nMarking the first day of Dinesh Thakur Memorial Theatre Festival, Hindi play Totto Chan was staged for the 25th time in city.
The play was staged at Shaheed Bhavan auditorium on Wednesday. It was a brilliant day to showcase the relationship between a student and her teacher, as the day marked Teacher's Day as well.
The story of a Japanese girl and her special relationship with her teacher during World War II is all about the play Totto Chan.
The play was splendidly performed by the artists of Vihaan Drama Works. 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 colourful performance was a visual delight for the Bhopal theatre lovers. From costumes to make-up and the performance of the artists everything was loved by the audience. The play was impactful and beautifully staged with vibrant lighting designs and intelligent direction.
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.