Natya Bharati’s latest production paints a a portrait of the woman Kasturba was with all of the challenges before her.
It is always a rare treat to see history unfold before you – especially if it is a chapter of history that is widely unknown.
Indian history is shrouded with so many important figures whose life’s work is something that everyone knows about, but often times, one rarely gets the opportunity to have a glimpse of those figures on the inside. What was their thought process? What drove them to be who they were in the annals of history? What were their personal lives? What were their conflicts with those that they loved? Who really were they?
One of those figures in Indian history that has often been a point of curiosity has been Kasturba Gandhi, the wife of the Mahatma himself. At the surface level, one always witnessed her as the dutiful, loyal, and obedient wife who stood by her husband in carrying out the herculean task of giving India its independence. She was always perceived to be in the shadow of her husband, whose image undoubtedly as the “Father of the Nation” of India, loomed over everything else. However, was that all there was to her personality? A subservient wife? A deeper look into history has a different story to tell.
On November 5th at 2 PM at the Kreeger Auditorium located at 6125 Montrose Road in Rockville, MD, audiences will get the opportunity to learn more about Kasturba – the woman. Natya Bharati, one of the premier Indian theater organizations in the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Area that has been around since 1984, will present the play Kasturba versus Gandhi, produced by Mamta Kukreti (a Natya Bharati veteran), and written by Dr. Nishi Chawla (a local talent and professor of English Literature). The play has been directed by David Rothman, a professor of the performing arts at Montgomery College.
The production, in English and in 3-Acts, will depict the Kasturba that we were always curious to know more about. Not simply a Kasturba who was the wife of the Mahatma, but a Kasturba who was an empowered woman, with many facets to her personality, thereby making her an anomaly at a time when conservatism for a woman ruled. This play will give viewers a chance to witness a piece of history that has rarely been witnessed before — a portrait of the woman Kasturba was with all of the challenges before her. From trying to balance the complex relationship with her family, to trying to come to terms with the ideologies of her husband and the shaping of India, this production will cover ground that is on the mind of everyone fascinated by the woman at the side of Mahatma Gandhi.
The performance this Saturday will be an encore performance after a sold out performance in September. Don’t forget to buy your tickets today at: http://natyabharati.org/pages/BuyTicketsStatic.aspx?id=30.