools, colleges and institutes of repute in India and abroad.

Wednesday, October 4, 2006

Asmita plays sept.-oct.2006

Susan Brar in Final Solutions


Log-Baag (Susan,Pushpraj Rawat,Parvaj with Amita)


Log-Baag (Susan Brar with Ajeet )


Log-baag last sc.


Log Baag(Sandeep Srivastava,Arun Khatana And Amita Walia)

Final Soutions(Parvaj khan,Girish pal,Amita Walia And Susan Brar)


ASMITA presents
Mahesh Dattani's
FINAL SOLUTIONS
Translation by Shahid Anwar
28th oct.7pm
Hindi Bhawan,Vishnu Digamber Marg,
Near Bal Bhawan, ITO,New Delhi

Neil Simons’s comedy play
based on Chekhov's stories
Log-Baag
7th Oct.2006 ,7 pm
Hindi Bhawan,Vishnu Digamber Marg,
Near Bal Bhawan, ITO,New Delhi

Musical satire
Mote Ram ka Satyagrah
Adaptation by Habib Tanveer and Safdar Hashmi.
Music by Sangeeta Gaur
On 30th sept,2006
10.45am,K.M. college,
North Campus,Delhi University
1st Oct. 2006
Pragati Vihar Hostel,Durga Pooja Pandal,9.30pm
(Near Jawahar lal Nehru Stadium ),
Lodi Road New Delhi

All plays Directed By Arvind gaur
contact: 9899650509, 9871166607

About Final Solutions

"Final Solutions" has a powerful contemporary resonance as
it addresses as issue of utmost concern to our
society, i.e. the issue of communalism. The play presents
different shades of the communalist attitude prevalent
among Hindus and Muslims in its attempt to underline the
stereotypes and clichés influencing the collective sensibility
of one community against another. What distinguishes this work
from other plays written on the subject is that it is
neither sentimental in its appeal nor simplified in its approach.
It advances the objective candour or a social scientist while
presenting a mosaic of diverse attitudes towards religious identity
that often plunges the country into inhuman strife. Yet the issue
is not moralised, as the demons of communal hatred are located not
out on the street but deep within us.
The play moves from the partition to the present day communal riots.
It probes into the religious bigotry by examining the attitudes
of three generations of a middle-class Gujrati business family,
Hardika, the grandmother, is obsessed with her father's murder
during the partition turmoil and the betrayal by a Muslim friend,
Zarine. Her son, Ramnik Gandhi, is haunted by the knowledge his
fortunes were founded on a shop of Zarine's father, which was
burnt down by his kinsmen.
Hardika's daughter-in-law, Aruna, lives by the strict code of
the Hindu Samskar and the granddaughter, Smita, cannot allow
herself a relationship with a Muslim boy. The pulls and counter-pulls
of the family are exposed when two Muslim boys, Babban and Javed,
seek shelter in their house on being chased by a baying Hindu mob.
Babban is a moderate while Javed is an aggressive youth. After
a nightlong exchange of judgements and retorts between the characters,
tolerance and forgetfulness emerge as the only possible
solution of the crisis. Thus, the play becomes a timely
reminder of the conflicts raging not only in India but
in other parts of the world.

CRITICS SAY

With the screaming, stomping, sinister mob in the
background of this high charged interplay, we have a
dramatically explosive play on boards….
Arvind Gaur pitched and kept the action at a level on
high tension. .....Kavita Nagpal (Hindustan Times)


A show not to be missed…
What a beautiful play beautifully translated
and beautifully directed….The play holds a mirror
to the society we live in. ..... ...........Romesh Chander (Hindu)


Something to reflect upon… Asmita production is simple and intense.
The play is powerful, the production is intense, the subject difficult,
the response good, something you can take home and think about
.....Smita Narula (Pioneer)


Mahesh Dattani's 'Final Solutions' is that rare look at a
socio-political problem that defies all final solutions….
Arvind Gaur's competent direction… intense, topical and
artistically mounted, Asmita's 'Final Solutions' brought
back memories of Habib Tanvir's rendition
of 'Jis Lahore nahi Dekhya' and Saeed Mirza's 'Naseem.
.....Nikhat Kazmi (Times of India)

On a more contemporary note, Mahesh Dattani's FINAL SOLUTIONS directed by Arvind Gaur easily stood out as one of the few truly satisfying experiences of this eleven day treat (9th national theatre festival, Nehru Centre,Mumbai) for the senses.
As the dramatic tension (neatly orchestrated by a chorus) rises in the play, the subterranean psyche of each character is laid bare.
Abuses are hurled, raw passions are evoked, attempts at reconciliation are made and prejudices and fears are acknowledged The beauty of the script indeed lies in its ability to relentlessly and sensitively question. Its urgent need to use 'dialogue' as a remedy for a socially pressing issue such as communalism, is the play's underlying theme.
Arvind Gaur's direction is commendable. While the front of the stage is peopled by the principal characters who are psychologically exorcizing themselves, the back part of the stage has a chorus whose role is as symbolic as it is instrumental in furthering the action in the play when required.
In Retrospect: Select plays of the 9th National Theatre Festival,Nehru Centre , Mumbai ....
-Deepa Punjani
Director's Note

'Final Solutions' touches us, and the bitter realities of our
lives so closely that it becomes a difficult play to handle for
the Indian Director. The past begins top determine the outlook of
the present and thus the earlier contradictions re-emerge.
No concrete solutions are provided in the play to the problem
of communalism but it raises questions on secularism and pseudo
secularism. It forces us to look at ourselves in relation to
the attitudes that persist in the society.

Since it is an experiment in time and space and relates to memory,
it is a play, which involves a lot of introspection on the part
of the characters in the play and thus induces similar
introspection in the viewers. I have attempted to experiment
with the chorus. It has been used in a style, which I would
like to call 'realistic stylisation'. The chorus represents the
conflicts of the characters. Thus the chorus is a sense is
the psycho-physical representation of the characters and also
provides the audience with the visual images of
the characters' conflicts. There is no stereotyped use of
the characterisation of the chorus because communalism has no face,
it is an attitude and thus it becomes an image of the characters.

The sets and properties used in the play are simple.
This has been done to accentuate the internal conflicts and
the subtext of the play. Theatre for 'Asmita' and me is
a method of reflection, understanding and debating the
contemporary socio-political issues through the process of
the play. We hope the play will also have a lasting
impact on the audience.
________________________________________

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Play Operation Three Star at Alliance Francaise



















Asmita Art Group
Presents
Dario Fo’s
Operation Three Star
(Accidental Death of an anarchist)
Adaptation in Hindi by Amitabh Srivastava
Lyrics-Piyush Mishra

Directed By Arvind Gaur
16th nd 17th sept.2006 at 7pm,
Alliance Française,72, Lodhi Road ,New Delhi
Tickets Rs.100,
For tickets pls contact-9899650509,9871166607,9811384665

About the Play
Grounded in a very specific, disturbing politicl reality the Operation Three Star offers a scathing comment the real events which are criminal and obscene in their brutality:Crimes of the state.With his seemingly insane logic the maniac is instumental in unmasking the criminal folly of the law enforcing agency in its attempts to cover up heinous action.
He persistently ridicules the policie's shaky case and forces them to re-enact the situation in that led to the 'suicide' of a 'terrorist' under their custody. Subsequently, they contradict themselves to dismentle the whole issue of half-truths and non-sequiturs. An escalating series of impersonations and misunderstandings extend a particular viewpoint. The jerk from comic gags to a fuller awareness of serious issue becomes a potent device as the crude voilence of the power-that-be is recognised.

