Balwant Thakur’s ‘Gatt’: A Satirical Masterpiece Staged at Mubarakh Mandi, Jammu, in Natrang’s Sunday Theatre Series
Jammu, 08-10-2023 : Balwant Thakur’s popular Dogri play ‘GATT’ staged here today at Deewan-e-Aam, Mubarakh Mandi, Jammu under Natrang’s weekly theatre series ‘Sunday Theatre’. Based on Krishna Chander’s famous Urdu classic short story ‘Khadda’ the play is a hard hitting satire on the decay of human values. Balwant Thakur has adapted it in such a contemporary manner that the audience instantly identifies itself with the play. It was a surprising theatrical treat for the people present at Mubarakh Mandi who thoroughly enjoyed the performance and responded with repeated applauses at the satirical punches of the play.
The play “Gatt” shows that one and all tend to shirk their own responsibilities and work and pass it on to others. Instead they indulge in high sloganism, claiming to be the redeemers of the suffering masses. This is symbolized by a person falling into a ditch whose pleas to help him come out unanswered by one and all. Different people pass by him like surveyors, young men, religious leaders, cops, Political leader in power and a foreigner. The person in distress is given different excuses and pleas for their inability in extending help to him. The unemployed youth are unable to find time out of their fixed schedule of hunting for girls. The ‘Sadhu’ showers blessings and prays for his peace in as and where condition. The police cop lodges an FIR and asks him to report to the police station knowingly that he will never be able to come out of the ditch on his own. The foreigner lady enquires about his choice between India and Pakistan, which side he would like to take? The situation becomes more dramatic when a minister after a complaint from the public about the worsening of the road condition, makes a round of the area. The workers of the public works department instead of taking out the man from the ditch put wooden planks over the ditch and create a stage for minister’s public speech. Here the minister lists his development revolution and lashes at his opponents for cursing their government for political gains. The public meeting is over, the wooden planks are removed but no one pays any heed to the fallen-man in the ditch. The slogans of the up-liftment of the poor fades away with the flowing dusty wind. Finally a man from the audience appears and appeals to everyone to render a helping hand to this common man who is still in the ditch despite having celebrated sixty-four years of India’s Independence. The play reflects the plight of the poor masses who continue to suffer for want of help from those at the helm of affairs.
Natrang actors who acted in the play included Chirag Anand as Neta, Mahikshit Singh as Aadmi, Mohd. Yaseen as Karamchari 1, Brijesh Avtaar Sharma as Karamchari 2, Aadesh Dhar as Karamchari 3, Sanket Bhagat as Aashiq-1, Kushal Bhat as Aashiq-2, Kananpreet Kaur as Foreigner, Sumit Singh Bandaral as Sadhu, Vishal Sharma as Police Cop, Vansh Pandotra as Chela-1 and Abhimanyu Choudhary as Chela-2. The show was coordinated and conducted by Neeraj Kant.
