Bharat Rang Mahotsav: Did Darwin really say ‘Survival of the fittest? A play about life and work

It will be a solo performance delivered by Vidyanidhee Vanarase, who is also the director. “My wife and I were having a chat and through everything she told, I realised what I was taught in my childhood wasn’t accurate. I got intrigued and suggested that she write a play about this”, said Vidyanidhee.

With her background in ecology, Mrinalinee considers the law of evolution the backbone of the discipline. “People think the law of evolution is important to understand the evolution of other species, but not human beings, but we are also governed by the same law. So we need to understand the effect it has on our life. So I decided to give words to it”.

The first performance of the 75 minute play came about in 2021. Since then it has travelled to numerous countries like Poland, Romania, Netherlands and was recently performed at the Kala Ghoda art festival in Mumbai.

Talking about the misconceptions, Mrinalinee said, “Darwin’s survival of the fittest is considered his statement. But he didn’t originally come up with it. He proposed the theory of natural selection. The term survival of the fittest was a later addition and the credit for it goes to philosopher Herbert Spencer and Thomas Malthus. Survival of the fittest was misinterpreted for unsavoury movements like eugenics or ‘superior race’ in the last century. He also did not say that humans have evolved from monkeys. The truth is primates and humans share the same ancestor in the tree of life”, she said.

Props play an important role in bringing to life Darwin’s voyage on the HMS beagle, the ship on which he travelled across the globe while noting his learnings. Mrinalinee said, “Smita Taware, a friend, put in a lot of effort to get props like a compass, old diaries and books and other things from that era. Props along with the lighting and music help bring out the soul of that era. They are just as important as the character here”.

Talking about the challenges of writing the play Mrinalinee said, “Darwin’s story is well-known, he is a historical figure, ‘The Origin of Species’, is still sold in millions. There is so much literature and content about him already. My effort was to make it relevant to the audience around me and talk about why and how Darwin’s work is important in today’s age”.