Saturday, July 1, 2006

INDIA CENSORED

COURTESY:TEHELKA

2006
THE DA VINCI CODE
Both, the film and the book, banned in Nagaland. Film banned in Punjab

THE EPIC OF SHIVAJI
by James W. Laine
Banned by the Maharashtra government in January. Claimed to have contained “insulting writings” about Shivaji and his parents

2005
MR JINNAH
a play by Arvind Gaur
Banned by the police, though it was not spelt out officially

2004
SHIVAJI: HINDU KING IN ISLAMIC INDIA
another Laine book, banned

2003
DWIKHANDITO
by Taslima Nasreen
Banned by the West Bengal government on the ground that it hurt Muslim sentiments

2000
WATER
by Deepa Mehta
Right-wing vandals attacked the cast and
crew of the film

1998
MI NATHURAM GODSE BOLTOY
The then BJP-led Maharashtra government banned the play

1996
NUDE SARASWATI
by MF Husain

FIRE
The film’s posters were torn, the film taken out from theatres

1992
CITY OF JOY
The unit of the film starring Patrick Swayze, Shabana Azmi attacked by CPM supporters. Passed off as genuine anger of Kolkatans for depicting the city in a poor light

1988-1989
THE SATANIC VERSES
by Salman Rushdie
India becomes the first country to ban it. In 1989, riots in Srinagar and Bombay saw 13 deaths, one in Srinagar, 12 in Bombay

1988
THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST
by Martin Scorsese Film remains banned in India because of fears that it will incite riots

1978
BEDTIME STORY
by Kiran Nagarkar
Play banned; was not staged till 17 years later 1974

SAKHARAM BINDER
Vijay Tendulkar’s play banned after initial performances

1973
GHASHIRAM KOTWAL
Tendulkar’s play banned initially for its alleged anti-Brahmin stance Late 1940s and early 1950s

Many of Saadat Hasan Manto’s stories banned by the government for being ‘sex-oriented’

And finally,
Morarji Desai allegedly wanted the temples at Konark and Khajuraho covered with bed-sheets because they were “against Indian culture”

Monday, June 12, 2006




Asmita Summer Theatre Festival
10th june to 25 th june 2006

Mote Ram ka Satyagrah
Adaptation by By Habib Tanveer and Safdar Hashmi.
Music by Sangeeta Gaur
On 10th nd 11th June,2006 ,7.30pm
India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi

Neil Simons’s
Log-Baag
16th June at PSK , Laxmi Nagar,7pm
17th nd 18th June at India Habitat Centre, 7.30pm ,Lodhi Road

Warren Hastings Ka Saand
Based on Uday Prakash’s story
23rd at PSK , Laxmi nagar,7pm
24th at India Habitat Centre,7.30pm, Lodhi Road

Dario Fo’s
Operation Three Star
(Accidental Death of an anarchist)
Adaptation in Hindi by Amitabh Srivastava
Lyrics-Piyush Mishra
25th June at India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road

All Plays directed by Arvind Gaur

Tickets Rs. 50 /
For details contact - 9899650509

Mote Ram ka Satyagrah
The play is a comic-satire with all the elements of a musical. on the surface, the play appears to be a simple story about a brahmin from banaras. The town of banaras adorns itself to recieve a Vice Roy, as per the directions given by the Magistrate- Sir William Parkinson. Pandit Moteram Shastri, the protagonist seems to have bitten more than he can chew, and agrees to go on a hunger strike to stop the people of the town from declaring a "Hartal".
Whether or not the pundit succeeds in controling his hunger brings the play to its comical climax. There is more to this play then meets the eye. It deals with larger issues of the relationship between Religion & Politics. The play wright, intriciately weave the threats of this rather sensitive subject into a cohesive and entertaining play. The issues raised are as relevent and contemprary now, as they were under the colomset's rule.

Neil Simons’s
LOG-BAAG

Depicting lives of everyday mortals "LOG-BAAG" reveals myriad of moods, class distinctions and various shades of mind and attitude. A play with eight short stories of chekhov woven together, each individualy depicting a slice of life. Yet, the common thread that binds them together is the essential conflict between "What should be" and "What is" and also the typical Chekhovian end that undercuts each story as a very first last moment.
The stories can be seen as seemingly transaprently simple yet with great subtlety Chekhov undercuts mammoth institutions like, Bureaucracy , parenting , marriage , medicine ..... yet at the same time chekhov goes behind social institutions and with great sensitivity revelas glimpsis of human emotions of insecurity, namelessness, confusion , pain .......
The playwright Neil Simen has brilliantly selected the short stories such that each one dipicts the complex facets of the writer in the play. The writer's conflict at penning down his experiences as stories, itself is an organic story in the play.

Critics say
Real life stories ... Effective Satire and Comic
Rashtriya Sahara
Interesting and Encapsulating..... Effective
Jan Satta
Competently witty direction..... Pleasant and entertaining evening
Pioneer
Amusing play.... Built in fun.... Outstanding theatre
The Hindu
"LOG-BAAG" one of Gaur's best play ... Best play of the year award...
classy play of high standards.
The Hindu

UdayPrakash’s
Warren Hastings Ka Saand

"Warren Hastings ka saand" is a docudrama based on Uday Prakash's story by the same name. Warren Hasting's and his bull are used as mataphorical representations in his fantasy created by the author and recreated on stage by the director-"Arvind Gaur"..Warren Hasting ka saand is a socio-economic political satire. The play an out and out a farce and is in no sense a historical document.
Uday Praksh has created a fantasy. It is a cruelly humorous statement on governo general Warren Hastings' adventures in the wonderland that is India. Warren Hasting is funny and burlesque in his engagement with a enigma of India. Warren Hasting interaction with everything around him is insensitive, without a deeper understanding or a sense of belongingness and thus without strength. The play is an representation of modren Warren Hasting's interaction with traditional india.
Warren Hastings' Ka Saand, somewhere carries a very eerie and uncanny semblance to what is happening around us today. Today sensuality and eroticsm have been taken over perversion. Sprituality has benn replaced by fanaticism and fundamentalism. Trade, artisans crafts people have been wiped out by sheer consumerism. Nature is no longer a way from life, it needs protection through slogans of the green movement. Politics today, spells filth and corruption only. Extraction seems to be the order of the day.But, despite the apathy and insensitivity around, there are some creatures and some movements which do dare to take the bull by its horns and the world by its beard. The play in its content is a tribute to this species which is on the verge of extinction.
In more than one way, Warren Hastings' Ka Saand is a caricature or a humerous literary potrait of in contemporary times.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Uday Prakash, is an outstanding contemporary hindi writer. Uday Prakash is a versatile and creative person. Uday Prakash hails from shahdole Dist. in Madhya Pradesh. He has a long experience in teaching, journalism, administrative service and audio-visual medium.
He has worked in Purvagraha, Dinmaan and Sunday Mail. He has taught Social Journalism at Times Research Foudation also done Academic and Research work at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Worked for Independent Television. He has also worked as scriptwriter for the T.V. cultural magazine "Taana-Baana".
Some of his writings are Suno Kariger, Darayayee Ghoda; Abutar - Kaboutar, Tirich, Palgomra ka scootar. Some of Uday Prakash's major translation works are Romyo Rola Ki Diary, Lal Ghaas Par Neele Ghode.
He has been awarded the Bharat Bhushan agrawal award for poetry. Omprakash Sahitya Sammaan 1982, Shri Kant Verma Smriti Sammaan 1990.

CRITICS SAY

No historical document but a delightful farce... It is totally different from Gaur's earlier work. And in years to come when someone writes a thesis on Gaur's work ."Warren Hastings ka
Saand" will figure as one of the milestones in Arvind's development as a director ..... certainly worth a visit.
-Romesh Chandra (Hindu)




DARIO Fo's
Operation Three Star
(Accidental Death of an anarchist)


Grounded in a very specific, disturbing politicl reality the Operation Three Star offers a scathing comment the real events which are criminal and obscene in their brutality:Crimes of the state.With his seemingly insane logic the maniac is instumental in unmasking the criminal folly of the law enforcing agency in its attempts to cover up heinous action.
He persistently ridicules the policie's shaky case and forces them to re-enact the situation in that led to the 'suicide' of a 'terrorist' under their custody. Subsequently, they contradict themselves to dismentle the whole issue of half-truths and non-sequiturs. An escalating series of impersonations and misunderstandings extend a particular viewpoint. The jerk from comic gags to a fuller awareness of serious issue becomes a potent device as the crude voilence of the power-that-be is recognised.

