GHUMAYEE (Dogri)
August 26, 2005.
Time: 2:30 pm.
Duration: 2 hrs with Interval.
Based on a traditional folk legend.
Adaptation, Design & Direction: Balwant Thakur.
Cast: Suresh Kumar, Anil Tickoo, Neeraj Kant & others.

The play gets its title and its basic theme from ghumayee, a popular singing practice among the Dogras. Such songs are sung by the bride at the time of her bidayee- when she leaves her parents' home at the time of her marriage. Such songs, otherwise known as bidayee geet are familiar to almost all cross-sections of the Indian society. The play opens with a typical bidayee scene. It then goes on to present an unusual situation in which the bride ultimately leaves her newly wed husband, declares herself to be a widow and sings a ghumayee that poignantly underscores the significance of a human relationship. A relationship that recognizes not even the boundaries of the formal marriage ceremony.


3, SAKINA MANZIL (English)
August 26, 2006.
Time: 7:30 pm.
Duration: 1 hr. 45 mins with Interval.
Writer: Ramu Ramanathan.
Director: Jaimini Pathak.
Cast: Suruchi Aulakh & Jaimini Pathak.

The subject and action of this play has been derived from an actual incident that shook Bombay many decades ago�Probably many people remember 14th April as the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic; but not many (especially of the younger generation) would link the date to that traumatic event that devastated Bombay on that fateful April 14th, 71 years ago. On that day, nearly 3000 people lost their lives in Bombay, not to mention the other extreme damage caused to personal belongings and property. The year was 1944 and India's struggle for Independence was in its final and tumultuous phase. The world was being ravaged by a bloody war and all of India was on tenterhooks in anticipation of an attack from a belligerent Japan. Then on 14th April 1944, out of the blue and without any warning, a huge explosion ripped through the Bombay harbour! Luckily enough, it was not the feared Japanese invasion. The British ship S.S. Fort Stikine had suddenly blown up due to the hundreds of tones of explosives illegally in its hold, raining upon the city a deadly assortment of missiles. Amidst all this violent chaos, in an old apartment building near the burning docks, a gentle love story unfolded- in 3, Sakina Manzil. This is clearly elevated docudrama with a fine touch of romance and nostalgia.


CHANDRAHAS (Hindi)
August 27, 2005.
Time: 2:30 pm.
Duration: 2 hrs. 20 mins with Interval.
Writer/Director: Laique Hussain.
Cast: Teelaram Gameti (Kirtikar no. 1), Gangaram Gameti (Kirtikar no. 2), Rajni Sharma (Vidhata Devi), Udai Ram Gameti (Bhopa) & others.

Based on a popular Mewari folk tale and presented in an authentic Gawari style-dialect, CHANDRAHAS is about a child who is destined to become king. The play traces the fortunes of this child who survives well despite all odds and indeed becomes king not of one state but two states! Chandrahas, the destined child defies the oracle of God as he grows up but is saved each time because of his good deeds. The play's dramatic format, which is based on the rare art form of Gawari, enlivens the story and makes it special.


KASHMAKASH (Hindi)
August 27, 2005.
Time: 7:30 pm.
Duration: 2 hrs with Interval.
Translated and adapted from the original Bengali play by Debasish Majumdar.
Director: Ramesh Talwar.
Cast: Anjan Shrivastava (Twishampati), Sulabha Arya (Niharbala), Avtar Gill (Chandrakant) & others.

Unable to cope with the penury of his existence, the protagonist of the play is forced by local politicians to transform himself into the freedom fighter he never was. Gradually as he gets used to living this lie, the man realizes that he has taken on more than he bargained for and that the people in power are misusing him for their own devious purpose. Now the question arises: Will he ever be able to break free? The utter hollowness and hypocrisy of our contemporary politics, which demeans life itself and makes light of our nation's struggle for freedom form the backdrop to this play.