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Horniman Circle Garden November Sun 8, 08:00 pm Prithvi Theatre November Sat 7, 11:00 am |
| NAYA THEATRE'S CHARANDAS CHOR (Chhattisgarhi) |
| 2 Hours 15 Minutes (with interval) This signature play of Habib Tanvir’s Naya Theatre tells the story of Charandas, a loveable chor who takes 4 vows in jest. He vows never to eat off a golden plate, never to ride on an elephant at the head of a procession, never to marry a queen and never to accept the throne of a country. To this, his guru retorts that as he had so generously undertaken to give up four things on his own account, he might undertake to give up one little thing at his Guru’s behest. You are a big liar, said the Guru, Give up lying. The thief consents, and stands by his pledge even while he continues thieving. He becomes the region’s greatest thief and prankster, all the while refusing to lie even when it means peril to his own life. |
| Director's Note : I took up Charandas towards the end of the workshop in Bhilai, around the end of 1974. Then finally we had a show on the open-air stage of the maidan in Bhilai. It was a Satnami occasion. There were some 18,000 people sitting there all night and they all seemed so receptive. The crowd was full of Satnamis. When I was showing skits on the open stage and the Satnamis were coming up on the stage again and again, I was inspired by them. I thought that this play about a thief who does not abandon truth was very much up their street. I was inspired by these people, the central article of whose faith is satya hi ishwar hai, ishwar hi satya hai. That’s why Charandas grew in Chhattisgarh and not in Rajasthan. At about 6 am, I announced that we had a little greenroom show – not at all stageworthy at the moment, but I would like to dare to show it, knowing that you will accept it with all its faults. Don’t mind if I come in and change their positions, etc. For songs I had the Satnami book with me and I just improvised by singing and asking them to repeat. And there was a big response for this rough, kachcha thing. It ran for about 40 minutes. We called it Chor Chor. I worked further on it, got the panthi dance party and choreographed them. I included their flag, their dance, rearranged it, got them to write my type of songs. The folk singer or poet generally writes in a reformist vein. Ganga Ram Sakhet was one poet, Swaran Kumar the other. I said, Look, I don’t want to say that lying is bad, give it up, drinking is bad, give it up. I don’t even believe that you can change a man unless it happens that he changes himself. Habits are hard to shake off. So I’d like you to say that just as a drunkard cannot leave drinking, a liar cannot leave lying and a thief cannot leave stealing, truthful men cannot leave telling the truth. I gave them the sthayi of the song – Yama se chori mat kariyo – so that there will be a stamp of Yama. Death is imminent, so that it works in the mind of the audience subconsciously. The song worked. The very first night it was a stunning experience in Kamani auditorium. Charandas died. Total silence. Strange silence. People got up, thinking, when will the next line come? Disturbed. The restive, urban, Delhi audience was moved. And then, before going out, they stopped, turned, and then stood for several minutes because the anticlimax goes on for a long time, watching from the door, uncomfortably. Then they returned for a standing ovation for a long time. That was an unforgettable experience. I find that there is a sad element present in most amusing moments. If you look for reality in life, you will find amusing moments in the face of death, you will find amusing traits in the most serious character. And as a director you try to give it another dimension, a fuller form, closer to life, closer to reality, richer in its texture, appeal, plausibility and communicability to the audience. That is my understanding of the comic. Naya Theatre : Naya Theatre was begun in 1958. In 1954, with Agra Bazaar, Habib Tanvir, had already started the experiments with language, form and most importantly a mix of urban and rural performers which was to grow into his signature in later years. By 1958, he had already established and begun working with Nacha artists from Chhattsigarh, in another of his milestone productions, Mitti ki Gadi. By 1975, with the advent of Gaon Ka Naam Sasural and Charandas Chor, Tanvir and Naya Theatre had arrived at a unique, modern, Indian theatre idiom. They have continued in this vein since then, criss-crossing the country through urban and rural areas, in the best traditions of a professional touring theatre company. Naya Theatre’s repertoire over the years reflects an incredible openness and breadth – classical Sanskrit plays like Mitti ki Gadi (Mrichchakatika), Veni Samhar and Mudrarakshas, plays inspired by folk legends and literature - Bahadur Kalarin, Charandas Chor, adaptations and translations of Western classics - Shajapur ki Shantibai (Brecht’s Good Woman of Setzuan), Lala Shohrat Rai (Moliere’s La Bourgeoisie Gentilhomme), Kamdev. Plays with a clear political engagement like Hirma ki Amar Kahani on the troubling question of tribals and development, out and out farces like Gaon ka Naam … , introspective pieces like Dekh Rahen Hain Nain, tragedies like Bahadur Kalarin - each play explores yet another dimension, public, private, philosophical, political. Few other theatre companies in India can lay claim to the depth, breadth, variety and sheer productivity that has marked Naya Theatre over these last 51 years. |
| Cast : |
| Charandas Chaitram Yadav Havaldar Ravi Lal Sangde Guruji Manharan Gandharva Rani Nageen Tanvir Sattuwala / Juari Amar Singh Gandharva Malgujar Devi Lal Nag Sarabi / Mantri / Noukar Uday Ram Shrivas Ganjedi / Pujari / Munim Onkar Das / Dhannulal Sinha Raut Toli / Villagers Ram Chandra Singh, Honaji Chavan, Parul Singh, Pihu Sinha, Priynka Singh, Sangeeta Sinha, Payal Singh & all Panthi Parti Purohit Anup Ranjan / Yogesh Tiwari Soldier 1 Ram Chandra Singh Soldier 2 Honaji Chavan Soldier 3 Yogesh Tiwari / Ramsharan Soldier 4 Rahul Jadhv Musicians : Harmonium Devi Lal Nag Tabla Amardas Manikpuri Dholak / Manjeera Ram Sharan Vaishnav Chorus Singers Nagin Tanvir, Lata Khaparde, Amar Singh, Devi Lal, Manharan Gandharva Writer & Director Habib Tanvir Costume & Music Nageen Tanvir |