About The Director

Arvind Gaur who heads the Delhi, based Theatre group ASMITA is committed to innovative and socially relevant theatre. Starting off as a journalist and working for sometime for the electronic media, he set up ASMITA and earned a reputation in theatre circle in India and abroad.
Arvind Gaur has conducted many theatre workshops and performed in various Colleges, Institutions, Universities and Schools in India and abroad such as Stanford, Harvard University, Stony Brook Univ, Smithsonian (Washington DC),Nehru Centre( London), Jawahar Lal Nehru University, IILM , I.I.T.(Delhi), British Council(Delhi) , Mothers International School , Sahyadri school (KFI,India), AIIMS , School of Planning and Architecture, Gargi, Hindu, LSR and IP colleges. He was also the guest faculty of DU for Theatre in education program for three years.
One of the Solos directed by Arvind gaur - Bhishma Sahni's MADHAVI , received special award for experimentation with tradition at International Solo Theatre Festival Armenia and “Colour of Nation” award at the International Theatre festival in NIZHNEVARTOVSK THEATRE FESTIVAL,Russia. Recently Madhavi was performed in Vangneray,Lyon International Theatre Festival March 2006, France.
Director Arvind Gaur has also collaborated with various Theatre artists and Groups specially in exploring a new language for Solo performances which includes Dario fo's 'Story of the Tiger', solo by Jaimini Kumar Srivastava, 'Women in Black' by Bubbles Sabharwal and "Untitled Solo" by Lushin Dubey in collaboration with Theatre World. Not only have these plays received great audience response from important metropolis of India, "Women in black" was invited to perform in Dubai and "Untitled Solo" was performed in Chicago, Dallas, Washington DC, Boston, Rochester, San francisco, Ohio in USA and at the Edinburgh Theatre Festival last year.
Pinki Virani’s "Bitter Chocolate " a new solo by Lushin Dubey directed by Arvind gaur was also performed at Harvard (USA) & at Nehru Centre, London. ‘Gandhari’ solo performance by Aishveryaa Nidhi was directed & performed at NIDA theatre , Sydney. Recently with British actress Ruth Sheard, he has directed two solo plays- Sarah Kane’s “4.84 Psychosis” and Dario Fo- Franca Rama’s “A woman alone”.
With Rashi Bunny , young actress trained in Theatre design at University of Alabama at Birmingham and Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA Arvind Gaur has directed three solo plays. Bhishma sahani's "Madhavi ", Manjula Padmanabhan's 'Hidden Fires' and 'Walking through the Rainbow'. Madhavi & Hidden fires has received rave reviews all over and have been invited to perform for Mahindra's Old World Theatre Festival, Vivachana National Theatre Festival Jabalpur, Muktibodh Natyaotsav raipur, 5th National Theatre Festival Balaghat, World Social forum Mumbai and National School Of Drama (N.S.D.), Satta Festival Jaipur, Theatre Club J.N.U., PCVC, and Queen's Award Project (UK) for Communal Harmony.
After his fellowship research from HRD, he started his Delhi based Theatre group ASMITA. Arvind Gaur has directed more than 50 plays which include Girish Karnad's Tuglaq and Rakt Kalyan, Dharamveer Bharti's Andha Yug, Swadesh deepak's Court Martial, G P Deshpande's Antim Divas, Albert Camus' Caligula, Mahesh Dattani's Final Solutions and Tara, Eugene O'neill 's Desire Under the Elms, Dario Fo's An Accidental death of an Anarchist, Dr.Narenda Mohan's Kalandar, Bertolt Brecht's Good Woman of Setzuan and Caucasian chalk circle, Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot, John Octanasek's Romeo Juliet and the darkness, Neil Simon's The Good Doctor, Vijay tendulakr's Ghairam Kotwal, Munshi Premchand's Moteram ka Satyagrah, Ashok Lal's Ek Mamooli aadmi, Rajesh Kumar's Me Gandhi Bolto ,Vijay Mishra 's Tatt Niranjana, Doodnath Singh's Yama Gatha.
Arvind Gaur has conducted many theatre workshops for children in schools and slums as well as Street Theatre performances on different socio-political issues. He has also conducted theatre workshops for Actors and Directors at Houston, USA and India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
He also performed various plays in collaboration with organizations like Theatre World, British Council (Chennai), NSD, SKP and Sangeet Natak Akademi, IHC, Association of British scholars(Delhi), Paridhi, Bahroop, Banjara Theatre group (IIT, Khargpur),IIC, Nehru Centre (mumbai), Rainbow Cavaliers, M.Dot Band (Jaipur),Vivchana (Jabalpur), Prithvi Theatre Festival (platform theatre IHC, 2004), Ladies Club( IIT Bombay) and NGOs like Mobile Creches, Action-Aid, Haq, PCVC, Times Foundation, Deepalaya , Miralaya, Heinrich Boll Foundation, Asian Social Forum, Youthreach, World Social Forum and Aalo- a ray of hope etc.
He also designs lights for NAYA Theatre under the Direction of Shri Habib Tanvir.

arvindgaur@hotmail.com,
arvindasmita@yahoo.com
09899650509

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Theatre Workshop-2006

20 May to 24 June 2006
at Lok Kala Manch
(near India Habitat Centre nd Sai Baba mandir)
Lodhi Road,New Delhi
for young boys and girls (16yr plus)

The workshop will introduce the aspiring actor to the basic skills of acting.This includes ensemble work, voice ,speech ,fun exercises & games , movement, personality development , better communication, approach tocharacter and improvisation techniques.

under the direction of
Arvind Gaur
(Director, Asmita Theatre group)

contact-9899650509
arvindgaur@hotmail.com

Arvind Gaur heads the Delhi based theatre group Asmita and is committed to innovative and socially relevant theatre.
He has directed over 50 plays that have been staged at Edinburg Theatre festival in the UK and at Chicago, Washington, Boston, San Fransisco, Ohio in the US. His play Madhavi solo by Rashi Bunny received special award last year for best play in experimentation with tradition at international Solo festival, Armenia.
Madhavi was staged in the International theatre festival at Russia last winter and was performed in Lyon International Theatre festival, France last month.

Friday, April 14, 2006


Rashi Bunny
50 icons of India-selcted by Sahara group 2005

Wednesday, March 29, 2006




British Council
Association of British scholars, Delhi Chapter
invites you to
Asmita's rendition of Bhishma Sahni's play
MADHAVI
Solo Performance by Rashi Bunny
Directed by Arvind Gaur
on 31st March, 6.30pm
at the British Council, 17 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110001

Event supported by the British Council and 'Aalo- a ray of hope'

Entry by invitation only,available at British Council
17 Kasturba Gandhi Marg,New Delhi - 110 001
Tel: 0091 (0)11 4149 7257
Fax: 0091(0)11 2371 0717

Madhavi
A story based on a character older than 5000 years and still alive...only the names have changed from Madhavi to Mansi or Mona...
Madhavi is not a myth, she is a reality. Madhavi has not been vanquished by history, sadly like the legend of Gaea, she still lives either in the self-imposed glory of her sacrifice or the heart-rending solitude of her abandonment...

