A Hindi play ‘Sant Tukaram’ was staged on the opening day of Adi Vidrohi Drama Festival 2013. The play was presented at Ravindra Bhavan Auditorium here on Monday. The drama festival is one of the biggest festivals organized by Directorate of Swaraj Sansthan for mass awareness.
Directed by Sanjay Mehta from Bhopal, the play was wonderfully presented by the artists of Rangshrish Theatre Group, Bhopal.
The play ‘Sant Tukaram’ is based on the lifespan of one of the greatest poet of the Indian history Tukaram. Notably, this is the first endeavour to stage a play on Sant Tukaram in Hindi. Directed by Sanjay Mehta, the play focuses on how people put their trust in Sant Tukaram and follow his Bhakti and read his poems.
This is the first theatre activity organised across the nation which highlights the struggle of martyrs on stage. To create awareness among the present generation about the freedom movement, so to give it a broader look we would present the plays in different languages too.
The play begins with the opening scene where Tukaram is introduced with his wife Avlai. The story revolves around, how Tukaram goes against everyone even his wife and moves away from the worldly pleasures and worship God Vishnu with a lot of divinity. Sant Tukaram was initiated without any intermediaries as the other saints usually were. He dreamt that he was initiated by the lord Hari himself dressed as a Brahman.
His wife Avlai fights with him over the financial scarcity. Soon Raja Shivaji’s slaves bring jweleery and gold coins for Tukaram as King was much impressed with his poetries but, Tukaram give up them all and ask the slaves to take it away for he does not believe in worldly pleasures.
Tukaram continuously sang the praises of the lord, he sang it in the form of abhangs which he wrote. The abhangs express his feelings and philosophical outlook.
The role played by Sanjay Mehta as Tukaram was much appreciable. He created the ambiance of divinity in the hall. The music and lighting also added more zeal and enthusiasm in the concept.