Plays to highlight women's rights, man-wife relations

Sparsh Natya Rang is coming up with the fourth edition of its annual theatre festival ‘Hriday Manch’. Starting August 27, the four day festival will see plays Pati Gaye Ree Kathiawar, Mayaram Ki Maya, Gudiya Ghar and ‘Mousaji Jai Hind’ being staged at the Shri Ram Centre.

The festival will open with Pati Gaye Ree Kathiawar, whose story revolves around the relationship of faith and loyaly shared between a husband and wife. In our male dominated society, it is true that the woman is always asked to give the test of life. The play, directed by Ajit Chowdhury and written by Sudhir B. Kulkarni shows the funny side of the truth behind a man and a woman relationship.

On August 28, Basab Bhattacharya directed Gudiya Ghar will be staged. It is one of the finest plays written on the subject of women’s rights and has the distinction of being the most performed play internationally perhaps because it’s as close as one could get to the truth of hypocrisy in accepted gender roles in a marriage, in those times and even today. The play is as relevant today as it was in 1879. In the century and more since, the play and the role of Nora have taken on iconic status. UNESCO’s Memory of the World register calls Nora as ‘a symbol throughout the world, for women fighting for liberation and equality.’

J P Singh’s directed Mayaram Ki Maya will be staged on August 29. The play is based on a folktale, with humans at its centre. Amongst all living beings it is only man who desires to establish an entity parallel to that of God. Call it curiosity or his wiliness, men sometimes seem to be hallooing the existence of God.

The play is presented by Rangbhoomi and is written by Jay vardhan.
The final day of Hriday Manch will see Mousaji Jai Hind being staged. It is directed by Vasant Kashikar and is based on a story of renowned Hindi writer Udai Prakash. The story moves around a person named Mousaji, an old man who has woven an imaginary world around him. He has all the problems of a common poor man but he always talks about his participation in freedom struggle, his friendship with Gandhi Ji, how angrej sahabs were afraid of him in those days and how the chief minister and police chief still respect him. People know him and his reality but still love him for his simplicity and honesty. Mousaji compels us to think about him and his own world. The play ends with Mousaji being compelled to accept the reality of life.

The Hriday Manch will take place from August 27 to August 30 at the Shri Ram Centre Safdar Hashmi Marg, at 7pm.