Asmita March-2007

Musical satire
Mote Ram ka Satyagrah
Adaptation by Habib Tanveer and Safdar Hashmi.
Music by Sangeeta Gaur
10th March,7pm
Sri Ram Centre, Safdar Hashmi Marg
Mandi House, New Delhi
Tickets Rs. 50 /,100/

Dario Fo’s
Accidental Death of an anarchist
(Operation Three Star)
Adaptation in Hindi -Amitabh Srivastava
Lyrics-Piyush Mishra
11th March ,7pm
India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi
Tickets Rs. 50 /

Mahesh datttani's
30 days in sept.
hindi translation - Smita Nirula
18th March,7 pm
Sri Ram Centre, Safdar Hashmi Marg
Mandi House, New Delhi
Tickets Rs. 50 /,100/
contact-9899650509, 9871166607
All Plays directed by Arvind Gaur

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.
Accidental Death of an anarchist
(Operation Three Star)
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.
30 DAYS IN SEPTEMBER
A play about love and betrayal, 'Thirty Days' treats the sensitive and generally taboo issue of child sexual abuse. 'Thirty Days' endeavors to lift the veil of silence which surrounds child sexual abuse and addresses the issue unflinchingly. it builds on the trauma of Mala who lives with the haunting memories of her abused past. Her abuser - her uncle - subconsciously lives with her all the time, as part of her dirty reflections. He damages her natural growth, deters her from pursuing her love interests beyond the ominous 30-day period and scars her soul every now and then. As Mala withers under the psychological pressure exterted on her by the abuser, her mother watches silently, living her own pain - suffering mutely. Exploring the painful problem, Mahesh dattani Dattani raises valid concerns and structures a world of optimism where the wrongs can stand corrected and resurrection of brutalised faith is possible. But none of this happens without another man’s willingness to help the two women bury their traumatic past and find ways of rejuvenating their present. Deepak , Mala’s boyfriend, becomes the agent of change here. He dares to unmask the evil, even at the cost of his love. He hits the women hard until they hit the rock bottom. Finally, there is no way but to come up - face the wrongs and dare to correct them, notwithstanding the challenges the process of correction entails. By marking a daring departure from norm, the play ensures that we, as a society, no longer take comfort in the routine of uttering word “incest” in gutless undertones. The play also brings us closer to the reality of abused children -pleasure does form a part of their pain, but finally the consequence of dangerous games can only be dangerous. Our only way to fight danger is to recognise it and crush with generous doses of brutality lest we are ready to condemn innocence to lifelong death.