Prayagraj: At the conclusion of BRM, a poignant presentation on feminist issues moved the audience. Nowadays, Hindi theatre rarely sees plays whose presentations are truly groundbreaking, demonstrating a refined and refined narrative, dialogue, acting, and direction. The success of a play doesn’t depend solely on the director, but the powerful performances and precise dialogue delivery of the actors also play a crucial role.
On the concluding day of the Bharat Rang Mahotsav, organised jointly by the National School of Drama and the North Central Zone Cultural Centre, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, the play “Jogiya Raag” written by Vijay Pandit was staged in the centre auditorium on Sunday under the direction of Devendra Raj Ankur. The programme was inaugurated with the lighting of the lamp by the chief guest, Mayor Umesh Chandra Ganesh Chandra Kesarwani, and Centre Director Sudesh Sharma.
This play by Vijay Pandit tells the story of a rural woman’s desire for domesticity. A woman named Savitri yearns for marital bliss, but her Brahmin husband, Balmukund Tiwari, abandons their home to become a “jogi.” Savitri waits for his return for fifteen years, living a life of incompleteness. During this time, society and community pressure her to accept widowhood, but she remains unwavering in her belief that her husband is still alive.
Fifteen years later, when she learns that a group of yogis has arrived in a neighboring village, she arrives there with hope. Through the mediation of the Panchayat, she meets the yogis and, believing one of them to be her husband, asks him to return to family life. The man accepts Savitri’s feelings and agrees to marry her. Through this happy ending, the play reveals the many conflicts, ironies, and poignant pain of women’s lives hidden within feudal values.
Presented under the sensitive direction of former NSD Director Devendra Raj Ankur, this play proved to be one that would linger in the minds of audiences for a long time. The powerful narrative, tight presentation, and impressive acting proved that when a play has a strong theme and the actors perform it with complete sincerity, it leaves a lasting impression on the audience. The audience’s applause bore witness to this.
In the play, Nidhi Mishra and Mukti Das enthralled the audience with their excellent acting. On this occasion, theatre director Devendra Raj Ankur, programme advisor Kalpana Sahay, deputy director (programs) Dr. Mukesh Upadhyay and senior theatre artists Amitabh Srivastava, Manoj Kumar, S. Maltiar and Vijay Pandit were honoured by the centre director with mementos and robes. In the first episode of the programme, Shailendra Madhur and Dilip Tiwari presented a talk on the play “Bade Bhai Saheb”.
