Haryana artistes perform to near-empty auditorium
Saptak Cultural Society stages political satire 'Gadhe ki Baraat'
Shillong, Feb 17: The minimum temperature forecast in the city on Thursday was 5°C. By seven in the evening, the cold air felt uncomfortable. But more discomforting was the cold welcome that a group of talented theatre artistes from Haryana received in the city.
Members of Saptak Cultural Society, founded by Vishwa Deepak Trikha, of Rohtak staged their most acclaimed play, Gadhe ki Baraat (A donkey’s wedding procession), at Assam Club in Laban on Thursday. The humble auditorium was near-empty and there was no fancy flex outside the club to grab the attention of passers-by.
However, the tepid response was anything but discouraging for the actors who performed with energy and grace.
“This would be our 318th performance of the play,” said 69-year-old Trikha before the play started at 7.30pm.
Trikha introduced other members of the troupe to this reporter and expressed disappointment at the empty seats. But like a seasoned actor, he regained his poise in no time and said, “So what if no one comes? You came, so we will perform for you.”
Gadhe ki Baraat, a political satire, was originally written in Marathi by Hari Bhai Wadgaonkar and was translated in Hindi by Rajendra Mehra. The play mocks the corrupt system and questions the relevance of those in power. It also shows how the gullible poor become pawns in the hands of the rich and the powerful.
Kallu, played by Avinash Saini, is a common man who is not afraid of questioning gods in heaven and demigods on Earth. He is illiterate but not unaware of the unscrupulous political system. He taunts the king and his minister, played by Trikha and Surendra Sharma, respectively, without apprehension.
Kallu finds a lost donkey (played by Vikas Rohilla) and brings it home without knowing that the animal is a god and has been cursed by Indra, the king of Heaven. Both Kallu and his wife, played by Sujata Rohilla, take care of the donkey.
One day, the king announces that his daughter will marry a person who can build a bridge from the destitute colony to the palace. The donkey assures Kallu that he can build the bridge and convinces the poor man to go to the king and propose marriage. At the end, Kallu and his wife become victims of deception.
As the actors kept the handful of audience entertained, Subhash Nagara kept up the pace of the play with his music. Pavni Rohilla and Mehek Kathuria were the youngest among the artistes.
The play was in association with National School of Drama and was supported by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Before Shillong, Saptak members travelled to four places in Assam.
By the time the play ended, the temperature had dipped further. But Trikha and his troupe compensated the cold welcome with warmth and love as they invited all the members in the audience on stage. “We are prepared for a lukewarm response,” the actors had told Meghalaya Monitor before the play started.
“But at the end, we are not at all disappointed. The 10 people who came to watch us perform enjoyed the play and that is enough for an artiste,” Trikha said after a photo session with the audience.
