A Doubly Enjoyable Afternoon for Lovers of Marathi Theater
A scene from the play ‘’Kaka Mala Vachva’’
By Aditya A. Raje
HOUSTON: Maharashtra has a very strong performing arts and theater tradition. The modern-era Marathi theater scene really started to come into prominence in the latter half of the 19th century. The Sangeet Natak or Musical Play tradition reached new heights during this era and through early 20th century. The mostly mythology based Sangeet Nataks slowly gave way to farcical, social and experimental plays in mid 20th century. The Maharashtrian populace is a discerning connoisseur of this art form. This appreciation of theater continues to be very strong within the Maharashtrian families of Texas as well.
Dr. Mohan Agashe interacting with the audience.
It is to cater to this hunger for theater that Houston Maharashtra Mandal (HMM) organized a ‘Double Event’ on April 21, 2013. There were two great programs in a single afternoon, a Marathi play by Austin based Rangamancha Theater Group followed by an interactive show by renowned Marathi theater personality, Dr. Mohan Agashe. Both the shows were thoroughly enjoyed by the 250 strong audience. The event was held at VPSS Hall, 11715 Belfort Village Drive, Houston, TX.
HMM tries to invite Marathi theater companies to Houston during their North America tours. A lot of hit and acclaimed plays have been brought to Houston in the past years, namely Dilip Prabhavalkar’s “Wah Guru” in 2012.
This year, HMM decided to encourage and give platform to our very own Texas talent. The Rangamancha Theater Group is an amateur group based in Austin, Texas. They performed their play called “Kaka Mala Vachva” (literally, “Uncle, Save Me”). This is a comedy based on a series of events that happen to three typical young college boys living in a dorm, how they get into trouble and how they manage to get out of it. The two-hour play was followed by a short break where the attendees enjoyed some light refreshments.
HMM President Sharmila Mohrir felicitating Dr. Mohan Agashe.
After the play, Dr. Mohan Agashe took stage for his show called “Ek Tochi Nana” (“The one and only Nana”). The program is named after his legendary role of ‘Nana’ in Vijay Tendulkar’s internationally acclaimed play ‘’Ghashiram Kotwal’’.
Very few people know that Dr. Agashe was a trained psychiatrist before he became the acclaimed theatre personality that he is today. This interactive program was his humorous look at his career in theater, cinema and psychiatry.
The two hour program was interspersed with short clips from the famous plays and movies he acted in. The audience really enjoyed his perspective on how things have changed in the theatre and film industry since he started his career in the 1970s. It was also instructive to hear about his parallel career in psychiatry and the disappointing state of psychiatric care in India.
Neha Chimote, who along with her husband Rahul, is a new member of HMM; had this to say about the event: “I like watching light comedy plays and this play was thoroughly enjoyed. It was a treat to hear an eminent personality like Dr. Agashe in person.”
HMM committee for 2013 worked hard to bring these programs to Houston and there are several more cultural events that will be organized in the rest of the year. The immediate upcoming event is a Musical Evening on May 17th, 2013.
For further details visit HMM website at
www.hmmHOUSTON.org