Karnataka - Belgaum   

A relook at the lives of Kasturba, Gandhiji

Reliving history: A scene from Kastur Ba in progress.

Belgaum: “Kastur Ba”, a character extracted from about half-a-dozen books on the life of Mahatma Gandhi, is the subject of a new Kannada play authored by Belgaum-based writer and former member of the Karnataka Nataka Academy D.S. Chougale.

The play, said Mr. Chougale, received good response and feedback from theatre lovers when it was staged for the first time in Bangalore on Gandhi Jayanti (October 2).

Belgaum-based Rangasampada will present the play, directed by Huligeppa Kattimani and with music by Srinivas Bhat. The second staging of the play will be in Dharwad on November 7 and the third at K.B.R. Samskrutik Kalakendra in Sadashivnagar, Belgaum, on November 8 at 6.30 p.m.

Announcing this here on Tuesday, Mr. Chougale, who also heads Rangasampada, said the lead character, Kastur Ba, was meant to re-explore her role and relationship with her husband, Mahatma Gandhi, in different contexts and stages of the latter’s life as a barrister in South Africa, as a leader who led the nation’s freedom struggle against the British, and during the fag end of their respective lives.

The uniqueness of the play stems from the fact that the actors include 35 prisoners who are serving life sentences in the Mysore jail. Students of the Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts will play the lead roles. The aim of making prisoners take part in the play is to transform their attitudes and mindsets so that they can lead a new and meaningful life after completing their jail terms.

The play is the outcome of a workshop conducted in the Mysore jail by the Bellary-based organisation Sankalpa. The organisation, headed by Huligeppa Kattimani, embarked upon this programme with a reformative approach and to help prisoners explore their hidden potential. It has already staged several hit plays during the past 10 years.

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