Critics' remarks
Even though the play is based on mythology, Madhavi .It was a delightful solo performance by Rashi Bunny, as is contemporary in its
presentation and style... .
-India Today
All women will be able to see a part of themselves in it.The relevance of the issue makes the time setting immaterial.
-Indian Express
Its 'an actor's play'…The Kathavachan style has been adopted and the actor Rashi relates to the audience in day to day baat cheet…an intense and intimate theatre experience.
The Pioneer
The solo performance is an experiment…Its like taking people through a journey…Even the set design is very experimental. There are blank canvasses on the stage and different colours placed in earthen pots, that symbolize the different colours of life…
-First City
It was a delightful solo performance by Rashi Bunny, as she brought to fore a range of human emotions in 'Bhishma Sahni's MADHAVI...
it is an experiment both in its presentation by the director Arvind Gaur and its enactment by the actor Rashi…the Set and its use to my mind is indeed creative bordering on the genius.
-The Hindu
The complex story of Madhavi, her trauma, tragedy and conflicts were portrayed with great sensitivity by Rashi Bunny... The simplicity of set design, use of bamboo structures, canvasses & helped audiences to extend their imagination to grasp the diversity and multi dimensional directorial interpretation of the play.
-Nav Bharat Times
The play was among the very rare meaningful theatre we get to watch in our city. Thought provoking, overwhelming, it left so many fighting their tears. Each person present would have identified with the double standards of our society, each person sitting there would have felt guilty of having reduced the existence of a woman to a mere object, a commodity. Each woman would have relived some part of her life.
-Hindustan Times

Arvind Gaur heads the Delhi based theatre group Asmita and is committed to innovative and socially relevant theatre. He has directed over 50 plays that have been staged at Edinburg Theatre festival in the UK and at Chicago, Washington, Boston, San Fransisco, Ohio in the US. His play Madhavi received special award last year for best play in experimentation with tradition at international Solo festival, Armenia. Madhavi was staged in the International theatre festival at Russia last winter and was performed in Lyon International Theatre festival, France last week.

Rashi Bunny- Her Solo Hidden Fires directed by Arvind Gaur was invited for Queen's Award Project (UK) for Ciommunal harmony. She was associated briefly with the Living Theatre Academy under Ebrahim Alkazi. Rashi further pusued training in Theatre Arts and Design at the University of Alabama and Rutgers University, New Jersey USA. She is recipient of Ruby Llyod Artistic and Academic Excellence Award and Best International Student Scholarship Award in the USA. She was selected as one of the 50 Icons: Emerging personality of India in 2005 by Sahara group

Wednesday, March 15, 2006




SYNOPSIS OF MADHAVI

Solo by RASHI BUNNY



Madhavi was an extraordinary girl, in mind , body and soul. And she was blessed with a unique boon of giving birth to invincible kings- CHAKRAVARTI RAJA. Also after child birth she could regain her virginal beauty on performing a sacred rite. Her father retired king YAYATI was very powerful king but his real pride lied in being called the greatest donor of the world. That is why when GALAV- a young disciple of guru Vishwamitra, approaches him for help King Yayati donates his one and only daughter Madhavi as medium for fulfillment of Galav’s promise to his Guru. And there begins a journey of love and loss.

The play begins with a song about a young girl opening doors of dreams and youth. Then a narrator talks about importance of fulfilling one’s promise and duty as mentioned in sacred religious texts. To elaborate the concept of duty as one’s dharma, Narrator introduces the story of madhavi from the great Indian epic MAHABHARAT (Peter Brook created his famous play based on this epic with international cast)

When Lord Vishnu is disturbed in heaven while meditation because a young man is about to commit suicide because he cannot pay GURU DAKSHINA- a token of gratitude and respect to his teacher- Guru VISHWAMITRA who in anger ordered Galav to 800 ASHWA-MEDHI Horses- the strongest and fastest Horses that are found only with powerful kings. Lord Vishnu guides Galav to meet Yayati who donates his daughter Madhavi to show how big a donor he is. Madhavi quietly follows her father’s orders and leaves with Galav to find kings who would give him the required horses. The first song is played again to show irony of fate.

Scene 2

Galav hesitatingly takes Madhavi along but is attracted to her beauty and boon when madhavi tells him that she had already dreamt of him and many horses. She imagines him to be her destiny and is ready to do anything for her love including delivering sons for the kings who would give horses to galav.

Sc 3:
King Haryasch is impressed with madhavi’s innocence and beauty as soon as they both enter his court but the king orders his state Astrologer (RAJ JYOTISH) to check if madhavi can give birth to invincible sons. Astrologer inspects Madhavi’s body thouroughly and confirms of her unique boon. King Haryashch is ready to keep Madhavi but he only has 200 special horses and will give them only after madhavi delivers his son. They are in a fix but madhavi realizes that they will have to go to another king for the rest of the horses and stays behind as Galav moves to find other king with special horses.

Sc 4:
Narrator spells scriptures that a man is ambitious but a woman must only serve and sacrifice. When Galav comes to take Madhavi after one year, Madhavi can not bear to leave her new born baby. Galav fails to understand madhavi’s sudden love for a child of the king but madhavi is a changed woman now. Galav accuses madhavi of lack of commitment and strentght. Madhavi questions that only she suffers the separation from child whereas her fathers becomes famous donor and Galav obedient disciple, nevertheless she performs her sacred rite and leaves for another king.

Sc 5:

Narrator tells that according to ancient texts a king is worse than a beggar if he has no sons to carry forward his name. Lecherous king Divodas has 35 queens but no sons and as soon as he sees Madhavi he questions her if she is equipped with erotic art of love making. Madhavi goes through this insulting atmosphere to be help Galav fulfill his promise. King Divodas orders Madhavi to bathe and adorn in perfume but without jewel so to prevent his delicate body from scratching during…

Sc 6:
narrator tells about an unexpected flood where all the horses are lost and only remaining horses are with old king Ushinar or with Guru Vishwamitra. Narrator questions politics of dharma and duty! Old king Ushinar is overwhelmed with madhavi’s beauty but once again madhavi leaves without even looking at her new born. Narrator tells juts as a creeper needs a tree a woman too needs a man for existence. That is why when suddenly one day Galav discovers that Madhavi has left him alone in the forest , he thinks that she left him for the love of her sons or for comforts. Guru Vishwamitra discovers madhavi at his hermitage and thinks that she has come to ask for forgivance. Madhavi markets herself and says that for the love of galav, she will offer herself to the Guru who can then take as Galav’s promise of 8oo ashwamedhi horses completed.
Narrator questions the role of guru and meaning of promise and duty if it depends on a yoing girl’s sense of duty and love!

Sc 7
the promis is fulfilled and king yayati porganises a SWYAMVARA for madhavi where she can choose her husband. Many kings including those whoses harem she has lived in, come to participate. Galav’s convocation ceremony is also there and whole ashrama is decorated like palace. Madhavi goes away in the quietness of forest where galav comes searching for her but fails to recognize her as madhavi has not performed the sacred rite to regain virginal beauty. Madhavi expects galav to love nad accept her for all the efforts she has made to fulfill his duty but galav refuses her by saying that she has slept with his Guru and he can’t marry his teacher’s keep.
Madhavi is shattered and she frees galav for he is not the man for whom she has waited each moment for all these years. She beckons him to go for his convocation where he will be called a great sage nad priest. She walks off while questioning the role of society and the roles which can trample over a girl’s dedication and love.

The songs are specially written with metaophors on the customs and the painting in between scenes not only reperesent the journey of the protagonist but also the subconscious responses of the actor playing various roles in this Solo Performance.







festival international des arts de la sce'ne
ART' sce`ne ,Vaugneray(69)
Du12 au 18 mars 2006


Based on Bhishma Sahani’s play
MADHAVI
music by Sangeeta Gaur

Solo performance by RASHI BUNNY

ABOUT THE ACTOR- Rashi Bunny

Following her graduation in Science from Delhi University and after a brief stint at the Living Theatre Academy under Shi. E Alkazi, Rashi pursued her training in Theatre Arts and Design at the University of Alabama and Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA. She is a recipient of Young Artist Scholarship & Junior Fellowship from department of Culture, HRD and Ruby Llyod Artistic & academic Excellence award and Best International Student Scholarship Award in the USA. She is also Chosen as one of the 50 Icons: emerging personality of India in 2005 by Sahara Group.

