Indian society has come a long way from traditional concepts of social and personal responsibilities and boundaries. But there is lot remaining to achieve. These days we hear a lot about the ideas related to senior citizens like 'second Inning' of elders or 'live-Ins' of seniors, etc. Such changes seem inevitable in the era where a lot of seniors are bound to live on their own as their children are settled somewhere far in the quest of development and better standard of living.
Still, many seniors are struggling to cope up with this situation. Some of them have adopted the concept of a second inning which mainly comprises living for oneself by pursuing hobbies or fulfilling uncompleted wishes, etc. Is it enough though? Also, many more are merely observing these experiments. They are stuck into old mental and social limitations and unable to participate despite their wish. What should they do?
Is there any possible answer to this issue which is a result of changing times? A new Marathi play SANJYA CHHAYA produced by Jigisha and Ashtavinayak, written by Prashant Dalvi and directed by Chandrakant Kulkarni tries to provide the solution in a humorous way.
The play is centered around a couple Sanjya alias Sanjay Patil (Vaibhav Mangale) and Chhaya Patil (Nirmiti Sawant). It opens up with a very busy day from their routine. Their children and their wives are settled at far off destinations (Sarang Sathye-Paula, Abhinaya Sawant-Purva Sawant). Sanjya and Chhaya are at an age when they should be retired and must revolve their existence around the lives of children according to typical societal norms. Instead they have kept themselves busy with their own ideas of social work and also formed their own support system out of that! Moreover these developments have taken the priority over their family responsibilities. Obviously this leads to tension and conflict within the family. They tackle it quite uniquely and successfully without being emotional or melodramatic. How it actually happens, what is the standpoint behind their behavior, for the answers, one need to watch the play.
The lead pair is very well supported by other cast. Director Chandrakant Kulkarni has kept the pace fast-moving. Every character is well-crafted and adds to the overall outlook of the writer-director. Former high-ranking officer Sanjya's personality is not only playful but also a thinking one. Actor Vaibhav Mangale has portrayed the character gracefully. Nirmiti Sawant's Chhaya seems very familiar to viewers as a very caring lady from normal households. She has presented her part really well. The characters of retired judge Mr. Kanvinde (Sunil Abhyankar) and his wife, former school principal Mrs. Kanvinde (Yogini Chauk) display the opposite side of lead pair's viewpoint, the consequences and the needed transformation effectively.
Other characters, Raghu (Aashirwad Marathe), Dr. Bhagwat (Abhay Joshi), Sadavarte Mastar (Mohan Satam), Inspector Gaikwad (Sandeep Jadhav) and Kishor (Rajas Mule) are significant. Technical aspects and production values are good. Special mention needed for background score by Purushottam Berde and song composed by Ashok Patki.
Right from choosing a name similar to Jayawant Dalvi's famous play SANDHYA CHHAYA, writer Prashant Dalvi has presented a specific perspective about retired life with this play. It is written in a light, humorous way and melodrama has been deliberately avoided. Director Chandrakant Kulkarni has done justice to the writing. Here, the writer-director duo is not only making an effort to give a mere solution but also suggesting a way to make life more useful for the society and fruitful to the self.
Everyone including youngsters can enjoy this play as it is a glimpse of today's practical life. Someone has rightly said 'Life is like a test match. You will get a second inning. Play it wisely.' The only question: Is it possible to have such practical solutions so smoothly and easily applicable to real life?
*Pradnya Ganla is a multimedia professional and an author who is trained in voice-over and theatre. Her fiction writing is available here: www.hakara.in/pradnya-ganla/
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