Lalit Gupta
JAMMU, Apr 8: Giraftari, an adaptation of Franz Kafka’s iconic and popular novel “The Trial”, presented as the debut production of Delhi-based Rama Theatre Natya Vidya (RATNAV), at the Abhinav Theatre, here today, came out as a scathing critique of the ‘system’ best exemplified by an authority, in this case the court system, which has unlimited power to persecute, detain, and ultimately to execute individuals.
Written and directed by Rama Pandey, well known media personality and actor, the play in Hindustani, adapted to the local conditions is set in contemporary Delhi as the story of a common Indian man, who is being unjustly persecuted for an unnamed crime.
Apart from adapting The Trial, one the best example of twentieth-century dystopian literature, the play’s two narrators; Bhav and Abhivyakti, while ‘holding the strings of the play’ also cleverly introduced to the audience Kafka’s literary genius which by raising issues like alienation had heralded existentialism.
Today’s play with bold dialogues alluding to wide-ranging contemporary issues like male dominated world view, gender discrimination, and executed with well-timed humour, certainly presented a thought-provoking experience for the audience. But the overall design of the production, despite its commendable ease and informality in managing the change of scene without customary fade-ins and fade-outs, lacked structural coherence. Especially the much touted fusion of the dying Indian oral and folk forms in the play, seemed at times out of sync.
In the program sponsored by J&K Cultural Academy, Kavinder Gupta, Speaker J&K Legislative Assembly, was the chief guest, while prominent among the house full audience included Vijay Bakaya, former Chief Secretary, Anil Goswami, former Union Home Secretary, and Aziz Hajini, Secretary, Cultural Academy.
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