Bertolt Brecht’s classic Mother Courage and Her Children was adapted as a satirical play and helmed by Quasar Thakore Padamsee, who spoke to Kritika Dua about its relevance in modern times
Mother Courage and her Children, which was staged as part of Aadyam Theatre Festival at Kamani Auditorium over the weekend, got us under the skin for its echo of contemporary reality. It prodded us into doing a checklist of what this reality could translate to in the future. Set in the background of a religious war in the Indian subcontinent, where people on both sides were equally violent, determined and religious, the play questioned the right of survival and co-existence. Amid the chaotic environment, Mother Courage (played by Arundhati Nag) tried to make a living by selling supplies, food and liquor to anyone who will pay for them.
The central character, Mother Courage paved a path of her own with her cart and her three children – the brave Alif (played by Abhishek Krishnan), mute Kamrin (played by Bhavna Pani) and honest Swameed (Junaid Khan). However, her children die due to various reasons along the way. Thus, the play was a blend of survival, entrepreneurship and the absurdity of war, filled with songs, marches and drums.
The play had 12 scenes which represented the 12 long years of war (1624 to 1636) which Brecht wrote in 1939. It covered many contemporary themes – hope, survival, the horror refugees face and the human nature of making profit no matter what the situation is. It was also an ode to the mothers around the globe who fight their battles with courage, overcoming obstacles along the way.
Quasar Thakore Padamsee, the director, divulged details behind his choice to reinvent Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children. “I have always been an ardent fan of this play. In Mumbai, there aren’t many versions of it. And in my lifetime I have never seen a production on it. Though I watch a lot of theatre it was one of those things that ran at the back of my mind,” said Padamsee, who always wanted to do a play on it but was waiting for the right time and the much needed resources.
“I picked it up last year and was doing a scene study with some students. And while reading it, it came alive. It leapt off the page and spoke to me. That’s when I decided I have to do it,” added he. When Aadyam (organiser of the play) asked his theatre group QTP to propose a play, they gave them Mother Courage and her Children. After a series of conversations, they agreed. had they not, he would independently have never attempted this. To stage a big play like this requires backing, rehearsal ground and resources. He calls the play, “relevant, funny and weird in the way it looks at the world.”
He also said that though the play was written 80 years ago, it has some contemporary elements – profiteering from war, trying to survive, concept of refugees (Syria), concept of supreme leaders, dictators and religious wars. People not caring about the situation – war or peace — with an only motive in mind which is to make money.
How do people around the world confront battlesIJ What is the impact of a long, tireless battle and when it finally ceases, how are people left disturbed and cluelessIJ Their source of revenues vanish despite the promise of peace. For Mother Courage, the war was a good source of income but when it ended in a truce, her business nosedived as the booming war economy collapsed in a post-war debris. However, the peace was short-lived as war returned. This time people didn’t have enough money to buy anything. Then there were refugees who were dependent on others for food. The mother survived on her small income somehow. Towards the end, she sang a lullaby over her daughter’s corpse, paid the peasants to bury her and harnessed herself, alone, to the cart. The cart rolled back into action, but it was easier to pull since there was so little left in it to sell. “Imagine a world where people are so used to war that they prefer it. When peace comes they say, what do we do nowIJ As the revenue streams they made during the war are lost now. It’s terrible and people in countries like Somalia struggle with it. It’s difficult to imagine – how do they existIJ What do they doIJ It’s a strange place to be in. But, people have to survive through it like Mother Courage,” said Padamsee.
Talking about how the backdrop resonated contemporary Indian politics, the director said, “India is getting more violent. We are doing business at the exclusion of everything else. There is a point where the protagonist loses her son due to haggling, being stingy. That is a great reflection of us. The concept of great leaders and you believing in them when all they want is their profit is very now. The divisive nature of our politics, religion making us hate each other, are relatable too.” He added that the conflicted situation shown in the play could easily be about Kashmiris, Rohingyas and many others (facing a war-like situation or are refugees).
Padamsee believes that the protagonist represented the modern Indian woman. He said, “She lives by her own rules. Mother Courage doesn’t surrender in front of anyone, is not defined by the men she is with. There’s a lovely line towards the end of the play where she said, ‘This is the last man I take it into business with me, it’s will be just us.’ She is an epitome of women empowerment.” Mother Courage is the perfect example of a working Indian woman running the business of life. She wraps everyone around her fingers and is in charge of everything. The play makes more sense in today’s times as we have women leaders, entrepreneurs and working women all around us.
The play used a mixture of languages including English, Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati and Marathi. “The mixture of language emerged so that all Indians can relate to it. In the play, Mother Courage uses the tool of language to earn more profit. She uses the language which will get her the best deal. India has multiple languages of business – the kind of language one uses depends on who they are speaking to,” he added.