Director Basab Bhattacharya’s play Sandhya Chhaya is about the loneliness of parents after their children have chosen to lead separate lives. He chatted with Karan Bhardwaj
There are numerous adaptations of famous writing. Some brilliantly echo the emotions penned by the author. Director Basab Bhattacharya chose Jayant Dalvi’s Sandhya Chhaya to describe a scenario where parents long to be with their children.
The play will be staged on June 1 and 2 at India Habitat Centre.
“It is a classic story. Though performed in the past, it continues to hold relevance,” said the director. Sandhya Chhaya narrates the tale of an elderly couple waiting for their children to share their lives with them.
The couple have two sons — Deenu and Nandu. Deenu has been in America for eight years. His younger brother, Nandu, is in the Air Force, posted in Kashmir.
“The elderly parents want children to return and get married, so they can spend time with the family during their twilight years. But somebody informs them the elder son is already married in America,” explained Bhattacharya.
“After this shocking news, their dreams are shattered once more, when they are informed about the sudden death of their younger son during conflict in Kashmir.
“The play ends on a sad note. A lonely couple succumbs to their plight and commit suicide. A lot of old people face this issue. Children get cushy jobs and move away. Parents are left alone,” the director expressed.
But aren’t parents now accepting the new norm and coming to terms with demands of childrenIJ “Yes, they are adjusting pretty well. But browse through areas like Vasant Kunj or Gurgaon, where couples live alone.
“I have known many such people who keep cursing life sans their children,” he commented.
The director is treasurer of the New Delhi Players formed in 2000. Over the last two decades, he has done several famous plays including Khoobsurat Bahu, Bade Na Khele Chhote Khel, Death of a Salesman and others. Ek Aur Dronacharya was his debut work. Bhattacharya has a day job as the employee of a reputed bank.
“I have always been into creative works. A regular bank job doesn’t satisfy me. So we formed our group and do stage shows,” he shared.
He also plans to take Sandhya Chhaya to other cities, but finances are a major issue. “People are ready to put money for comedy-based shows. But they pull out when it comes to serious ones like this. “However, our group is determined to stage this play at different locations, as it gives people a chance to cherish old plays and novels. It is our agenda to revive an interest for classics,” he said.
Theatre artists Manoj Gupta and Priyanka Sharma play the protagonists in Sandhya Chhaya.
“I think what we are highlighting through this play is absolutely relevant as it was 20 years back. I stayed in a hostel at Dockyard Road in Mumbai. A portion of that building belonged to an old age home. I saw many people there whose children were well to do, had all the resources but wanted nuclear families. This baffles me a lot. Parents are left at somebody else’s mercy. I have seen old people looking around for emotional support,” said Delhi-based Priyanka Sharma, who works with an MNC. She uses theatre as a platform to vent out her emotions.