Teaching is Learning

Hu Chandrakant Bakshi (હું, ચંદ્રકાંત બક્ષી) - an one and half hour drama was staged at Rangmandal yesterday. For the first time, the hall was houseful with more than 300 people sitting and standing, and watching one man on stage for entire duration. yes, it was a monologue.  I have only heard of Bakshi's attitude, who at times was termed as egoistic. So, for me it was a new experience of watching a biographical play without knowing much about the personality. The full house, naturally, raised my expectation and all of them were met and succeeded by miles.  Biographical plays are difficult to perform within theatrical limitations unlike movies, where one can expand horizons. In theater, the life needs to be told within the devices available on and around stage. These devises are something that I would like to talk about. These, to me, are metaphor of four faculty of human existence. These are a) screenplay (Mind), b) stage design (Body), c) acting  (Heart), and d) direc...

There was screening of two plays at Rang Mandal on 6th July 2013, which was followed by audience artists interaction. During the discussion, one young fellow - seemed in his early twenties - little aggressively gave feedback that 'audience' had enough of plays on riots and artists need to bring something new to them. This led me to my routine bout of introspection and this note is reflection of what I went through.  One common reflection I hear in Gujarat these days is that why do we need to talk about issues of riots even after a decade . It was the same argument that young boy also made when he irritatingly asked the artists, 'why you people keep doing plays on riots?'. Well, certain events in our lives are historical and needs to be reminded again and again. As George Santayana has indicated, 'those who do not know history's mistakes are doomed to repeat them'.  One of the common reasons that many youngsters have this view is that there have been systemi...