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GFUSA’s “GANDHI” play is meaningful today
Text by Mahadev Desai and Suzanne Sen
Pics. by Bhushan Mocherla
Over 500 people from Georgia’s mainstream and Asian-American
communities lent support to the play “Gandhi” by Syam Yellamraju—a
full length drama tribute in English, organized by The Gandhi
Foundation of USA (GFUSA) as a fitting birthday dedication to
Martin Luther King, Jr. —at Georgia Tech's Robert Ferst Center
for the Arts on Sunday, January 16, 2012. Present were the new
Consul General of India in Atlanta, Hon. Ajit Kumar, City of
Sandy Springs Mayor Eva Galambos, city and county officials, and
other dignitaries.
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GFUSA Subash
Razdan, Antony Thaliath,CGI Hon.Ajit Kumar,Lizzy
Thaliath,Farzana Bharmal,Raj Razdan |
Emcee/ program director Ms. Krishna Kesavarapu welcomed all and
invited India American Cultural Association Chairperson (IACA)
Padma Rallapalli to give a brief history of GFUSA: Founded in
1997, GFUSA points out the link between Gandhi and MLK, Jr. and
promotes their messages of Peace and Nonviolence. The Gandhi
statue, facilitated by the National Federation of Indian
American Associations (NFIA) along with partner organizations
and donated by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)
/Embassy of India, was installed and dedicated at the Martin
Luther King Jr. National
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Gandhi
and Kasturba |
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Historic Site on January 24, 1998 by
former Ambassador Andrew Young, the late Giriraj Rao, and many
others. In 1997, Gandhi Room was refurbished in Freedom Hall at
the King Center under direct supervision by the late Mrs.
Coretta Scott King This historical stagepiece “Gandhi” is a
fundraiser to undertake a feasibility study for a planned Gandhi
Center and Gandhi Institute, described by GFUSA Chairman Subash
Razdan as the third leg of a triangle of peace in metro Atlanta,
along with the Carter Center and King Center. “Timing of the
staging of “Gandhi” was coincided with King week/birth
anniversary as a fitting tribute to Dr. King as well,” said
Razdan.
Mayor Eva Galambos of Sandy Springs noted that “tomorrow when we
observe M.L.K. Day, we will remember Gandhi Foundation’s mission
of promoting King and Gandhi's philosophy.” Council Member Karen
Richardson from the City of Johns Creek also expressed her
appreciation.
Consul General Ajit Kumar provided memorable remarks: “We
invariably recall Gandhi’s message when we are faced with events
and choices that leaders and people make in response to
challenges when changing course. … Gandhi bequeathed to us three
guiding principles—the trinity of ahimsa or non-violence,
satyagraha or truth-force, and sarvodaya or the upliftment of
all. It is the value of these principles that we have to
rediscover if we want to live peacefully in today’s world. ….
Intolerance is a form of violence. Nonviolence is the greatest
force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the
mightiest weapons of destruction devised by the ingenuity of
man. …. Gandhi gave a simple way to judge our actions when in
doubt. He said: ‘…apply the following test: Recall the face of
the poorest and weakest man you have seen and ask yourself if
the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him.’” He
spoke of M.L.K. Jr.'s trip to India. “In a radio address made
during his final evening in India, he reflected, ‘[Gandhi's]
principles are as inescapable as the law of gravitation.’”
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Gandhi with
Kasturba, Mirabehn and national leaders. |
He continued, “I would also like to quote President Obama on
what he conveyed through his message on the occasion of Gandhi
Jayanti in 2009: ‘Americans owe an enormous measure of gratitude
to the Mahatma. His teachings and ideals, shared with Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. on his 1959 pilgrimage to India, transformed
American society through our civil rights movement. The America
of today has its roots in the India of Mahatma Gandhi and the
nonviolent social action movement for Indian independence which
he led.’”