Bhishma Sahni's MADHAVI , her first Solo, directed by Arvind Gaur won accolades all over India and abroad. It received special award for best play in experimentation with tradition at International Solo Theatre Festival Armenia and “Colour of Nation” award at the International Theatre festival in Russia recently. Madhavi has been invited for performance in the International Theatre Festival March 2006, France.
Manjula Padmanabhan's Hidden Fires was Rashi’s other solo directed by Arvind Gaur that has been selected by SKP as one of the best plays of year. It was also performed for Queen’s award project (UK) for Communal harmony. Walking Through the rainbow, her latest Solo premiered in Chennai and deals with domestic abuse and other NRI issues.

Under the direction of Arvind Gaur, she has also acted in Mahesh Dattani's Tara & Final Solution, Vijay mishra's Tatt Niranjana, Swadesh Deepak's Court Martial and Sabse Udas Kavita, Munshi Premchand's Moteram ka Satyagrah, Rajesh Kumar's Me Gandhi Bolto and Street play Teen Kanastar for Asmita theatre group, New Delhi.
These plays have been performed for various Theatre festivals, Institutions and NGOs in India and abroad including NSD, SKP, Nehru Centre, IHC, Darpana Academy, IIT, Old World festival, Vivechana national festival, Muktibodh Natya Samaroh, World Social Forum, Satta Festival, JNU, IILM, PCVC, Stella Maris, DU, Jawahar Kala Kendra, Action Aid, Heinrich Boll Foundation, Armmono-II (ITI Unesco) and Nizhnevartovsk Theatre Festival.

In USA, even though design was her main focus she acted as lead in many plays like - Beth Henley's Abundance & Jules Feiffer's Feiffers People and worked with directors like Karma Ibsen, Ward Haarbauer and Anne Car Michael. On her return to India, she received the Young Artist scholarship and worked under Shyamanand Jalan in Calcutta and was part of many productions, like Khamosh Adalat Jari Hai and Char Sau Karod Bhullakar. "Nabh Taaron Se Khandit Pulkit" translated from an American Dark comedy, was her directorial debute at Padatik.

As Founder Director of Banjara Theatre Group at IIT Kharagpur, she has designed and directed Dharamveer Bharti's 'Srishti ka Aakhiri admi', Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena's Bakri, Habib Tanveer's Gadhe and many open air productions like Daldal, Swaha-Swaha, Bandar Kaun, Girgit, Pahle Aap, Teen Apahij, Deewaren Kuchh Kehna Chahti hain, Haathi ki Po(n) etc. For the Children's Theatre Wing of Banjara, she has written and directed musicals like Veer Abhimani, Aazadi Muft Nahin, TunTun TunTun Tana Bana, Education gives Real Freedom, Gopi Gayan Bagha bayen, Beda Dekho Ki.
Rashi has conducted theatre workshops for Engineering and management students, children, Youth and adults from all kinds of background and judged many drama competitions in Bengal, Delhi and Rajasthan. For IHC, she has conducted Theatre workshops and was the coordinator for the Platform theatre. She is guest faculty at NIFT and has lectured widely in schools, colleges and institutes of repute in India and abroad.

WHY MADHAVI ?
A story based on character older than 5000 years. And still alive… A Madhavi, who lives in a society that thrives under the auspicious umbrella of ever-forgiving religion and traditions. The norms, the rules of a society that have only changed names from Madhavi to Mansi or Mona.
Theories not documented on paper but in the closed minds of society, and practices only made modern but still the same. Daughter is wedded and father performs the sacred rites of "Kanyadan". Still a "Daan" or donation. Yayati gives away Madhavi because that's what his "duty" binds him to do. Madhavi stands amidst the keen stares of men in King Haryasch's court where the kingdom's astrologer weighs upon Madhavi's body - her statistics, skin, shapes. How different is any matrimonial add of today's national news papers? Lecherous Divodas accepts Madhavi because she is prolific son-generating machine. A son is still considered a choicest choice. Galav markets her professionally and stoically.
A woman of beauty and intelligence born with unique gifts and special abilities spends her entire life in abiding by and standing for the secret promises, vows, desires and aspirations of the man who fathered her, the man she loved and men whom she consummated without marriage. Each man utilized her for his selfish interests in the name of "Dharma". They framed her youth, beauty, sincerity and devotion and painted the colors of their desires and ambitions on the canvas of her fading individuality. They used her boons to avail their interest and she kept on giving and yielding and sacrificing for the sake of respect, love or plain duty. "Dharma" is, you see, the umbrella under which all wrongs will be shielded because it has got a sky above it, large and valuable of the scriptures written by men and rules created by men.
We may call ourselves an evolved post-modernistic world but is there a woman who at a certain age or stage in life, did not sacrifice for a man who thought his ambitions and wishes more important or more noble or more sacred than her dreams?? Madhavi still lives - more conventional and easily identifiable in rural set ups and more masked in the metropolis.
Late Bhisma Sahni was a writer of the masses and not classes. His characters and stories, like Chekov, are based on triumphs and traumas of a common man; not very well known characters but people with great sensitivity, sensibility and zeal for life. His plays have a whole panaroma of varied character who even in their stereo-typical presence convey various shades of "man". Wound with its own wit and humor, the plays are essentially tragic.The content, the theme, the treatment of the issues in his plays are socially relevant and progressive even if they have historical or mythological base. With great sensitivity and panache, the tragic tale of a simple dutiful girl is told who is merely a victim of an inherently flawed system, created by man himself.
Unlike classical or Greek tragedies where the grand tragic end of the character was determined by his height and status in royal hierarchy here the playwright relies on destiny as much as making the special talent of the protagonist as the cause of his/her own disaster while restraining from making the play slogan-based.
Madhavi is not a myth, she is a reality. Madhavi has not been vanquished by history, sadly like the legend of Gaea, she still lives either in the self-imposed glory of her sacrifice or the heart-rending solitude of her abandonment.

THE MAKING OF MADHAVI

Madhavi is a result of an agitated exploration that continued to pose questions again and again about the presentation, representation and performance. A 3-act full-length play with more than 16 characters written by an eminent writer like Bhishma Sahni to be converted into a Solo performance? So many characters - all old stereotypic chauvinistic male except one - all to be performed by a young girl? That too a girl whose parentage, bringing up and urban modern education made her almost odds with the female character Madhavi, on whose life and destiny the play is written. The text was opened layer by layer and discarded completely line by line to explore the basic essence of the script. As that became clearer through brainstorming and discussion and fierce argumentation between the actor and the director, Bhishma Sahni's script was picked up again and it was inventively interpolated so as to make it available for a solo performance.
From text one moved to images. What sort of visual landscape could we create so as to not just depict the life of Madhavi but also take the audience as a participant in the journey through her life? Almost magically cloth canvasses encompassed in vividly shaped light bamboo structures emerged that not only aesthetically excited us but also had promise in terms of flexibility of movement by way of Solo performance to depict many locales, time periods and psycho-physical spaces of various characters. We thought of collaborating with modern imaginative painters to render symbolical images on these canvasses. As usual, the lack of funding forced us to be resourceful and
we discovered something, what lead to us to an absolutely unexpected thrilling journey. We discovered during the first performance that the use of colours on the canvas by the actor during performance, almost invented a new language in performance. The selection of earth colours like turmeric, henna, sindoor, clay etc was natural. The bamboos, canvasses and wheat-flour, rice and color powders on stage at one moment brought the royal galore of the kings and kingdom, forlorn peace of Ashram, harrowing heights of long journeys in jungles and a sudden transition into neutral platform for narration.
Now the painting at the opening and during the performance became a play of colors for the performer that was not at all aimed to represent the psycho-emotional state of the character. What came as a wonderful welcome surprise was that what one was touching a dangerous area - the sub-conscious of the actor during the performance. For, it was realized that through the coloring of the canvasses the boundary between the actor and character was blurring and sharpening recurrently. Although since the process was more or less a continuum and to pinpoint was hard, mostly the result was actually the sub-conscious response to the sub-text of the play MADHAVI. So many characters (real, fictitious and from the play) merged and forged their individuality, the actor maintained the alienation of an actor and journeyed with them, a facility imposed by the design of the play as a solo performance. And the idea was to take the play as Story-telling (katha-vachan style) by a modern urban girl talking of the life of a fellow member of the same species, many a times the narrator told the story while the body acted a character and many such interpolations were experimented on!

