Sanjay, a young man, leaves home to pursue his dream – to be a musician. He reaches a market place and starts to play his sitar. His music, however, is not well received. Sanjay then decides to train with renowned court musician and sitar maestro Rajad. Sanjay improves under Rajad's tutelage. He falls for Rajad's daughter, Nandita. Wanting to be close to Nandita, he aspires to be a court musician like his guru. The king, however, requires just one musician. He decrees that the duo fight for the post of court musician. And so, with heavy hearts, the guru and his shisya meet in a battle of the sitar.
To discover what happens next in this tale adapted from an old Buddhist story, head over to Co-Bank Towers at 7 p.m. on Friday where the rest of the tale of Sanjay and his Master unfolds.
Directed by Dadi Padumjee and produced by Stephan von Lowis, Sanjay and his Master is a unique Indo-German puppet-music-theatre show that is layered with Hindustani classical music. The heroes of the play are large puppets.
Multiple roles
Says Dadi, veteran puppeteer and founder of The Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust: “We are working with puppets that are almost as big as children. They are three to four feet tall and have moveable joints. Renowned puppeteer Matthias Kuchta directs them on stage. He has multiple roles on stage. He is the puppeteer, the narrator, and the voice for the various characters on stage. There are four to five characters in the play.”
Fond of Indian music, Stephen says music is an integral part of the show. Adds Dadi: “The story of Sanjay and his Master is about a man who wants to learn music. The play gives the audience an impromptu class in music. Our idea is to popularise and create an appreciation for Indian music amongst youngsters.”
The Indo-German collaboration began when a delegation from the Hamburg Cultural Ministry in Germany came to India. Says Stephen: “I was a part of the delegation and met Dadi. I was impressed with his work and linked him up with Matthias. For this venture, two very different puppeteers come together.Dadi's style of work is completely different from Matthias'. Dadi works with more people on stage, big movements and elements of dance. Matthias, on the other hand, usually works solo. This artistic cooperation has enriched the theatrical language of both artistes as these elements and visual styles merge on stage.”
Sanjay and the Master
The play by KinderKinder in association with The Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust is being brought to the city by Goethe Zentrum Trivandrum. Free passes for the show are available at Goethe Zentrum Trivandrum. Contact: 3013018.