Concluding his speech, he emphasized the relevance of Gandhiji's
thoughts: “The power of peaceful means to seek justice; the
effectiveness of non-violence in countering force; respect for
diversity
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Barry Carter
as Martin Luther King.Jr. |
within and between societies; fighting social
prejudices and promoting social reforms; conservation of nature;
probity in public life; and simplicity in personal life are
enduring ideas that can help us address many problems of the
contemporary world.”
Giving a brief overview of the play, Ms. Kesavarapu explained
that the drama is an educational event on Gandhian philosophy.
The script was developed based on research of many writings of
Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, Jinnah, Paramhansa Yogananda,
and original audio and video clippings. Thirty-three actors,
some with multiple parts, spent six months preparing.
The show opens in February 1959 with Martin Luther King Jr.’s
visit to a school in Kerala, where the Principal introduces him
to the Dalit students as “a fellow untouchable from the USA.” At
first King is shocked, but then, thinking of the plight of the
blacks in the USA, he agrees. King, played by Barry Carter,
becomes the narrator of the play. Carter, with his statuesque
demeanor and forceful delivery, was the image of King and played
his role to perfection.
Sixteen scenes then take the viewer from 1890s South Africa to
1948 India. Swaroop Nyshadham commands the stage throughout with
his stellar performance as Gandhi. The audience is able to
witness the infamous incident when Gandhi was thrown out of the
train in South Africa: in surprise, he pronounces it
“unchristian” and decides to fight against the unjust apartheid.
(The use of a moving train carrying actors onstage is a truly
striking beginning).
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Gandhi being
thrown out of train in South Africa |
Scenes then depict Gandhi beaten for burning passes, telling a
journalist that “without a paper you cannot unite a community,”
asking Kasturi Ba for a cup of tea for the driver, exhorting her
to take a turn washing the latrine, fighting the Smuts Law in
South Africa, working for the farmers in Champaran, burning
British manufactured goods (again with striking stage effects),
and stating that “for this cause I am prepared to die, but there
is no cause for which I am prepared to kill.” Depicted are the
Jalianwala Bagh massacre, Mirabehn's arrival in Sabarmati, the
Dandi March (reported graphically world-wide by American
correspondent Webb Miller), and the visit of American
photographer Margaret Bourke-White from Life magazine. There
were light moments in amusing exchanges between Gandhi and
Kasturba, and many touching scenes as when the Hindu father
enraged with grief could listen to Gandhi and receive advice on
bringing up a needy Muslim boy as his own and even as a Muslim.
We saw Gandhi breaking his fast after learning that the rioting
between Hindus and Muslims (causing heavy casualties in both
communities) had stopped; Jinnah feeling insecure about Muslims
in India after British leave and demanding separate homeland for
Muslims; and the climactic ending when Gandhi was shot by a
distraught Hindu over the dismembering/partition of India. The
two and half hour play passed quickly, interest never flagging.
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Burning the
Passes in South Africa |
Ajay Viswanathan (as Sardar Patel), Anand Date (Prof. Gokhale),
Atul Chutani (Rajender Singh), Brittny Trawick (Mirabehn), Mike
Groto (Webb Miller), Neeta Shenvi (Kasturi Ba), Raza Shah
(Nehru), Rita Kapahi (Sarojini Naidu), and Sriram Iyer (Jinnah)
were also among those giving excellent performances. The
backdrops on two giant screens, music, authentic sets and period
costumes, and imaginative props added luster to the play. GFUSA
Executive Director Antony Thaliath thanked all, including
sponsor Dr. J. J. Shah, Palace Restaurant, and Raj Razdan for
the many bouquets.
Similar stagings are planned in other cities in the USA where
Gandhi memorials have been established. It is to be hoped that
more Americans can attend, for there are ties not only with MLK
Jr. but with Emerson and Obama, and there are numerous
references to Christianity. The scene with the father, for
example, has the feel of a parable, and the fact that the
grieving man could listen and change his mind could represent
both what Gandhi was striving for then and what some are still
striving for today: using nonviolent noncooperation to bring
light to bear on problems, change people's minds, and rout out
injustice.
[ Courtesy: Source: Khabar Magazine ]
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