Delhi Diary 9

Very, very strange word – Democracy. After the making of history with Anna Hazare’s call to India to end corruption through the Lokpal bill, I am now utterly confused about this word. Under democracy, we the people are supposed to elect our representatives. (Wish all of us could sit in Parliament. As it is, quite a ruckus is created by the representatives in there.) These representatives are supposed to run the country for our benefit. Well no sign of that. But they keep telling us how much they look out for the aam aadmi. So we have corruption in our country few others could compete with. But the Govt says they are not responsible. The PM knows nothing. The top ministers know nothing; they are pure as snow. But one scam after the other unfolds daily. Media is having field days!!!
Fed up with all this and with this heavily populated country sitting around doing nothing, a 74- year-old decides it’s time for India to decide. So he goes on a fast. He has a number of apolitical members on his side who have been fighting corruption one way or the other. Now what would you say to a hunger strike? Is it illegal? Undemocratic? Underhand? Blackmail? Do you think there was any other way that the government would have capitulated to the Lokpal bill?
The clarion call by Anna brought thousands of Indians across class and creed together demanding an end to corruption. Probably, the ruling party did not see this kind of a response.
So now things are in place – supposedly. Anna ended his 12-day fast and the Lokpal bill will be looked at – these are the first steps to a corruption free India. Difficult to imagine though!! Some people know only this kind of living. They will perish, the poor fellows, or they will fight - too bad.
So how do we proceed now? When a corrupt official asks for a bribe, how do we blow the whistle? Is there a person we contact, a bell we ring, a number we dial? I am waiting for this tiny bit of information which will make my life a lot easier.
Proud to be an INDIAN!

The Mystery of Martand Haveli

After hearing great reviews last year about Crazy Spotlight Productions’ One Night only, I decided I would be foolish not to see this year’s production, viz., The Mystery of Martand Haveli. The play was staged at Sri Ram Centre and the hall was packed. The actors were good as was the set design. What was missing was the compactness of a mystery. It seemed loose at places and attention dithered. But humour there was plenty. What struck was Shehnaaz, the eccentric detective taking the cake with her Punjabi accented English and the full on use of sexual innuendoes. Kamini and Damini, the detective twins synchronized their movements wonderfully. All the actors were quite competent. As a director, Nikhil has done a good job, though this genre is unchartered territory for him as yet.
Kudos to these talents who have made theatre their passion!

Adhe Adhure

On 31st July I saw a play – Mohan Rakesh’s Adhe Adhure. I had heard about this play earlier but what got me interested was the ensemble cast. With Lilette Dubey directing and acting with Mohan Agashe as co-actor was simply too much to resist. This 105 minute play in two acts was engrossing. The storyline in today’s context was nothing unusual, though set in 1969, it was. A dissatisfied woman who tries to get her house in order, an unhappy man, three children grappling with themselves and their surroundings, a home bursting at the seams with dissonance… So who comes out the winner?? No one. The lady tries to break away, to make a happy life for herself and fails. The men in her life somehow never come forward to support her. Her children are cocooned in their stories. The man of the house utterly depressed, leaves the house to be with a friend but cannot remain away for long. Life continues…half lived.
Mohan Agashe’s portrayal of four men in the play was a winner and he did it with all the honesty of an actor. Lilette stated at the end of the play (while taking the bow) that she had promised herself when she first saw this play while in college, that Adhe Adhure would be her first play directed in Hindi and at Delhi. Well, she did a good job of it. Congratulations!!