Potpourri of plays at LTG does not disappoint

Recently, Parvatiya Kala Kendra presented a show on folk dance, music and traditional theatre at the LTG. This was a rebirth of the group that has been languishing with non-focused productions. This time, the group presented a folk literature spanning the basic song and dance to the ballads and traditional theatre. The songs were taken from Kumaun and Garhwal and were choreographed with grace by Divya and Diksha Upreti. The music was by Bhagwat Upreti who added a new dimension to the songs. The script written and direction by Amit Saxena brought considerable experience in the NSD and outside to bear upon the performance the group presented.

Roti Gin Gin Gantua Bhochche was a delightful comic satire based on the wife of a pandit who seeks more money and therefore makes her husband a recipient of other-worldly infestations.

When the villagers hear that the pandit can predict the future, men and women gather around him. The raja and the courtier also come to share in the godly experience. The pandit, meanwhile, in order to live up to his wife’s expectations has to do investigate to find out the truth of each case of prediction that he has to deal with.

Bhupal Singh Bisht as the pandit was physically very good in his infestation of the spirit. His wife, Lakshmi Rautela also tried to match his capability. When the raja comes, the pandit reveals himself as a hoax and seeks forgiveness from the king.

Thereafter he teaches his wife a lesson in greed and that is the end of the play.The next play, Madho Singh Malatha, was of a brave soldier Madho Singh, played by Akhilesh Bhatt, who wants the same valour in his son but Gajay Singh is also a humanitarian and he believes in combining warfare with a human touch.Though he was unable to stomach this, Madhav Singh was finally taught by the soldiers and villagers to trust Gajay Singh. Bhaskar Anand played the son, Gajay Singh. As for the musical contribution of the performers, the folk singers and dancers were lovely and added charm to the play.

Artistes Diksha and Divya played important roles in the dance performance in which they combined Kathak with folk dance.

The Twelfth Night directed by Atul Kumar of Company Theatre, Mumbai was a repeat of the same play that he presented at the Globe Theatre in London.

This time he has used a completely new cast, players and singers. Though the new cast was pretty good at their performance, but they lacked the zest of the previous cast which was highly infectitous.