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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. |
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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