Lalit Gupta
JAMMU, Apr 19: Dashroopak Kala Sanskrit Sewa Samiti, Varanasi, presented two Hindi plays, the modern Classic ‘Andha Yug’ and solo show ‘Avaroodh’, as part of the ongoing Theatre carnival organized by Natraj Kala Kunj, at the Abhinav Theatre, here today.
One of the significant plays of modern India, Dharmavir Bharti’s ‘Andha Yug’, which was presented as the main fair by Dashroopak Kala Sanskrit Sewa Samiti, Varanasi, was directed by Sumit Srivastava. Andha Yug, which begins on the evening of the eighteenth day of the war and ends with the death of Lord Krishna, is essentially a play about morality: it questions whether we are accountable for our moral choices; whether the quality of our actions can transcend the time, place, and circumstances of our existence; and whether we can be more than agents of destiny.
Today’s performance with a cast of more than 14 young actors, came out as a stylized production striking for the choreographed movements, groupings, of the ‘chorus’ as well as sequences of actors enacting characters like Gandhari, Dhrtirashtra, Vidur, Sanjay, Asvathama, Lord Krishna, Kripacharya, Guardians, and Kalyug. Staged without any set whatsoever, today’s production marked by intelligent light design, thoughtful props, and appropriate background music was appreciated by the audience.
Earlier, Yashveer Choudhary’s solo play ‘Avaroodh’, written by Pratima Singh and directed by Sumit Srivastava, came out as a thought provoking long soliloquy. Raising questions about our so called social upbringing, the making of our ‘cultural’ self, the play views the entire social set as nothing but a disruption of our natural flow, inborn desires, aspirations and instincts. The young actor kept the audience engrossed in more than one hour performance in which he exhibited great control of speech, pitch, tone, and a wide range of emotions. Eminent theatrist Deepak Kumar congratulated the talented young actor for his performance.
The chief guest Dilbagh Singh, DG, Prison, along with Balwant Thakur, appreciated the efforts of Natraj Kala Kunj in organizing the Theatre Carnival.
Tomorrow, Natrang’s Dogri play Ghumayee will conclude the Theatre carnival.