Anandita, a play directed by Kumar Rajiv, focussed on the parent-child relationship in an ever-changing world. The director spoke to Unokali Assumi
A couple facing problems of infidelity and abuse, a young girl longing for love and an alcoholic grandfather take forward the story of Anandita. The play by Dr Kumar Rajiv is a tragedy of modern times. It depicts heart-wrenching tale of reality and sorrow and is packed with messages for the audience.
The play was staged as part of the programme organised by a Jodhpur-based cultural organisation Apurva The Ashok. The play ran in three acts for two hours. “It is about how the ego clashes between the parents results in fights at home, which have a negative impact on the children. Parents should understand the psychology of children and know that well children get inspired easily and the negative environment at home can ruin their future,” said the director and writer of the play.
He added, “When children start scoring low grades and their performance in school goes down considerably, parents put pressure on children. They do not bother to find the reason behind the change.”
The production revolved around the central character Anandita, a young girl, who does well academically but is frustrated and feels miserable as her parents fighting continuously. She craves for their attention and love. The play used ego, ignorance, selfishness, greed and hatred as its key elements. It had a bittersweet taste of reality — a child no matter how ignored or even abused by parents, he still wants to be accepted and loved. The play ended with a sad note — when the pain becomes unbearable Anandita commits suicide. “I am raising a question in the play. I am making my audience aware of the issue and the outcome if they don’t address the problem,” stated Rajiv, who is also the founding secretary of Apurva.
Play had six members playing different character and Rajiv made an effort to explore the subconscious part of each character. The inclusion of overt themes like the need to address child-parent relation is done with finesse. Therefore the play did not come across as preachy. Background score helps in bringing out the emotions of the characters. The powerful performance by the actors clubbed with brilliant lighting made the play worth watching. The play will be showcased in other cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Baroda.