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Journalism of Courage
SEATED in a Barista outlet, we discuss a play on Gandhian ideals. Ironic? Not really. For, almost a year after its premiere, Mahadevbhai 1892-1942 is finally reaching its intended audience: the young and uninitiated.
Written and directed by Ramu Ramanathan, the one-man play brings alive the diaries of Gandhi8217;s secretary, Mahadev Desai, along with personal letters, public speeches and witty exchanges with leaders like Jinnah, Ambedkar and Sardar Patel. Actor-producer Jaimini Pathak effortlessly slips through time and characters: historical figures apart, there8217;s the earnest actor-narrator, his 8216;awesomely cool8217; MBA brother, Gandhian grandfather and 8216;English-medium8217; teacher. And be it Gandhi8217;s near-prophetic 1917 speech in Godhra or the grandfather8217;s comparison of the Rowlatt Act to POTA, present-day resonances are subtle, yet disturbing.
A rich musical dialogue of Krishna bhajans, Tagore poems and Gandhi8217;s favourite songs weaves through the play. And while the humourous repartee highlights the Mahatma8217;s human side, the warm Gujarati exchanges emphasise his connection with the ravaged state. 8220;The concept of Gandhism8212;simple living, self-reliance, grass-roots service8212;is hard to accept today,8221; says Ramanathan, waving a hand around the coffee joint, 8220;But we8217;ve forgotten his legacy.8221; On cue, Pathak strikes a performance pose and rattles off: 8220;Abolishing untouchability, khadi, abstinence from alcohol/opium, Hindu-Muslim unity and women8217;s equality.8221; But sobering up, he clarifies, 8220;He8217;s been systematically discredited. Lines from speeches are taken out of context and misused. But what about his stance against violence?8221;
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COMING UP
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| nbsp; | 8226; Student shows are planned in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Ajmer, Chennai, Bangalore, Mysore and Coorg 8226; An eight-city US tour will follow early next year 8226; Hindi and Gujarati translations are underway 8226; Gujarati shows will include Surat to a group of 25,000 Adivasis and Wardha 8226; January 18212;Mahadevbhai8217;s birthday8212;sees a staging at Sabarmati Ashram |
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The one-man presentation ensures the form isn8217;t distracting. 8220;I didn8217;t concentrate on character-specific accents or body language, but on personal growth8212;as a parallel to young Mahadevbhai8217;s and the narrator8217;s,8221; adds the actor, who read voraciously on Gandhi and even travelled through Gujarat.
They8217;ve completed about 35 shows in 10 months8212;including theatre fests at Prithvi and Nehru Centre Mumbai, India Habitat Centre and Sangeet Natak Akademi Delhi and Other Festival Chennai. And responses have been intense, if varied. One viewer declared quoting a line from the play that gothra no longer mattered; another asked if Mahadevbhai was fictitious, like Forrest Gump! But validation came from his son, Narayanbhai, who runs a Gandhian ashram in Verchi, Gujarat: 8220;It has no myth and no mithya. No legend-making and no lies.8221;
Yet the duo feels pro-Gandhi audiences are moved by the icon, rather than the modern-day relevance. After all, the play was aimed at hostile or indifferent viewers. So they8217;re enthused by the recent Gandhi Jayanti stagings for students, hosted by Sarvodaya Trust. 8220;Youngsters have a 8216;received8217; cynicism. Their lack of political awareness is despairing,8221; rues Pathak. 8220;They find it easier to conform. There8217;s no ideology of opposition,8221; agrees the playwright, who often consulted with collegians to ensure the script didn8217;t turn pedantic. As Ramanathan hopes, 8220;Ideas are not tangible things. It may trigger off a process anytime, anywhere.8221;
