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GOLI
... EK PAIDAYISHI GHULAM (Play
in Hindi)
Based
on a novel by - Acharya Chatursen
Dramatized, Designed & Directed By - Bharti Sharma
Style - Realistic
Duration
- One Hours Forty Five Minutes
(Adjudged as one of the Best Plays Of The Year 2002 by Delhi Govt.'s
Sahitya Kala Parishad)
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Set
in a picturesque Rajasthani background in pre-independent
India and based on a novel by Acharya Chatursen, the play
depicts the agony of a class of born slaves called 'Golis'.
The protagonists Champa & Kisun are childhood friends
who belong to the class of Golis. Champa is the daughter
of a Rajput Thakur, whose mother Asawari is a Goli and
hence is not married to the Thakur, but is given the status
of the lady of the house after the death of the Thakur's
wife. Champa has a half -sister Kunwari who is the daughter
of the Thakur's queen & hence is a Rajput. Kunwari is
to wed the Raja of the State who takes a fancy to Champa
& asks her to be in his services.
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Kunwari
is married to the Raja who immediately after the wedding
relieves Champa from Kunwari's services & arranges
for a new Mahal for her and also spends the first night
after the wedding in Champa's chambers where he comes
in drunk, pukes & falls asleep. Kunwari revolts &
forbids the Raja or anybody to enter her 'Rang Mahal'.
Champ has worse in store. She's flogged by the Raja's
right hand man 'Lalji Khawas' and the Raja himself for
refusing to drink. She travels to Switzerland with the
Raja, where he introduces her as 'Choti Rani'. Champa
is pregnant with her first child when the Raja marries
her off to her childhood friend Kisun. Too native to understand
the Raja's diplomacy, she's happy but all her dreams are
shattered when Keser her maid and confidant discloses
that it is common for Rajas to marry off their Goli slaves
into the same community so that their children are given
somebody else's name as a father or else the Raja would
end up distributing his property to his numerous children.
These Golis even after being married to someone else live
as Raja's property. Lalji Khawas threatens Kisun to give
him Champa's money. He refuses, Lalji poisons the Raja's
mind against Champa & Kisun. The Raja plans to kill Champa
who sues him when she comes to know of his plans with
the help of the British Colonialist. The Raja now marries
a Rajput woman. This new queen & her confidant Gangaram
plan to kill the Raja, who by now is paranoid & suspects
that everybody wants to kill him. The new queen & Gangaram
finally succeed in poisoning the Raja but are unable to
get the money from Champa & Kisun despite the fact that
they are both tortured. Kisun dies of the torture, Champa
escapes to meet her children in Delhi and spends the rest
of her life with them.
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THE
HINDU
Friday, May 12, 2000
Bharti Sharma is back
The moving spirit, if one may use the term, behind the
group is Bharti Sharma who has been active on the Delhi
stage for the past 20 years or so and has given us some
good theatre. Besides the theatre she has been very active
on T.V.It was a pleasure seeing her again on the stage
the other day in Kshitij's presentation of "Goli"
also directed by her. Romesh
Chander
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Friday,
16 May 2003 HT City
Born To Be Slaves, Golis
Personify Trauma On Stage
In the dramatization of the novel for Kshitij Theatre,
director Bharti Sharma takes a feminist stance in her
denouement of the life of Champa, the Goli who tried to
be different.
The lovely opening dance sequence choreographed by Basu
Sharma to haunting Rajasthani folk music set the tone
for a neatly designed production that unfolded on economic
uncluttered sets and excellent lighting by Himanshu B.
Joshi. Bharti Sharma's resonant yet measured performance
vivified Champa. Mohit Tripathi as the quiet intense Kisun
provided the right foil for Bharti's piquancy. Vidhu Khare
was convincing as Kesar, the old palace retainer.
SPOTLIGHT
/ KAVITA
NAGPAL
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