In a theatre environment which does not allow artistes to dwell extensively on their creative projects, playwright-director Sushama Deshpande deserves kudos for her well-researched and newly-launched play SANGEET BAAYA DAAR UGADH, which is based on the writings of eight women saints from the 13th to the 18th century. It is a play that she, along with the late Chetan Datar, had been meaning to mount for a very long time, and for which both had devoted several hours, including a pilgrimage (vaari) to Pandharpur to get hands-on experience of the collective faith and personal devotion that help people to achieve a direct connection with the idea of God.
The play focuses on the eight women saints -- Muktabai, Soyrabai, Bahinabai, Nagi, Kanhopatra, Godabai, Vithabai, Janabai - whose devotion to Lord Viththal not only became a source of relief from their mundane lives, but it led them to take on the contemporary society in pursuit of women's rights. Their writings underscore their courage and radical thinking which, even in today's context, proves path breaking and inspirational. Deshpande has skillfully woven their historic rhymes in a span of two hours, thereby showcasing the commendable literary and social value attached to their abhangs. It is indeed eye-opening to hear the Dalit Soyrabai question the untouchable status of a menstruating woman; the 18th century Vithabai is also equally ahead of her times when she tells her husband how only her body can be won over but not her soul.
It is indeed an experience to revisit some of the ground-breaking views advocated by the women saints for their time. SANGEET BAAYA DAAR UGADH scores on that count. But it fails in some aspects that are easily avoidable. Deshpande has accommodated a lot and therefore the play becomes indigestible after a point. The first half is too long and one can actually sense a well-meaning Deshpande's urge to retain much more than what the audience can consume.
However, the stretched length and the heavy mass of the script is not the only problem. There are three other characters in the play- a journalist, an anthropology-sociology student (who carries a notebook with her throughout the play), and another laptop wielding America-born Indian youngster. The trio asks questions to the four women protagonists who take turns to play the eight saints. The idea is to ask layman's questions which prod the narrative to progress from one saint to another. As the play progresses, the questions (What is Viththal? Can I become like him? Did he actually work for Janabai? Can I meet him ever? What is Bhakti?) become increasingly irritating and not emblematic of the real questions that 'uninitiated' people ask. Resultantly, the play's structure is hindered.
BAYAA... also suffers from hyperactive movements. In the bid to appreciate what Lord Viththal stands for, the production becomes too vigorous. A pilgrimage to Pandharpur is about collective fun, socializing and phugdis and other folk expressions. But there is a certain place for the inner search for Viththal. That search presupposes a quiet, an inner peace, a purposeful journey that ordinary men and women (including the saint women) have undertaken since time immemorial. This `quietude' cannot be traced in Deshpande's script. Her scenario is too brisk and inundated with a series of folk dances.
Despite these flaws, BAYAA.. effectively conveys the medium called `Viththal' and how it helped in the exploration of womanhood many centuries ago. It is a welcome addition to the Marathi experimental theatre. Live music and dance make it even more special. Cheers to Awishkar for producing yet another brilliant work of art.
*Sumedha Raikar Mhatre is a Media Assistant with the Public affairs Section of the American Centre, Mumbai. A keen observer of theatre and other Performing Arts, she is a freelance writer and a journalism teacher at the Xavier's Institute of Communications (XIC). She also writes a fortnightly column on Marathi theatre trends for Time Out Mumbai.
