Ba Ae Mari Boundary
I went to see this Gujarati play at Tata Theatre that's been doing the superhit rounds. It was filled with the general play-going crowd, and some of the Sunday-alternative recreation to watching TV middle-aged crowd.
The audience is an interesting mix. There are the theatre-going regular oldies, in their crisp, starched cotton kotas and woven saris in earthy tones, their staid walk, however bent they may be, their air of faded, simple elegance, and their progeny, the similarly clothed people, but in salwars. Then there are the newly-modernised middle-aged aunties, in their garish kurtis and caftans, looking oddly out of place among the roses of yesteryear, and the young, who are neither here nor there, in their uniforms of jeans and kurtis, or the newly engaged or married, all overdressed. There's an unwritten rule that conservative dressing is the norm, unlike in English plays. It's quite funny, the social norms and their implicit observance.
Anyway, the play is about a Gujarati business family, comprising an old-fashioned mother, a supposedly 'modern' self-made man with a big ego (oops that was redundant), his son who wants to make easy money on the stock market, a daughter-in-law whose 4 month old child is raised by the dadi as she wants to be a TV star, a daughter engaged in an affair with a married man. The mother is a traditional lady proud of her Gujarati culture and simple Indian values of caring, respect and doing justice to one's prescribed role in society, but subsequently is only taken for granted and constantly insulted, so much so that she is given no credit by her husband when a reporter comes to interview him on his business success. Enter her American-returned grandson to change all that. He takes every family's member's aspirations and turns them into the mother's success. He makes her a famous model with international contracts, via an agency run by her old schoolmate. He makes her desirable and hard to get for her family. When she earns big money she gets her children and husband what they want - at a price. They start to respect her only because she has started fighting back, refusing to take their nonsense, and proving her point. They all become mascots for Gujarati culture.
It is replete with the lame wordplay (the statutory joke on phool vs fool) the lame-soundingness of some Gujju words vs English, complete with exagerrated gestures, the millions of small businesses sponsoring clothes, jewelry, spectacles, sets, etc. - the latest in clothing is Haute Chilli these days.)
The play goes to show that no one respects a doormat of a wife and mother, however noble her intentions are, however much sacrifice has been undertaken by her, unless she reminds them of her worth. For this precise reason it is important, as Virginia Woolf says, for each woman to have a little money of her own, and a room of her own. Also matches the bit in the Gita that says that Dharma is not letting people walk all over you., but defending your ground and self honourably. That values are universal and eternal and should not be lost among the brittle evanescence of modernity. The guest will always be respected, love and commitment and relationships should be considered sacred because they hold society together, the mother is the nature who nurtures, whatever else she may do, that self and ego have no place in a family, that money is not everything, and that sometimes shows the worst in human nature and makes us forget where we come from, that men are essentially hunters who need a challenge. Sad but true. That inspiration comes from the oddest places, and that a heart in the right place always triumphs (Id like to think).
Good lessons to take home. The comedy is sometimes lame, but there are some nice Gujarati songs in this play, as well as couplets and and Gujarati plays are known for their social messages and family drama.
Tata theatre is quite snobbish with its menu and its prices - cheese and mayonnaise sandwiches and vegetable (Ooh la la where is the chutney?!?!?!?!?), samosas, some kebab roll thing, cold coffee, and other uninteresting stuff. I think Tejpal has the best food.
Its been raining like crazy today na! Yay! Going to do car pooja tomorrow! Going to mug all my home customs and menus now!
The audience is an interesting mix. There are the theatre-going regular oldies, in their crisp, starched cotton kotas and woven saris in earthy tones, their staid walk, however bent they may be, their air of faded, simple elegance, and their progeny, the similarly clothed people, but in salwars. Then there are the newly-modernised middle-aged aunties, in their garish kurtis and caftans, looking oddly out of place among the roses of yesteryear, and the young, who are neither here nor there, in their uniforms of jeans and kurtis, or the newly engaged or married, all overdressed. There's an unwritten rule that conservative dressing is the norm, unlike in English plays. It's quite funny, the social norms and their implicit observance.
