Apart from being honoured as the first Gujarati poet, Adikavi Narsinh Mehta or Narsainyo (circa 15th century?) as popularly referred to was a saint and a great social reformer- a man who treated all his fellow beings as equal and who stood by his belief and convictions. It was this aspect of his life that has added immense drama to his character. His life acquired multiple colors with his unflinching devotion and faith in Lord Krishna and in the popular Vaishnav Cult.
For non-gujaratis his identity is associated with the bhajan- Vaishnava Janto tene kahiye as made famous by Mahatma Gandhi. The bhajan is a simple description of what it means to be a Vaishnav or in simple terms a good human being. The poet's simplicity is his important asset and his other poems that include Ras, devotional songs, ballads and songs about Radha and Krishna reveal his profound spirituality, with a breath taking vision of that benevolent power.
Narsinh Mehta has repeatedly attracted film/television/stage productions since a long time. The latest is Utkarsh Mazumdar's directorial venture JAGINE JOUN TO. The play has been penned by the poet-dramatist Sitanshu Yashashchandra using a rare meter (Chhand) 'Julna'. The music is by Uday Mazumdar. The play opened in November 2007 at the Prithvi festival. Around three or four years back the play NASAINYANO NATH did some seventy-five shows. The script was by poet Suren Thakar 'Mehul'. The play was more about the greatness of Krishna as suggested by the title rather than that of the poet Narsinh Mehta himself. It was his relationship with God and society that brings out his lofty character.
Miracles do form part of a great religious person's life and there are therefore a number of incidents associated with Narsinh Mehta's life too! But his poetry- the vision that emanates from it, his sensitivity, unflinching faith in the future, and belief in the present are qualities that make his work special. The philosophy that emerges from his work is of a high calibre and is comparable with that of Kabir and Meerabai. In fact a play on Narsinh Mehta would be right up director and performer Shekhar Sen's alley. Having successfully performed his one person plays on the lives of Vivekanand, Kabir and Tulsidas I was tempted to ask him why had he not considered doing a play on Narsinh Mehta.
But for the meanwhile you have Utkarsh Mazumdar, an accomplished actor and one of the very few good stage singers remaining to bring to us the life and times of one of India's greatest saints of the bhakti movement. If nothing else JAGINE JOUN TO promises to be a melodious stage experience.
*The writer is a senior theatre and television person who has trained under Ebrahim Alkazi at the National School of Drama (NSD). She has written for publications such as 'The Asian Age' and is a regular contributor to the Prithvi Theatre Newsletter (PT Notes). She also offers theatre training to students at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and is an important critical voice for the Gujarati Theatre.
