Shraddha @ Rangashankara

This play by the new troupe "Panchamukhi Natara Samuha" (staged at rangashankara on 17th October) deals with the feelings of devotion of four children who realize their father's love towards them late in life. This tells the story of a family where the father is initially described as a strict person who doesnt care much about showing love to his children. The children describe his various characters in their own way satirically. Towards the middle of the story, the children and the father start realizing their real feelings of affection and caretowards each other, but they dont express the same to each other. When the time comes for the children to leave for a far off town to earn a livelihood, they realize the real value of their father and his care towards them. On the other side, their father too is grieved by the fact that his children will be away from him and forces him to see them off at the railway station. Thats when his real emotions for his children are poured out in public. He embraces them filled with tears. The children while on the train feel sorry for their thoughts that their father is uncaring towards them after seeing his eyes filled with tears. All these they remember years later when they gather together for their father's 'Shraadhha'(the Hindu ritual of treating people to feasts in the name of the deceased). The play ends on a note that the real "Shraadhha" is performed when the beloved people remember the deceased with "Shraddha"(Faith) and not just by performing the rituals.The one hour play directed by Vinayak Joshi was a nice one to watch with some hilarious moments in the first half and some touching moments in the second. In the first half the four children express their anguish about their father being too uncaring and strict with lots of instances to prove that. These acts were brought out very nicely by the troupe with lots of anecdotes and comparisons with real-life situations. When the audience is still reeling under the light moments, the actual story wherein the real concern and care of their father towards them is brought in front of them in a unique way musically. Espicially in the last act where the setting is in a railway station where the father comes to see off his children, Vinayak Joshi featured well in emoting as the father. The music by Praveen was a splendid experience to listen! Hats off to him! Coming to the dialect used in the play, they have tried to put in North Karnataka dialect but at times they seem to forget this fact and talk in normal dialect, can talk about this as inconsistency which the troupe should concentrate upon. Thats the only negative thing I found in the play.
The play was executed technically well with the basic Set Design, good Sound Design and very good Lighting Design. I felt the lights spoke for themselves with the actor's mood.Keep up the good work "Panchamukhi Natara Samuha". My best wishes with you!!!
Rangashankara was the best place to watch the play. One of the speciality is that they dont have a microphone or a speaker to enhance the voice. Dialogues and music reach your ears as it is which gives u a very pleasant experience. The seating arrangement is also very good and at the same time comfortable for typical one hour play. The discipline that is followed inside the theatre is wonderful. Overall, it was a different experience