Critics Says

Even though the play is based on mythology, Madhavi .It was adelightful solo performance by Rashi Bunny, as is contemporary in its presentation and style
India Today

All women will be able to see a part of themselves in it. The relevance of the issue makes the time setting immaterial
Indian Express
Its 'an actor's play'. The Kathavachan style has been adopted and the actor Rashi relates to the audience in day to day baat cheet…an intense and intimate theatre experience.
The Pioneer

The solo performance is an experiment. Its like taking people through a journey. Even the set design is very experimental. There are blank canvasses on the stage and different colours placed in earthen pots, that symbolize the different colours of life.
First City

It was a delightful solo performance by Rashi Bunny, as she brought to fore a range of human emotions in 'Bhishma Sahni's MADHAVI...it is an experiment both in its presentation by the director Arvind Gaur and its enactment by the actor Rashi. the Set and its use to my mind is indeed creative bordering on the genius.
The Hindu

The complex story of Madhavi, her trauma, tragedy and conflicts were portrayed with great sensitivity by Rashi Bunny... The simplicity of set design, use of bamboo structures, canvasses & helped audiences to extend their imagination to grasp the diversity and multi dimensional directorial interpretation of the play.
Nav Bharat Times

Rashi the woman, Rashi the actress, all boundaries fade as she immerses herself completely, unabashedly in her roles. The play was among the very rare meaningful theatre we get to watch in our city. Thought provoking, overwhelming, it left so many fighting their tears. Each person present would have identified with the double standards of our society, each person sitting there would have felt guilty of having reduced the existence of a woman to a mere object, a commodity. Each woman would have relived some part of her life.
Hindustan Times

http://theatredirector.blog.com/

Musicians- Babli Srivastava, Anil Mishra , Satish Soni, Sushil Sharma
lyrics- Piyush Mishra
Back Stage- Sandeep Srivastava, Ajeet , Praveen , Bhopal, Prageet, Abhisek,Siddarth

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Arvind Gaur who heads the Delhi, based Theatre group ASMITA is committed to innovative and socially relevant theatre. Starting off as a journalist and working for sometime for the electronic media, he set up ASMITA and earned a reputation in theatre circle in India and abroad.

Arvind Gaur has conducted many theatre workshops and performed in various Colleges, Institutions, Universities and Schools in India and abroad such as Stanford, Harvard University, Stony Brook Univ, Smithsonian (Washington DC),Nehru Centre( London), Jawahar Lal Nehru University, IILM , I.I.T.(Delhi) , AIIMS , School of Planning and Architecture, Gargi, Hindu, LSR and IP colleges. He was also the guest faculty of DU for Theatre in education program for three years.

One of the Solos directed by Arvind gaur- Bhishma Sahni's MADHAVI received special award last year for best play in experimentation with tradition at International Solo Theatre Festival, Armenia. "Madhavi" was recently invited at International Theatre Festival, Russia and is now scheduled for performance in International Theatre festival, France.

Director Arvind Gaur has also collaborated with various Theatre artists and Groups specially in exploring a new language for Solo performances which includes Dario fo's 'Story of the Tiger', solo by Jaimini Kumar Srivastava, 'Women in Black' by Bubbles Sabharwal and "Untitled Solo" by Lushin Dubey in collaboration with Theatre World. Not only have these plays received great audience response from important metropolis of India, "Women in black" was invited to perform in Dubai and "Untitled Solo" was performed in Chicago, Dallas, Washington DC, Boston, Rochester, San francisco, Ohio in USA and at the Edinburgh Theatre Festival last year.

Pinki Virani’s "Bitter Chocolate " a new solo by Lushin Dubey directed by Arvind gaur was also performed at Harvard (USA) & at Nehru Centre, London. ‘Gandhari’ solo performance by Aishveryaa Nidhi was directed & performed at NIDA theatre , Sydney. Recently with British actress Ruth Sheard, he has directed two solo plays- Sarah Kane’s “4.84 Psychosis” and Dario Fo- Franca Rama’s “A woman alone”.

With Rashi Bunny, young actress trained in Theatre design at University of Alabama at Birmingham and Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA Arvind Gaur has directed three solo plays. Bhishma sahani's "Madhavi ", Manjula Padmanabhan's 'Hidden Fires' and 'Walking through the Rainbow'. Madhavi & Hidden fires has received rave reviews all over and have been invited to perform for Mahindra's Old World Theatre Festival, Vivachana National Theatre Festival Jabalpur, Muktibodh Natyaotsav raipur, 5th National Theatre Festival Balaghat, World Social forum Mumbai and National School Of Drama (N.S.D.), Satta Festival Jaipur, Theatre Club J.N.U., PCVC, and Queen's Award Project (UK) for Communal Harmony.

After his fellowship research from HRD, he started his Delhi based Theatre group ASMITA. Arvind Gaur has directed more than 50 plays which include Girish Karnad's Tuglaq and Rakt Kalyan, Dharamveer Bharti's Andha Yug, Swadesh deepak's Court Martial, G P Deshpande's Antim Divas, Albert Camus' Caligula, Mahesh Dattani's Final Solutions and Tara, Eugene O'neill 's Desire Under the Elms, Dario Fo's An Accidental death of an Anarchist, Dr.Narenda Mohan's Kalandar, Bertolt Brecht's Good Woman of Setzuan and Caucasian chalk circle, Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot, John Octanasek's Romeo Juliet and the darkness, Neil Simon's The Good Doctor, Vijay tendulakr's Ghairam Kotwal, Munshi Premchand's Moteram ka Satyagrah, Ashok Lal's Ek Mamooli aadmi, Rajesh Kumar's Me Gandhi Bolto ,Vijay Mishra 's Tatt Niranjana, Doodnath Singh's Yama Gatha.

Arvind Gaur has conducted many theatre workshops for children in schools and slums as well as Street Theatre performances on different socio-political issues. He has also conducted theatre workshops for Actors and Directors at Houston, USA and India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. He also performed various plays in collaboration with organizations like Theatre World, British Council (Chennai), NSD, SKP and Sangeet Natak Akademi, IHC, Paridhi, Bahroop, Banjara Theatre group (IIT, Khargpur),IIC, Rainbow Cavaliers, M.Dot Band (Jaipur),Vivchana (Jabalpur), Prithvi Theatre Festival (platform theatre IHC, 2004), Ladies Club( IIT Bombay) and NGOs like Mobile Creches, Action-Aid, Haq, PCVC, Times Foundation, Deepalaya , Miralaya, Heinrich Boll Foundation, Asian Social Forum, Youthreach, World Social Forum etc.
He also designs lights for NAYA Theatre under the Direction of Shri Habib Tanvir.



arvindgaur@hotmail.com , arvindasmita@yahoo.com
rashibunny@yahoo.com

Wednesday, January 4, 2006

Play at NSD Festival- THEATRE UTSAV





YAMA GATHA
10th January 2006,9.30pm
Abhimanch Auditorium,
N.S.D. Mandi House,New Delhi
Theatre Utsav
Bharat Rang Mahotsava-2006

PRODUCTION DETAILS
PLAY : YAMA GATHA
ASMITA ARTS GROUP, DELHI

THEATRIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PRODUCTION
( as conceived by the director)

This play focuses on the brutality, cruelty and manipulations of the ‘ones in power’ which they exert in order to maintain their authority and domination. The main aim of the ‘system’ is to come in terms with the opposition, no matter if the opponents are sacrificed in the name of religion and under the shelter of law (!). The system leaves nothing unturned. False propaganda is frivolously used to demean the opposition.

