Desh parva ends with Ghasiram Kotwal by Rajinder Nath

Desh Parva, the festival of Performing arts of India comes to end with the performance of Ghasiram Kotwal directed by Rajiv Nadh.The repeat  show of Ashish Vidyarthi is the other attraction of the day.  The details about the program on 13th October is as:

1. Kul Varnika : 11:00 am – 1:00 pm Meghdoot III (Entry ticket)

1.Ashish Vidyarthi:

His presentation is based on verses from “A City’s Death by Fire” by Derek Walcott from St. Lucia. The presentation is about the repercussions of anger and hatred, its impact on culture, on people of every faith and belief. Yet, there is a silver lining, of the ability of the human being to reinvent himself and create a bright future from the very embers that burnt down everything

Preethi Athrye:

Her presentation is based on a poem of D’Lo, a Sri Lankan political theatre artist, writer and director. Apart from being a comedian and music producer, D’Lo loves to make people laugh and think --- and that in no particular order.

1. Nritya Rupa: 5.30 pm Meghdoot I (Entry free)

BHARATNATAYAM: Artists: Kanaka Shrinivasan’s group Presented by Nrithyaranjani

Bharatanatyam of Tamil Nadu in southern India has grown out of the art of dancers dedicated to temples, and was earlier known as Sadir or Dasi Attam. It is the first of India's traditional dances to be refashioned as a theatre art and to be exhibited widely both at home and abroad. Bharatanatyam rests on principles of performance and an aesthetics set down in classics such as Bharata's Natyashastra. It has a rich repertoire of songs in Telugu, Tamil and Sanskrit. Bharatanatyam has a highly evolved language of nritta, abstract dance, and nritya which unfolds the narrative. The themes have a wide range spanning human and divine love, and are generally classed under the rubric of shringara (romantic love) and bhakti (devotion). The music of Bharatanatyam belongs to the Carnatic system of southern India.

Bharatanatyam is presented here by disciples of Kanaka Srinivasan, a leading Bharatanatyam dancer based in Delhi. Kanaka Srinivasan is the recipient of honours including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

KATHAK: Presented by Kathak Kendra of Sangeet Natak Akademi

Kathak is the principal dance of northern India, widely practised in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, and parts of western and eastern India . Expanding and refining its movement and vocabulary of expression, this art possibly transited to a courtly milieu in medieval India, and achieved its finest flowering under Mughal rule. Later, in the nineteenth century, the princely courts at Lucknow, Jaipur, Raigarh, and other places emerged as leading centres of Kathak dance.

Kathak's thematic content today straddles various worlds, even though the lore of Krishna still has a special place in its repertoire. Kathak is characterized stylistically by its footwork and pirouettes, and is pre-eminently a dance of rhythm-play. The music of traditional Kathak consists of the Thumri and other lyrical song-forms, and the essential musical instruments are the Tabla, Pakhawaj, and Sarangi.

Kathak dance is presented in the festival by Kathak Kendra, New Delhi, a constituent unit of Sangeet Natak Akademi. It is a leading institution in the teaching of Kathak dance.

1. Natya Darshan : 6.30 pm Shri Ram Centre Auditorium (Entry ticket)

GHASIRAM KOTWAL (Hindi)

Written by Vijay Tendulkar

Direction: Rajinder Nath

Presented by National School of Drama( New Delhi)

Act One
After Ganesh Vandana, the Sutradhar and the Chorus dressed as Brahmins describe the degenerate condition of the society during the rule of the Peshwa chieftain Nana Phadnavis.

The Brahmins arrive at the Kotha of Gulabi Bai where Nana sprains his foot while dancing with Gulabi Bai. Gulabi Bai’s Kanauji Brahmin servant Ghasiram saves him from falling on the ground. Nana is highly pleased and presents him with a necklace. However, Gulabi Bai and the gangsters of the Kotha forcibly snatch the necklace from Ghasiram, and the Pune Brahmins conspire to declare Ghasiram a thief. He is publicly humiliated and beaten up by the police, with the result that he is angered and lusts for revenge. Ghasiram uses his beautiful daughter, who is forced to submit to Nana’s desire in order to secure for her father the office of Kotwal of Pune. Finally, Ghasiram becomes the Kotwal. For Nana, it is nothing but a cold political move.

Act Two

As Kotwal, Ghasiram indulges in high-handed acts of vengeance. He becomes a tyrant for his foes, the Brahmins of Pune. Nana remarries for the seventh time and his new wife is but 12 years old. This shocks Ghasiram. His burning desire to take revenge crosses all limits. Some Brahmins who were alleged to have stolen some fruits are imprisoned in a small room, where a few of them die of suffocation. The Brahmins raise the banner of revolt against the Kotwal. Now Nana also wants to get rid of Ghasiram. Nana orders that Ghasiram be paraded through the city and hanged. After the cold-blooded killing of Ghasiram, Nana delivers a highly charged speech, thus remaining at the centre of affairs in the play.

The play is directed by Rajinder Nath, and presented by the National School of Drama Repertory Company, New Delhi.