Through Gosain Pather, MK Raina revives traditional Kashmiri bhand pather. This satirical comedy tries to discover the ultimate truth of life. Neeti Nigam reports
Kashmir is back in flavour. Bollywood is returning to shoot in the Valley, making most of the spectacular sceneries. Dal lake is a hit on social websites. There are wazwans being organised to cash on Delhiites’ love for Kashmiri food. And now, Kashmiri traditional plays are part of Bharat Rang Mahotsav. MK Raina’s Gosain Pather (Saint’s Play) has its roots in Kashmiri Shaivism, though its message of discovering the ultimate truth transcends religions. It is satirical, traditional and music from the surnai wind instrument and percussion instruments is part of the performance.
The play is on a Pandit (Ghulam Mohammed Bhagat) and his three good-for-nothing sons. They welcome rishis returning from a pilgrimage in the hope of gaining temporal benefits. Their greed evokes comedy and the actors have done their part well. As the play moves ahead, characters dressed as bride and groom appear. The Pandit serves as an intermediary between the saints who seeks a darshan of the bride. A lot of satirical comment on political and social scenario makes the play contemporary. At the end, the sons want their father to die so that they can take away his wealth. He suggests them to steal from people and don’t trust on anybody. He pretends to die and the sons, during death rituals, find out that he is alive. The futile attempt to get something from others and do nothing on your own, makes this play’s theme closer to Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.
The Pandit, played by Ghulam and his eldest son Bashir, has delivered a terrific performance. Other actors are also convincing. The entire cast is real bhands. “Some of these actors are from Bhagat community of Kashmir, who have been acting for generations. One actor, who was just eight-year-old, was the fourth generation of a bhand family and has recently passed away. He was keen to perform in Delhi,” says Raina.
For eight years, Raina is trying to revive this culture. He complaints that the government is not helping in revival of this artform. “Through these plays, we get encouragement and little monetary help. It feels nice that those who have left the Valley are finally coming back and the youth is serious about tradition,” says he.Bhand Pather has a mix of Sanskrit and Central Asia’s drama. Raina also feels this artform has the potential to move towards the modern theatre. “It has all the required elements that a modern play requires. Keeping the traditional template, we can experiment with it,” he adds.
The play was in Kashmiri and hence some feel that there is a need for sub-titles for the play’s better understanding. “Few years ago, authorities tried to get subtitles but they faced hurdles. First, you don’t have enough grants to get each play transcribed, then choosing language is difficult. Also actors keep improvising at the stage only, so lines won’t remain same,” Raina ends.