TUNNI KI KAHANI, a new play written and directed by actor and director Gopal Tiwari for Purva Naresh's Aarambh Productions, brings fantasy, song, dance and flashes of pure whimsy on stage. To this it also adds jaunty humour, not usually seen in Hindi theatre, making it a complete and delightful piece of theatre for children.
Unlike plays for adults where the withholding of a message is a virtue, TUNNI KI KAHANI comes packed with messages and issues. The inclusion of overt themes like celebration of diversity or the need to address environmental damage is done with finesse. Therefore nothing sounds instructional or that dreaded word, "educational", although in a very real sense it is so. The buoyant good spirits, the trippy alliterative Hindi poems and songs played to a full house at Prithvi last week, proving, if proof was needed, that intelligent entertainment works.
A large part of its success is down to the writing and the performances. Trisha Kale who is fast establishing herself as one of our most exciting actresses today hops on to the stage as an old woman at the start of the play. She tells us of her adventures as 12 year old Tunni years ago. Despite the quavering voice, even in her brief role we recognise her as one of those old women who go through life never quite losing the quality of the child she once was.
Years ago, Tunni's trip much like Alice's tumble down the rabbit hole, led her to discover a sharply divided world where identity and otherness is decided on the basis of allegiance to one of the three colours, red, green and blue in kingdoms named after them. The monarchs and citizens of these places are unable to see beyond their own colours and regard the others as bitter enemies.
Tunni first comes across the kingdom of Lal Desh whose slogan is 'Lal Raho, khushaal raho' (Be red, stay happy). She is stopped at the gates by two guards in red. Here is a stanza from the song composed for this region.
Laal laal laal laal, laal laal laal jahaan laal tein mei padhtey hain bachchey maa kahti hai so ja laal yahaan laal hai kapdey, laal hai tikay logon ke hain gaal laal aur raja bhi hai laalam laal laal laal laal, laal laal laal
Common sense, the ability to make friends and to look at the bright side of things stand Tunni in good stead as she gets past all kinds of hurdles, even making friends with the princess Lalli and taking her along to the next part of her adventure in the Green and Blue kingdoms. The green kingdom is called Harararbad, and the king is called Harana Pratap. The Blue kingdom is called Neelagadh and the king, a slightly remote character is called Neelaluiah.
Here too the girls are stopped by two guards who go through the same set of questions and repartee with the children. This serves to build the loops so necessary for children to fasten on to the storytelling experience. In times of crisis Tunni recalls the wise words of her grandfather, played by Gopal Tiwari who immediately flashes past on stage staying only long enough to utter a particularly timely adage. At one point when Tunni is dejected by the stubborn negativity she meets in the kingdoms he zips past with this message:
chaltey raho chaltey raho ruko nahi thako nahi chalney se hi kaam chalega rukney se ruk jayega naye raastey nayi manzilein thak kar kaisey payega...toh chaltey raho raho raho
At another time he says, 'jo log apney se chotey aur kamzor logon ko daratey hain woh darpok hotey hain.'
During their adventures the two girls also meet a great lumbering tree played by Shubrajyoti Barat who modulates his baritone to suit an old man's gravelly voice and confused state of mind. But the great villain in the piece is Ms Smokey (Sarika Singh) who stands for the forces of pollution and destruction. Ms Smokey and her two assistants put up an animated dance to Michael Jackson's track I'm Bad. Dressed in black and grey with plastic bags full of rubbish stitched onto her skirt, Ms Smokey looks as seductive as she is repulsive. Her feisty appeal allows children to come to their own positions on environment and pollution - a theme that is too often blandly encouraged without regard for the ambiguities that make it such an urgent and difficult question of our times.
Here is Ms Smokey's song:
I'm the queen of pollution Hindi mei pradooshan Mera nahi koi solution Your wastage your garbage Makes me GLAAAD, im bad, im bad, im really really bad
Faced with a threat from Ms Smokey, the three kingdoms learn to bury their differences, live with each other and take on the far greater threat that can devour them all.
*Devina Dutt is a Mumbai based arts writer who writes regularly for The Hindu.
