Published: April 29, 2010 20:26 IST | Updated: April 29, 2010 20:26
IST April 29, 2010
Remembering a legend
A play on Jyotiba Phule was skilfully handled.
To present two centuries old biographical details of the legendary
social activist Jyotiba Phule, flawlessly, is not an easy task for a
playwright. But, for noted playwright Vijay Bhasker, a deft hand at
scripting many successful plays, the task was not a difficult one. For
the play Mahatma Jyoti Rao Phule, the playwright selected some
episodes from the life of the social reformer.
Born in 1827, Jyotiba Phule was a proactive social thinker of the 19th
century. He worked for the unity of the deprived and exploited
sections in the rule of Peshwa of Pune.
He got married to Savitribai in 1840. He taught his wife Savitribai
and later employed her to teach in the first school for girls, he
launched at Pune, despite bitter opposition from the orthodoxy. Jyoti
encouraged remarriage of widows and prevented the inhuman act of
tonsuring the heads of widows and led a barbers' strike which rose
against this practice in 1889. He extensively wrote on exploitation of
the downtrodden and women and worked for the spread of the message of
'Satyashodhak Samaj' that he launched in 1873. The play that was
staged at Ravindra Bharati was well attended. It portrayed how
Maharastrian Bhatts (Brahmins) of that time troubled Jyoti's family
and others who mingled with other castes in wedding and
festivities.Vidyasagar in the title role of Jyotiba and Surabhi
Prabhavati as his wife Savitribai played well these pivotal roles. The
play opened with the sequence of Vamanavatara. Vamana the incarnation
of Mahavishnu is seen pushing demon King Bali Chakravarthi into
Paataala. The playwright likened Bali to the down-trodden and Vamana
as the first oppressor. Jyotiba too believed all religious texts are
man made, not God created. Chilakaraju Narsayya as Jyoti Phule's
father Govinda Rao was mumbling his lengthy emotional dialogue. The
play was presented by Dasya Art Theatre. Souda Aruna directed the
play.
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