On the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti ,Old World Culture & Asmita Theatre presents Rajesh Kumar's "Ambedkar AUR Gandhi"
directed by Arvind Gaur
on 9th April 2010
at India Habitat Centre,Lodhi Road,New Delhi.
Actors- Dr. B.R. Ambedkar - Bajrang Bali Singh,M.K.Gandhi - Viren Basoya,Rama Bai- Shilpi Marwaha,Gayakwad -Raj Sharma,Devrao Nayak -Saurabh Pal,Kedarkar- Malay Garg,Devdas Gandhi -Pankaj Raj Yadav,Patel -Shiv Chauhan,Annie Besant -Pooja Pradaan,Malviya -Pankaj Datta,Mahadev Bhai -Tosham Aacharya,Sarojini Naidu -Vrinda Vedi/Disha Arora, Mahar-Saveree Gaur, Kakoli Gaur,Brahmin: Disha Arora,Temple Priest: Rahul Khanna
Chorus - Pankaj Raj Yadav,Shilpi Marwaha,Kakoli Gaur,Saveree Gaur,Himanshu Maggu,Irfan Khan,Shiv Chauhan,Vallari Shrivastva,Vrinda Vedi,Disha Arora,Wreicha Sharma,Shashank Sharma,Rahul Khanna,Devesh Nigam,Palak Bhutani,Suraj Singh,Pankaj Datta,Tanmay Prasad,Shalini Rai,Anish Kumar,Md. Waseem,Arvind Keshari,Tosham Aacharya,Pooja Pradaan,Ketan Kalra,Narender Thakur,Himanshu Katara,Dipesh Mohlay,Manu Chowdhay,Rahul Rai,Manoj Yadav,Sachin Saxena,Nitish,Abhay,Gaurav Mishra,Tarun,Ankit Jain,Pankaj Sandilya,Niraj,Ajay,Amit Kr. Mishra...
Credits-
Poems- Avataar Singh,Paash (पाश ),Shankar Shailendra ,Bhupen Hazarika,Bob Dylan
Music by Dr.Sangeeta Gaur with musicians - Sandy , Anil Mishra & Mohit Sharma
Group Incharge ; Viren Basoya,Production : Raj Sharma and Pankaj Raj Yadav
Asmita Theatre- Celebrating 18th year of theatre movement
Tickets at Rs.200, Rs.150 & Rs.100 available at the Programme desk.
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GANDHI AND AMBEDKAR – REVIEWS
“Ambedkar aur Gandhi” is one of Asmita’s classics…Asmita’s latest presentation, young playwright Rajesh Kumar’s “Ambedkar aur Gandhi” was marked for healthy audience response both for its content and the director Gaur’s overall production design… Never before have I seen such an intelligent post-presentation discussion between the audience and the director. It just goes to show if the theme is relevant and the presentation professionally good, the audience is waiting for it...
The cast does full justice to the playwright and were true to what the director was trying to get out of them.
Bajrang Bali Singh playing Ambedkar was excellent particularly in his last speech after Gandhiji’s death.Viren Basoya’s Gandhi, calm and collected throughout and yet emotional when he says he wants to be reborn as a Harijan. In response, the audience breaks out in a non-stop applause.
Apart from the two lead players, others who stand out are Shilpi Marwah as Rama Bai, Pankaj Raj Yadav as Devdas Gandhi, Malay Garg as Kedarkar, Raj Sharma as Sadanand and Rahul Datta as Sardar Patel.
To lend colour to the presentation, there was, as usual, excellent music by Sangeeta Gaur and some popular songs that brought back old memories.
“Ambedkar aur Gandhi”, to my mind is one of Asmita’s classics and Gaur’s best-directed presentations that must be taken around the Hindi speaking States...
-ROMESH CHANDER, The Hindu (An ongoing dialogue, 21 August, 2009)
http://beta.thehindu.com/arts/theatre/article6277.ece
Gandhi- Ambedkar debate moved, impressed the gathering …play succeeded in arousing the audience…debate received constant applause.
- Rashtriya Sahara
Politics takes centre stage...social political play about the geopolitical and social scenario in the country in 1930’s…reveals the two extreme thinking- Gandhi and Ambedkar …relation between the two despite their differences.
- Hindustan Times (Live correspondent)
Arvind Gaur’s 64th endeavour follows its predecessors- a social and political play… political dialogues on the social concerns of the time… antithetical views and the realisation that Gandhi Ambedkar’s vision was one, but means different — form the fabric of the play…issue of untouchability and the plight of the Dalits is a significant thread expressed in the play……..
- The Hindu (Preview)
Gandhi and Ambedkar attacked caste system…to stop untouchability, terminate caste system- thought expressed lively in the debate between Gandhi and Ambedkar…arguments received constant applause…war of thoughts between Gandhi and Ambedkar stirred the audience…expresses the clash of thoughts…chorus gave the play a new height.
