STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Balak a play in Hindustani based on Munshi Premchand’s classic story staged here on Sunday at Natrang Studio Theatre in weekly SundayTheatre Series.
The play has been directed by Neeraj Kant. This Sunday Theatre Series of Natrang has not only provided the audience a chance to witness the different plays of highly social and artistic relevance but also has added to their creative and intellectual repository by staging the literary works of the most celebrated writers of the world.
The play opens at the home of a writer, where he is slightly disturbed to hear the news that his honest servant Gangu wants to quit his job. As the writer was concerned about Gangu, he gives him another chance to think and also asks the reason why he wants to resign. Gangu gives a very strange reason, he wanted to marry a widow ‘Gomti’ who was married thrice but could not get settled with any of her husband. She is believed to be a bad woman who is without any dignity but Gangu finds her innocent and a victim of lack of understanding. Thinking that his marriage with Gomti may cause stigma on Writer’s reputation also, Gangu wants to alienate himself from the writer, just to save his goodwill. He marries Gomti and starts living a happy married life but for few months only as one day Gomti leaves him and went to unknown place. Every one discusses the hard luck of Gangu who was very badly betrayed by a lady for whom he had discarded everything. But Gangu still holds very high regards for her and considers her absconding as some of her genuine problem or God’s will. He still cherishes the days spent with her, regretting that they were few. One day, he comes to the writers home very happy as Gomti has come back. Actually she had gone to an unknown place to give birth to a baby, on knowing this news, he went to her and accepted both of them. It was apparent that it is not his baby as his marriage was just six months old, but still he accepted the child with a very clear and open heart, considering the baby as God’s gift. He gives so many reasons of high thinking for his being so nice to the mother and child that the writer is moved and finds his thinking very petty in front of that of Gangu.
Natrang actors who acted in the play included Mahikshit Singh, Rajan Thakyal, Sudesh Parihar, Shivam Singh, Rishav Sharma and Piyush Anand. Lights of the play were executed by Neeraj Kant and the music of the play was rendered by Brijesh Avtaar Sharma. Mohammad Yaseen coordinated the show and Aishwarya Saathe did the presentations.