Yama Gatha throws light on this naked truth. Though mythology forms the basis of the presentation but the content undoubtedly shows its parallel existence in contemporary world situation. The playwright Prof. Doodh Nath Singh has remarkably brought out the prevelant social and political power game situations through the medium of ‘Indra’ and ‘Pururva’. The play is a strong statement on the continuous ‘unannounced’ exploitation which third world countries suffer at hands of developed nations.

Deep rooted racial discrimination and caste hierarchies forming the basis of marginalisation, subjugation, subordination and inequality still relevant in Indian as well as global context also find wide representation in the play. Indra is the epitome of ‘World power’ and Brahmins, Rishikul and Raja are his tools in the game of power. Through these tools Indra exploits the people and gets his opponents killed by manipulative declaring them ‘agaisnt religion’ and ‘against mankind’. He calls them ‘Anarya’ and ‘Dasyu’, so as to isolate them from mainstream. ‘Yajna’ for him is an important medium of carrying forward this exploitation. Schools of serviles, parasites, music, alcohol and sex make an integral part of his ‘kootneeti’.

The play exposes the farcical, cruel and distorted face of reality of politics through Indra. On the other side Vasishtha and Pururva are striving to restore power to the people. They work together to bring light to the people; they fight for their rights and their welfare. Neither do people have enough fire to live nor do they have access to resources to survive. People are exploited by Brahmins and Purohits in the name of sacrifices and yajnas. Pururva wages war against this exploitation.

Indra fears Pururva and tries to tempt him and appropriate him and his guru Vasishtha into the system. Not succeeding in his plans he gets Pururva killed in Purushmedh Yajna under the cover of ‘Dharm Sammat Nyaya’.
Yama Gatha attacks the cruel and two faced system and politics in the name of religion. Through Urvashi and Ila, the two women characters, the question of feminine identity and Asmita comes up strikingly in this play.

The conflict between two ‘streams of thought’ or ‘cultures’; conflict between those striving for identity, recognition and survival and those engaged in politics of domination, provides strength and sets a large canvas for this play.

Yama Gatha initiates a debate and raises questions on issues related to politics of gender, race, cultural and social identity, knowledge and development. Though the storyline of this play is based on a ‘myth’ but anyone can easily identify the images of these issues in contemporary world politics.

__________________________________________
Director’s Note:
What is a myth? Far away from reality…..Is it?
A commentary on existence……An unstated, un revealed compass of contemporariness of ever changing undefined, redefined, unrefined realities. Realities and reality of conflicts, sometimes we chose to close our eyes upon or forget to take cognizance of. Post-Iraq the world is not same as before. The days and months have become a game of numbers in the playfield of violence. Recently the 29/10 is the new set of numbers which has got added to our encyclopedia of violence.
What lies beneath?

Getting up to the mirror also does not help look at the reality. Whose face is this? A reflected image; an image not real. Face this. Is it easy to look at the other? Myth may be the answer.
I chose to install the myth in the modern so as to make an attempt to raise questions on the contemporary reality.
As the playwrite Doodh Nath Singh points out,’ Agar Kalidas ke utkrushta romantic ghatatop se bahar aa jayein to Pururva-Urvashi ke mithak mein bahut kuch aisa hei jisey naya arth diya ja sakta hei’.

What seems so unreal, ahistorical in a myth comes alive through this treatment and hit senses to the contemporary worldscape of exploitation, bloodshed and other forms of violence, revealing reality. This myth thus unravels the reality of our being. A commentary on existence, a reading of the myth in contemporary times.

____________________________________

ON STAGE

(In Order of Appearance)

Suryabahu : Amit Rana
Krishnanag : Rohan Madhesia
Kashyap : Sandeep Srivastava
Vibhavak : Pushpraj Rawat
Vasishtha : Akhilesh Praveen
Ila : Sapna
Pururva : Ajit Kumar Mehto

Gan Pratinidhi : Rakesh Shah, Mohd. Shamim, Avdhesh Kumar, Amit Basoiya, Rahul Batra, Kartik Shah, Deepak Rajor, Nidhi Sharma, Arun Khatana, Nitin Garg, Shailendra Kumar, Vinay Kumar, Bhavna Verma, Rajesh Raj, Prabhakar Ranjan, Sanjay Chauhan, Abir Maurya, Sharad Verma, Vijay Choudhary, Aman Sharma, Tanmay

Indra : Susan Brar
Vajra : Vipin Arora
Vishwavasu : Prageet Pandit
Rishi (1) : Sunil Rawat
Rishi (2) : Abhishek Jain
Sanat Kumar : Siddharth Dubey
Urvashi : Amita Walia
Prahari (1) : Abhijeet Choudhary
Prahari (2) : Amit Basoiya
Sipahi : Rakesh Shah, Pushpraj Rawat, Sandeep Srivastava, Vijay Choudhary, Rajesh Sangwan, Mhd. Shamim, Arun Khatana, Rahul Batra, Kartik Shah, Deepak Rajor, Aman Sharma, Nitin Garg, Shailendra Kumar, Vinay Kumar, Rajesh Raj, Prabhakar Ranjan, Abir Maurya, Sharad Verma, Amit Basoiya, Avdhesh Kumar, Ratnesh Srivastava
Gramwasi (1) : Sandeep Srivastava
Gramwasi (2) : Manisha Gulati /Amit Rana
Narad : Girish Pal
Paanch Purohit : Avdhesh Kumar, Rakesh Shah, Amit Basoiya, Abhijeet Choudhary, Abhishek Jain
Anya Purohit : Sunil Rawat, Manmohan Tiwari
Mukhya Purohit : Anupam Pachauri
Kisan : Rajesh Sangwan
Raja Nabhag : Shailendra / Mohd. Shamim

OFF STAGE
Set Execution :Ajit Kumar Mehto, Siddharth Dubey, Amit Rana
Costume :Akhilesh Praveen, Susan Brar, Kranti Pratap Singh
Property :Girish Pal, Prageet Pandit
Production Incharge :Anupam Pachauri,Sandeep Srivastava
Music :Dr. Sangeeta Gaur
Playwright :Dhoodh Nath Singh

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Scenewise Synopsis of Yama Gatha

Scene I

Pururva the democratically elected representative of the people does not want to be coronated with use of same Mantra’s used to coronate Indra, the god-king. There’s debate between Ila, Vasishtha and Pururva over maintaing the wealth of tradition and vehement rejection and opposition of exploitative traditions.
The Brahmin duo whom Pururva refused give alms in exchange of singing of manras polluted with violence of Indra, plan to make best out of situation by preparing a false description of the events held and falsely implicating Pururva into using abusive words for Rishikul and Indra. They leave for Indra’s court to earn rewards with their story. Pururva declares that he is people’s representative and promises to pay heed to what people have to say. Pururva pledges to bring light, the sacred fire, for his people from Indra’s Kingdom and leaves for Amravati.

Scene II
Indra in court is planning with his Army Chief, Vajra to tempt Pururva through Urvashi, and appropriate his teacher Vasishtha by reverting the decision of his boycott by Rishi Sabha. Vasishtha arrives and refuses Indra’s offer. He says that this boycott does not matter to him.