- Dainik Hindustan
रंगमंच पर इतिहास के दो बड़े नायकों को ज्वलंत सामाजिक सवालों पर संवाद करते, समस्याओं से भरे इतिहास के उस जटिल दौर में आगे की राह तलाशते तथा वैचारिक रूप से गुत्थम-गुत्था होते देखना एक नया अनुभव है। ऐसा ही अनुभव राजेश कुमार का नाटक 'अम्बेडकर और गाँधी ' देता है। अस्मिता थियेटर ग्रुप, नई दिल्ली ने इस नाटक का मंचन लखनऊ के संत गाडगे प्रेक्षागृह ( उत्तरप्रदेश प्रदेश संगीत नाटक हैं ) में किया जिसकी परिकल्पना व निर्देशन अरविन्द गौड़ का था।
राजेश कुमार का यह नाटक विचार प्रधान है। इसका सारा ताना-बाना बहस और संवाद पर आधारित है। चूँकि यह बहस आज भी जारी है, इसलिए यह असमाप्त संवाद है। आमतौर पर हिन्दी में संवाद पर आधारित राजनीतिक नाटकों का अभाव रहा है । अरविंद गौड़ के निर्देशन और परिकल्पना की प्रशंसा की जानी चाहिए कि उन्होंने नाटक की प्रमाणिकता की रक्षा करते हुए संवादों पर केन्द्रित इस नाटक में कथा तत्वों, गीत-संगीत व दृश्यों का बेहतर संयोजन प्रस्तुत किया जिसने नाटक को पूरा गतिमय बनाये रखा।
नाटक के दो मुख्य पात्र हैं - अम्बेडकर और गाँधी। पूरा नाटक इनके इर्द-गिर्द चलता है। नाटक में ये दोनों पात्र आज के अम्बेडकर और गाँधी, जो प्रतिमाओं में कैद हैं, से अलग हैं . न महात्मा ये हैं और न मसीहा बल्कि मनुष्य हैं जिनमें खूबियां हैं तो मानवीय दुर्बलताएं भी हैं। लेकिन आज की पीढी इन्हे ' महात्मा ' और ' मसीहा ' के रूप में ही ज्यादा जानती है क्योंकि इनका परिचय बहुत-कुछ इसी रूप में कराया गया है। यहाँ पूजा भाव अधिक है। नाटक इस इमेज को तोड़ता है और नई पीढ़ी के अन्दर इतिहास को फिर से जानने-समझने की उत्सुकता पैदा करता है। इस नाटक में अवतार सिंह पाश की कविता ‘हम लड़ेंगे साथी’, ‘सबसे खतरनाक होता है सपनों का मर जाना’, शंकर शैलेन्द्र, भूपेन हजारिका व बाॅब दायलान के गीतों का बहुत सुन्दर इस्तेमाल हुआ है। दो दर्जन से अधिक कलाकार जब इन कविताओं और गीतों के साथ कोरस प्रस्तुत करते हैं तो इतिहास और अतीत का संघर्ष दर्शकों के सामने सजीव हो उठता है। गाँधी की भूमिका में वीरेन बसाया, अम्बेडकर के रूप में बजरंग बली सिंह, रमा बाई की भूमिका में शिल्पी मारवाह के साथ करीब तीस से अधिक कलाकारों से सजे इस नाटक की संगीत रचना डा0 संगीता गौड़ ने की। - कौशल किशोर, जन संस्कृति मंच, लखनऊ की पत्रिका
http://jasamlucknow.blogspot.com/2009/12/blog-post.html
Fight between the thoughts expressed brilliantly in the play…Gandhi and Ambedkar an unforgettable experience…expressed the conflicting thoughts of two political stalwarts with similar aim…
- Amar Ujaala
This religion cannot be reformed but only be rejected,” exclaims Ambedkar and declares his decision to change his religion from Hinduism, while Gandhi believes “Untouchability can be erased without disturbing the caste system.” Gandhi and his followers ask Ambedkar why changing of religion was important to him and in response Ambdekar asks Gandhi and Gandhians, why Swaraj is important to them. While Gandhi says “I will not let every village in this country be divided between touchables and untouchables,” Ambedkar cries out saying “I have no country.”- It is this kind of difference of opinions and thoughts in addressing and fighting the problems of history which takes the centre-stage in Aravind Gaur’s play AMBEDKAR AUR GANDHI, written by Rajesh Kumar.
With references made to the Poona pact, Kala Ram temple entry satyagraha, round table conference and Communal award the play unfolds the limitation of Gandhi in addressing the problem of untouchability and also his failure in attacking the root of the problem. The play also voices out the dissatisfaction in Ambedkar about the efforts put by Gandhi for the removal of untouchability. The dialogue by Ambedkar saying, “Why doesn’t Gandhi fast unto death for the cause of removal of untocuhability?” summarizes the dissatisfaction and also the dialogue saying, “Efforts of Congress to address the problem of untocuhability is like getting a new dress stitched during the festive season, every year.”
-B.A. Samvartha ('Sahil'), Research Scholar,Theater and Performance Studies, School of Arts and Aesthetics,JNU
http://crazymindseye.wordpress.com/2009/09/04/ambedkar-aur-gandhi/
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