Anyway, the play is about a Gujarati business family, comprising an old-fashioned mother, a supposedly 'modern' self-made man with a big ego (oops that was redundant), his son who wants to make easy money on the stock market, a daughter-in-law whose 4 month old child is raised by the dadi as she wants to be a TV star, a daughter engaged in an affair with a married man. The mother is a traditional lady proud of her Gujarati culture and simple Indian values of caring, respect and doing justice to one's prescribed role in society, but subsequently is only taken for granted and constantly insulted, so much so that she is given no credit by her husband when a reporter comes to interview him on his business success. Enter her American-returned grandson to change all that. He takes every family's member's aspirations and turns them into the mother's success. He makes her a famous model with international contracts, via an agency run by her old schoolmate. He makes her desirable and hard to get for her family. When she earns big money she gets her children and husband what they want - at a price. They start to respect her only because she has started fighting back, refusing to take their nonsense, and proving her point. They all become mascots for Gujarati culture.
It is replete with the lame wordplay (the statutory joke on phool vs fool) the lame-soundingness of some Gujju words vs English, complete with exagerrated gestures, the millions of small businesses sponsoring clothes, jewelry, spectacles, sets, etc. - the latest in clothing is Haute Chilli these days.)
The play goes to show that no one respects a doormat of a wife and mother, however noble her intentions are, however much sacrifice has been undertaken by her, unless she reminds them of her worth. For this precise reason it is important, as Virginia Woolf says, for each woman to have a little money of her own, and a room of her own. Also matches the bit in the Gita that says that Dharma is not letting people walk all over you., but defending your ground and self honourably. That values are universal and eternal and should not be lost among the brittle evanescence of modernity. The guest will always be respected, love and commitment and relationships should be considered sacred because they hold society together, the mother is the nature who nurtures, whatever else she may do, that self and ego have no place in a family, that money is not everything, and that sometimes shows the worst in human nature and makes us forget where we come from, that men are essentially hunters who need a challenge. Sad but true. That inspiration comes from the oddest places, and that a heart in the right place always triumphs (Id like to think).
Good lessons to take home. The comedy is sometimes lame, but there are some nice Gujarati songs in this play, as well as couplets and and Gujarati plays are known for their social messages and family drama.
Tata theatre is quite snobbish with its menu and its prices - cheese and mayonnaise sandwiches and vegetable (Ooh la la where is the chutney?!?!?!?!?), samosas, some kebab roll thing, cold coffee, and other uninteresting stuff. I think Tejpal has the best food.
Its been raining like crazy today na! Yay! Going to do car pooja tomorrow! Going to mug all my home customs and menus now!
posted by Princess Joya | 4:38 pm
3 Comments:
It’s so funny that things haven't changed at Tata theatre at all, especially the menu! Nothing beats the pseudo-giri of South Bombay. You took me back in time...lol! I love that observation about the theatre regulars. Women with starched Kota sarees and not to mention the diamond "kudees." Nothing beats the quiet elegance of that generation. My mother had and still has her staple of kotas, tangails, chanderis and dhakkas sarees. I had noticed too, during my past few India visits that garishly colored kurtis are now the staple of BTH's (behenji turned hep).
seriously! Thank you! I love the stiff saris my mom wears and demanded some chanderis/maheshwaris for my trousseau. I cant abide the lucknowi embroidery and sequins that adorn indiscrimately every typr of outfit. The kurtis started really simple and sparsely shimmery but now they are horrid. Full bodies and transparent sleeves! Yukkkkk!
Chanderi's are a wonderful addition to a bride's trouseau and so are Dhaka's. You know lucknowi chikan work is so elegant and I love that embroidery on Chiffon sarees. I have seen those kitschy kurtis and the behenjis who squeeze themselves in them.....not a pretty sight, lol!
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