(Pranesh
Maharaj as Balram. Pic by Ashok Dhaneshwar)
The
Department of Arts and Culture in conjunction with POLART Productions present
performances in Pietermaritzburg of Bhagwan
gave me this Life (God gave me this life). This play in Hindi, written and
directed by Vivian Moodley and performed by Pranesh Maharaj , makes a
triumphant return to the stage after its earlier successful run at Catalina
Theatre.
Vivian
Moodley, who has an illustrious resume in the performing arts on every known
medium, says: “This is probably South Africa’s first Hindi cultural production.
Yet it is designed to be accessible to all. The story is specific to the time
and area. And, if you are from that generation, then it will bring back
memories, make you laugh and shed a tear. If not, then it will give you a sense
of history and cultural heritage.”
Set in
1981 in Inanda, the story is about a widower (Balram – played by Pranesh
Maharaj) who we meet at a major turning point in his existence as he looks back
on his life with its high and low points.
Balram’s
wife Lalita was introduced to him via a family arrangement by two eccentric
aunties from Ottawa and Inanda. The proudest of his family was his brother,
Sukhram, who involved himself in the wedding. The brothers shared a very tight enduring
bond. The plot of the play centres on
the couple’s inability to have a child at first. Balram’s parents longed for a
grandchild until, years later, a son is born. The traditional values of an old
community, the wood-and-iron house, the nostalgia of the music listened to spiritual
guidance instilled over the years come to the fore in this dramatization of inner
wars.
The human
condition can be described as the unalterable part of humanity that is inherent
and innate to human beings and not dependent on factors such as gender, race or
class. It includes concerns such as the meaning of life, the search for
gratification, the sense of curiosity, the inevitability of isolation, or
awareness regarding the inescapability of death.
Bhagwan gave me this Life is produced by Polart
Productions in conjunction with Radio Hindvani and supported by the Department
of Arts and Culture KZN.
The family-friendly production runs at the Winston Churchill Theatre, 2 Leinster
Road, Pietermaritzburg, from May 14 to 18.
Performances
May 14 and 15 at 19h00 and May 16 at 20h00. There are two
performances on May 17 at 14h00 and 20h00 and on May 18 at 14h00 and 18h00. Tickets
can be purchased online at www.computicket.com
or by cash or card at any Shoprite / Checkers store. The contact number for
COMPUTICKET is 0861 915 8000
See Caroline Smart’s review on art http://news.artsmart.co.za/2013/12/bhagwan-gave-me-this-life_17.html
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