The story of a Japanese girl and her special relationship with her teacher is all about the play Totto Chan. The  play marked the conclusion of a two day theatre festival.

The play was splendidly performed by the artists of Vihaan Drama Works at  Shaheed Bhavan on Tuesday. The play was directed by Sourabh Anant.

The play is based on a Japanese novel ‘Medogiwa no Totto Chan’ written by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. It was first published in year 1981 in Japanese language.

The novel is an autobiography of Tetsuko when she was a school girl. After it got published, it became the best seller in Japan. In this story Tetsuko has mentioned about her school Tomoe which is nothing but old train.

The play begins with Totto Chan’s mother coming to know of her daughter's expulsion from public school. Her mother realizes that what Totto Chan needs is a school where more freedom of expression is permitted. Thus, she takes Totto Chan to meet the headmaster of the new school, Mr. Kobayashi. From that moment a friendship is formed between master and pupil.

It described Mr. Kobayashi as a man who understands children and strives to develop their qualities. His emphasis on the equality of all children are remarkable.

The play ends on a sad note when their school Tomoe is destroyed in the bombing of World War II. But, Mr. Kobayashi didn’t lose hope and tells children that he will built a better school.

The play was impactful and beautifully staged with vibrant lighting designs and intelligent direction.