Written and Directed : Cast : Akshay Shimip, Neha Kulkarni
DASTAN E RAMJEE Review
At the silver jubilee opener of Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, this duo's performance drew in a house-full of theatre enthusiasts and curious visitors. Everyone had many questions, was it a retelling of Ramayan or just a folk tale. At the outset, when the two narrators appeared on stage, comfortably seated on a 'gaadi' or mattress, dressed in sufiana white attires and the 'vaishnav tikka' marking their foreheads, the audience knew that a fusion of sorts was afoot.
Akshay Shimpi quickly spoke about the Persian genesis of 'dastaangoi' or story-telling, further elaborating how the tradition that vanished in the 19th century has been revived and popularized. What started as Urdu/Hindustani narration has now found many takers in regional languages as well " Marathi, Kannada and Bengali. This format has two narrators, weaving in music, poems, philosophy in the stories they narrate in tandem.
The setting of this story is an inundated village, awash with torrents of rain and burgeoning river that has wreaked havoc. It has swept away crops, property along with Ramji's son! Yhey create an atmospheric 'satsang' in a makeshift hall of the grocer Santu's shop. Santu is routinely reading 'Dnyaneshwari' and the listeners are nodding away in agreement without really getting the deep philosophical references made by the saint. The halfhearted listeners are really waiting for another regular of the meeting " Ramji who is grief stricken by the loss of his son to the floods.
Parallel to this is the story of Shiva Nemane's cow about to deliver; in addition to incessant rains, the cow is unable to push her calf. The only person who can salvage the situation is Ramji, he's the local expert.
As we await the birth of the calf amid much death and tragedy around, bereaved Ramji pushes his grief aside and rolls up his sleeves! The narrators hold the fort till the end, involving the onlookers, holding them on tenterhooks " will the cow be able to birth her calf safely or will the dance of death continue?
Writer Mokashi's simple, heart rending rustic tale resonates with the audience, absolutely brilliant narration by Neha and Akshay " they keep the urbane viewers riveted, watching with teary eyes, hands clasped in prayer with heart-in-your mouth anticipation. The tinkling of their cymbals adds to the proceedings. Theatrics, emotions, singing abhangs and conjuring up the entire village scenario from their 'gaadi'! Please bring on more dastaans of love, longing and kindness " the balm that the humanity subsists on!
Bravo! A befitting start to the silver year of KGAF.
Deepa Karmalkar (A senior journalist, feature writer and reviewer who is now an enthusiastic yoga trainer.)
