Music is the soul of Purva Naresh’s oeuvre and it is has been evident in her three plays staged in Delhi from time to time. In her latest offering, “Bandish 20-20000Hz”, which was presented at Kamani auditorium this past week as part of the Aadyam Theatre Festival, she seeks to highlight how the great musical tradition evolved over the years by bais (nautch girls) and their lives and times. Through the interactions between women singers of yore with modern signers is revealed their art and life.
The play opens with the hectic preparations being made to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Indian Independence Day. We meet two senior women singers of the good old days who are invited to be honoured on the occasion. There is a middle-aged man, looking after them and interacting with the harassed organiser who finds himself unable to handle the messy situation. The Nautanki singer finds the right occasion to sing and other woman, once the heart throb of music lovers, is adamantly opposed to sing to the relief of the organiser who is determined that they should just receive their awards. The young male, a star singer is specially invited to sing. Keeping in view the violent protest by social media against him branding him as anti-national, he is persistently asked not to sing and accept the double amount of his fees. The organisers’ only saving grace is the young singer but she expresses her utter inability to sing without high technological gadgets provided by modern studios to singers. Despite hectic activities, the system remains dysfunctional. In such a situation nothing seems to move forward. The old women singers reflect on their past. The play ends without building tension.
The play raises several issues — social media as the threat to artistic freedom, the traditional system of guru-shishya parampara versus institutionalisation of imparting training in classical art forms, the place of high technology in the field of modern arts as an expressive means and the gradual oblivion of singing art of bais.
Defying imperialism
As the old women singers tell the young artists, we know about their heydays when they were patronised by feudal lords. As feudal lords came under the control of British colonial rulers, their capacity to patronise artists reduced and used women singers to entertain colonial officers but these singers did their best not to compromise with their dignity and as artists defied imperialism in their own way. Some of them even refused to marry debauch feudal rulers. Their condition became more pathetic after Independence when All India Radio Lucknow banned the recitals by nautch girls as a result of public protest.
Presented by Aarambh Mumbai, the tone of the production remains conversational to reveal anecdotes — a kind of interesting style of storytelling. But it provides little scope for the growth of dramatic conflict moving forward to a climax.
Each issue in the play is so complex and needs intense dramatic exploration. What we watch is a sketchy script which does offer some interesting moments of hearing music rendered by sweet, tender voices, as well as brief captivating dance sequences. The music direction is by Shubha Mudgal.
The production does not enlighten us with the need to protect and preserve the rich cultural heritage created by nautch girls which was the artistic creation of specific socio-economic conditions and with changes new art forms are emerging.
Manish Kansara’s ingeniously designed set aptly provides space for flashback scenes upstage. The centre stage and downstage are provided to those dramatis personae invited to receive awards. Beautifully designed wooden frames are used enclosures for change of scenes. The musical instruments are placed upstage mostly behind enclosure, playing softly as the accompaniment to singers in nostalgic mood to give the illusion that musical baithak was taking place in the past. Visually, the production is colourful. The ensemble performances are impressive indeed. Ipshita Chakraborty Singh in the role of modern singer creates a portrait remarkable for grace and famine charm.