He asks Indra very uneasy questions about his politics and people being Indra sends him to custody. Pururva arrives and asks Indra to release Vasishtha. Indra agrees and orders Vajra to release Vasishtha. Indra sends for Urvashi to meet king Pururva. Meanwhile Indra offers Somrus to Pururva. Pururva rejects the offer. Urvashi arrives in Indra’s court.
Indra gets drunk and falls to the floor. Pururva expresses his feelings understanding plight of a woman caught in a situation like Urvashi.

Urvashi asks Pururva to accept her in marriage since he understands the plight of a woman. Pururva offers to take her hand. Urvashi accepts his offer and leaves Amravati with Pururva.

Scene III

Pururva has taken away Agni from Amravati.
He orders Vajra to catch Pururva.
Indra is shocked that Urvashi has left him. Urvashi has been his tool to tempt and overpower his opponents.
Indra sends off Vishwavasu, the gandhrva to bring Urvashi back to him. He asks Sanatkumar to be his messenger to Pururva.

Scene IV
Sanatkumar visits Pururva’s court. While he engages Pururva and Vasishtha in the web of his words, Urvashi and her child is kidnapped by Vishwavasu.

Pururva gets caught by Vajra and his soldiers.

Scene V

Indra attempts to make up with Pururva by offering him Urvashi once again. Pururva rejects his offer. Indra is furious since he realizes that Pururva has some larger aim than getting Urvashi.

Scene VI

Indra’s soldiers can not find Vasishtha. Indra orders killing of Pururva through PurushMedh Yajna by implicating him falsely in cases of killing of protectors of Sacred Fire (Agni), poisoning Indra and destroyer of Yajna. He also orders inclusion of Vasishtha’s mantras in Rigved so as that Vasishtha can not contest him openly and also looses people’s support.As Urvashi arrives at the site of Purushmedha Yajna, Vishwavasu reveals to her that her son is alive. Vajra kills Vishwavasu.

Urvashi is forced to stamp the death sentence of Pururva.

The Purushmedha Yajna gets performed admist heartrending cries of Urvashi and singing of Mantras by Rishis, Brahmins and Indra’s courtiers.

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ABOUT THE GROUP

ASMITA, one of the leading Hindi theatre groups in the country, stands committed to aesthetically innovative and socially relevant theatre. Since its inception in 1993, ASMITA has carved a niche for itself in the Indian theatre scene by staging plays of varied socio-political interest while not losing out mass appeal. The group takes up contemporary issues to underline the contours of our time while providing the best of entertainment.

The group has 48 productions to its credit and on an average has been performing for about 60 nights a year. All these plays have been directed by ASMITA's Resident Director Arvind Gaur. For ASMITA, theatre has a purpose of awakening the audience to contemporary issue and creating a dialogue on prevailing social problems. ASMITA performed in all major theatre festivals of India including National School of Drama, (Bharat Rang Mahotsava),Sangeet Natak Akademi, SKP,Nandikar and Vivachana Theatre Festival, Old World Theatre Festival, Muktibodh Natya Samaroh,World Social Forum and Nehru Centre Festival Mumbai

In the past 12 years, the group has performed Girish Karnad's 'Tuglaq' and 'Rakt Kalyan', Dharamveer Bharti's 'Andha Yug', Swadesh Deepak's 'Court Martial', G P Deshpande's 'Antim Divas', Albert Camus' 'Caligula', Mahesh Dattani's 'Final Solutions' and 'Tara', Eugene O'neill 's 'Desire Under the Elms', Dario Fo's 'An Accidental Death of an Anarchist', Dr.Narenda Mohan's 'Kalandar', Bertolt Brecht's 'Good Woman of Setzuan' and 'Caucasian Chalk Circle', Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting For Godot', John Octanasek's 'Romeo Juliet and the Darkness', Neil Simon's 'The Good Doctor', Vijay Tendulkar's 'Ghasiram Kotwal', Munshi Premchand's 'Moteram ka Satyagrah', Ashok Lal's 'Ek Mamooli Aadmi', Rajesh Kumar's 'Me Gandhi Bolto', Vijay Mishra's 'Tatt Niranjana', Doodnath Singh's 'Yama Gatha', Uday Prakash's 'Warren Hastings ka Saand',
Bhishma Sahani's 'Madhavi' & Manjula Padmanbhan's 'Hidden Fires'(both solo by actress Rashi Bunny), Walking Through the Rainbow ( joint production with PCVC, solo by Rashi Bunny) & Gandhari ( solo by Aishveryaa Nidhi).

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ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Arvind Gaur who heads the Delhi, based Theatre group ASMITA is committed to innovative and socially relevant theatre. Starting off as a journalist and working for sometime for the electronic media, he set up ASMITA and earned a reputation in theatre circle in India and abroad.

Arvind Gaur has conducted many theatre workshops and performed in various Colleges, Institutions, Universities and Schools in India and abroad such as Stanford, Harvard Uni , Stony Brook Uni, Smithsonian (Washington DC),Nehru Centre( London) ,Jawahar Lal Nehru University, IILM , I.I.T.(Delhi) , AIMS , School of Planning and Arhitecture.
One of his production "Madhavi", solo by Rashi Bunny was recently invited at International Theatre Festival , Russia,oct.2005

Workshops for children in schools and slums as well as Street Theatre performances on different socio-political issues organized and conducted by Arvind Gaur are many in number
He has also conducted theatre workshops for Actors and Directors at Houston, USA and India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. He also performed various plays in collobration with organizations like Theatre World, British Council(Chennai), IHC, Paridhi, Bahroop,Banjara Theatre group (IIT,Khargpur),IIC, Rainbow Cavaliers, M.Dot Band (Jaipur),Vivchana (Jabalpur), Prithvi Theatre Festival(platform theatre IHC,2004) and NGOs like Mobile Creches, Action-Aid,Haq,PCVC, Deepalaya , Heinrich Boll Foundation,Asian Social Forum, Youthreach and World Social Forum.

He also designs lights for NAYA theatre under the Direction of Shri Habib Tanvir.

Director Arvind Gaur has also collaborated with various Theatre artists and Groups specially in exploring a new language for Solo performances which includes Dario fo's 'Story of the Tiger', solo by Jaimini Kumar Srivastava, 'Women in Black' by Bubbles Sabharwal and "Untitled Solo" by Lushin Dubey in collaboration with Theatre World. Not only have these plays received great audience response from important metropolis of India, "Women in black" was invited to perform in Dubai and "Untitled Solo" was performed in Chicago, Dallas, Washington DC, Boston, Rochester , San francisco, Ohio in USA and at the Edinburgh Theatre Festival last year .
"Bitter Chocolate " a new solo by Lushin was also performed at Harvard (USA) & at Nehru Centre, London and Gandhari solo by Aishveryaa Nidhi was recently performed at NIDA theatre , Sydney.

With Rashi Bunny, young actress trained in Theatre design at University of Alabama at Birmingham and Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA. Arvind Gaur Has directed three solo's .Bhishma sahani's" Madhavi ", Manjula Padmanabhan's 'Hidden Fires'and 'Walking through the Rainbow'.
Madhavi & Hidden fires has received rave reviews all over and have been invited to perform for Mahindra's OLD WORLD THEATRE FESTIVAL, Vivachana National Theatre Festival Jabalpur, Muktibodh Natyaotsav raipur, 5th National Theatre Festival Balaghat, World Social forum Mumbai and National School Of Drama (N.S.D.), Satta Festival Jaipur, Theatre Club J.N.U., PCVC, and Queen's Award Project (UK) for Communal Harmony.
Bishma Sahani's MADHAVI, Solo by Rashi Bunny and directed by Arvind Gaur, received special award for best play in experimentaion with tradition at International Solo Theatre Festival , Armenia.

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