An age-old tale

Sandeep Kulkarni and Loveleen Mishra, playing Yayati and Sharmishtha, set out in search of a quot;hot mealquot; in the vicinity of the Karnataka Sangh Matunga, while the others, including the director Shanta Gokhale, settle down to an assortment of vegetable sandwiches. It is a rather difficult assignment for the team which started initial readings of Yayati in early November. With just a few days left for the performance of the English version of the original Kannada play written by Girish Karnad, the anxiety experienced by the artistes is palpable.

It is further compounded by the fact thatrehearsal space is not available. The team moves from the Dadar-Matunga Cultural Centre to the Karnataka Sangh to the terrace of Shanta Gokhale8217;s residence.

It was music critic P G Burde who first approached Shanta Gokhale with the proposal to direct Yayati for the ongoing Girish Karnad Natakotsav. The week-long multi-lingual Natakotsav has been organised as a tribute to the Jnanpeeth award-winning playwright. Interestingly, Yayati is the first play written by Karnad when he was a 21 year old and was about to leave for England on the Rhodes scholarship, in 1962. To quote Karnad from one of his essays, quot;Going abroad was a much rarer experience in those days. Besides, I was the first member of a large close-knit family ever to go abroad. I wrote Yayati while preparing for the trip. The myth helped me to articulate my resentment at all those who seemed to demand sacrifice of my future.quot;

Writer-journalist Shanta Gokhale was more attracted to Yayati, a relatively less-exploited script as against Tughlaq orNagamandal, for two reasons. First, the crucial place it occupies in playwright Karnad8217;s life. Second, the status it enjoys in the Kannada literary circles. Yayati is hailed as the first modern play in the history of Kannada theatre. quot;I liked the way Karnad has re-told and altered a myth to elaborate on his predicament. I thought it was worth doing the play since every character offered a challenge,quot; she says.

While Indian mythology forms the backbone of the play, Karnad8217;s modifications lend a special touch to the known story. The action takes place on a day in King Yayati8217;s life. His son Puru Paresh Mokashi is expected to arrive at the palace. Queen Devyani Manisha Korde has asked two maids Swarnalata Rajashree Tope and Sharmishtha Loveleen Mishra to deck up his chamber. A quarrel ensues between the duo and leads to the unravelling of the old friendship of Devyani and Sharmishtha. These developments culminate in the union of Sharmishtha and Yayati. Soon the King is cursed to an untimely old age.Of course, there is a counter curse that he will become young if he finds somebody to take away the old age. Yayati does not find anyone willing to make this exchange. Toward the end, son Puru accepts the exchange and the curse. As the son becomes older than his father, a complex relationship develops. The king is left to face the consequences of shirking responsibility. quot;Karnad has deftly explored various strands of the father-son relationship. Despite the mythological dramatic structure, I can easily relate to the Yayati-Puru entanglement. The playwright, who is questioning his past, has explored his insecurities through a classical plot,quot; says Kulkarni.

For actress Loveleen Mishra, the English production of Yayati presents many challenges. First, the use of the English language to articulate an Indian classic is not easy. Then, the artistes come from varied theatre backgrounds and schools. And last, all the artistes are full-time professionals either in television or commercial theatre. quot;We had toassimilate different kinds of people and processes in this project. I hope we get the desired effect.quot;

At Mysore Association Auditorium, Matunga W. On Dec 4. Time: 6.30 pm.