Play: Gandhi Bandha (ಗಾಂಧಿ ಬಂದ)
Language: Kannada
Duration: ~90 minutes
Genre: Drama
Rating: Must watch.
Troup: Ranga Mantapa
PW: Dr H.Nagaveni
Director: Smt Champa Shetty.
Language: Kannada
Duration: ~90 minutes
Genre: Drama
Rating: Must watch.
Troup: Ranga Mantapa
PW: Dr H.Nagaveni
Director: Smt Champa Shetty.
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| Dr H.Nagaveni |
Gandhi bandha is a book by Dr H.Nagaveni that narrates the social situation in 1920-1939 when Mahatma Gandhi's movement on untoucability was at its peak. The massively researched novel is about the social customs between the villages of Kulai and Hosabettu in the coastal town of Mangalore.
The novel was published about 18 years back. The novel revolves around many delicate and orthodox (read dogmatic) interactions between many castes in the the village of pre- independent India.
The novel received considerable flak from the caste groups particularly the Vishwakarma (Gold smiths) community when the novel was introduced as a text book in the Mangalore university few years back.
An abridged and shortened version of the novel is made into a brilliant play by the Ranga Mantapa troupe. I was lucky to see the brilliant performance yesterday at Rangashankara.
I must have watched many many plays in many theaters in Bangalore. I have seen people giving standing ovations (Mostly to comic plays). But nothing like the one for "Gandhi Bandha". It was an intense play with a few comical anecdotes. Every one in the theater stood up for the brilliant play and brilliant direction (By Champa Shetty).
It is a play set in coastal karanataka in the backdrop of the Mahatma's salt sathyagraha, about a powerful brahmin family's young widowed daughter. The interaction of the family with the members of the village and the delicate social message from the 'unseen' Gandhi makes a powerful script. The awesome performance called for a standing applause.
An abridged and shortened version of the novel is made into a brilliant play by the Ranga Mantapa troupe. I was lucky to see the brilliant performance yesterday at Rangashankara.
I must have watched many many plays in many theaters in Bangalore. I have seen people giving standing ovations (Mostly to comic plays). But nothing like the one for "Gandhi Bandha". It was an intense play with a few comical anecdotes. Every one in the theater stood up for the brilliant play and brilliant direction (By Champa Shetty).
It is a play set in coastal karanataka in the backdrop of the Mahatma's salt sathyagraha, about a powerful brahmin family's young widowed daughter. The interaction of the family with the members of the village and the delicate social message from the 'unseen' Gandhi makes a powerful script. The awesome performance called for a standing applause.
The main protagonist of the play is Draupadi, a young widowed daughter of a powerful orthodox brahmin, Hebbar. Drawing wisdom from shastras ,scriptures and Hindu customs, the Hebbars will be treating Draupadi with utter ridicule. Reduced to hopelessness, Draupadi will be leading a disgustingly restricted life.
Soon she meets Adrama, a muslim bullock cart driver from the same village. Both fall intensely in love with each other. But they fear social reactions. Hebbars dogmatic beliefs reduces Draupadi to further haplessness and ridicule. But the couple decide to bite the bullet drawing courage and wisdom from Mahatma's teachings.
Thanks to Gandhi's influence which will be creating waves in the socio-religious fabric of India, barring the Hebbars and the Muslim clergy, the village by and large accepts the marriage between Adrama and Draupadi. But Draupadi's happy days will be short lived. She will lose her husband at the peak of the civil disobedience movement in a police lathi charge . She will be expecting at the time of her husband's death.
Still unseen, Gandhi's influence would have gripped the village. Villagemen and women will rally behind Draupadi. Having lived most of her teens as an outcast and with a second marriage with a muslim short lived, Daraupadi still finds sympathy and courage in the village. She continues her stay in the village with her son both actively taking part in Ghandi's freedom and socio-religious struggle.
The best part of the script and direction is that the figure of Gandhi will never appear directly. Gandhi's presence is shown in the behaviour and decisions of the people of the village. Gandhi's critics are soon brought into the page by his followers; again by the latter's behaviour via-a-vis Draupadi.
Champa shetty brings in the local customs and ceremonies of coastal tulu speaking Karnataka into the narrative ;Kampala and Bhoothakola to depict the milieu and the interaction of the social classes during these ceremonies.
The play very vividly depicts the socio-cultural setting of a typical hierarchical society. The play has many other characters like the Hebbar's servants, the Bhoota, the village merchant, the drum players and so on. The nuances of the strong orthodox brahmin's attitude towards his villagemen (and woman) is very sensitively depicted. The dogmatic socio-religious customs is very critically put forth. The marriage woe between a Hindu and a Muslim moves the audience beyond words.
It is a must watch for anyone interested in theater, art, history, sociology or just pure entertainment.
Soon she meets Adrama, a muslim bullock cart driver from the same village. Both fall intensely in love with each other. But they fear social reactions. Hebbars dogmatic beliefs reduces Draupadi to further haplessness and ridicule. But the couple decide to bite the bullet drawing courage and wisdom from Mahatma's teachings.
Still unseen, Gandhi's influence would have gripped the village. Villagemen and women will rally behind Draupadi. Having lived most of her teens as an outcast and with a second marriage with a muslim short lived, Daraupadi still finds sympathy and courage in the village. She continues her stay in the village with her son both actively taking part in Ghandi's freedom and socio-religious struggle.
The best part of the script and direction is that the figure of Gandhi will never appear directly. Gandhi's presence is shown in the behaviour and decisions of the people of the village. Gandhi's critics are soon brought into the page by his followers; again by the latter's behaviour via-a-vis Draupadi.
Champa shetty brings in the local customs and ceremonies of coastal tulu speaking Karnataka into the narrative ;Kampala and Bhoothakola to depict the milieu and the interaction of the social classes during these ceremonies.
The play very vividly depicts the socio-cultural setting of a typical hierarchical society. The play has many other characters like the Hebbar's servants, the Bhoota, the village merchant, the drum players and so on. The nuances of the strong orthodox brahmin's attitude towards his villagemen (and woman) is very sensitively depicted. The dogmatic socio-religious customs is very critically put forth. The marriage woe between a Hindu and a Muslim moves the audience beyond words.
It is a must watch for anyone interested in theater, art, history, sociology or just pure entertainment.
Hi mam i am very upset to know what you have written about vishwakarma people. As the britishers have classified as upper bramhins. If you want the documents go to chitoor and collect it mam. How come then you have written like this is this a plan to make our caste from high caste to low caste. If you want to know we are bramhins mam go and read vedas and puranas and come to some justification. What the people who had no idea of veda and puranas and who even didnt know sanskrit are any idea and you have written without analysing any facts. Is this book some type of plan to make vishwakarma caste people from bramhins to low caste. I didnt even know mam the authors will write anything without analysing the facts.
ReplyDeleteJust today I finished reading Gandhi Bandha a brilliant well researched novel. I was over joyed while reading about Marriage of Droupadi to Adrama. But unfortunately it was short lived. The Author(?) through British police killed him bringing her life back to widowhood. But the kind society saw that her future was secured. If the opportunity comes I like to watch the play. I wish some one adopts it for a TV serial or Movie.
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