Dr. Anandibai... Like Comment Share based on the life and times of India's first woman doctor- Dr Anandibai Joshi will premiere at NCPA's Center Stage Drama Festival 2017.
Gita Manek who has written the Gujarati play says she chanced on the story of Dr. Anandibai Joshi (1865-1887) by accident while researching her women-centric column Koi Gori Koi Sanwari for a Gujarati newspaper and magazine. “Many feel she went to the US and got her medical degree because of her 'progressive,' husband Gopalrao Joshi. However, my research showed how she became a doctor not because of her husband, but despite him,” she says and adds, “She went through a lot of hurdles and hardships to travel so far off and could have found a way of settling there. Yet at a young age of 21 once she had her degree she promptly decided to come back to home to help treat Indian women.”
Tragically, despite all the difficulties once she had come back she took ill and passed away leaving her dreams shattered. “A harsh hard life was snuffed out before Anandibai could find an outlet for her dream to work for the betterment of society.”
Manek points out how the play uses Anandibai's life to look at the lot of women even in contemporary India. “Have things really changed even after 150 years? Yes, women are getting educated, they do have professional careers and some of them even achieve great heights, but has the mindset of our society really changed? Are the Indian women independent in the true sense? Are they free from the constant need for validation and approval from the men in their lives?” she asks and observes, “Many women, despite being as capable and more so if they are more capable than men still find themselves fettered by patriarchal notions of masculine supremacism.”
She explains the title of the play saying that Anandibai's character exhorts the audience (both women and men) not to crave and be dictated by the likes and shares they get on social media. “Like her, we must all strike our own path and bring out our best fighting all obstacles.”
Journalist, author and columnist Manek's first play in Hindi — Akhir kyon — was based on the terror attack on World Trade Centre on 9/11. Her Gujarati play Sagpan Na Saudagar which has had over 100 shows was directed by well-known theatre and film actor Manoj Joshi who also played the lead. A monologue written by her for Manhar Gadhia Productions 7x3=21 about female infanticide has got her a lot of critical acclaims.
Dr. Anandibai... Like Comment Share is produced and directed by renowned theatre personality Manoj Shah whose Ideas Unlimited theatre group has consistently provided alternative, meaningful and thought-provoking theatre experiences with offbeat plays like Mohan No Masalo (which was included in the Limca Book of Records with his play Mohan's Masala; a monologue performed in three languages, English, Hindi and Gujarati on the same day.), Apurva Avsar (based on life of Shrimad Rajchandra) and Karl Marx in Kalbadevi, Mareez (renowned Gujarati Poet). “I have directed many one-man shows so far. But Dr Anandibai... Like Comment Share would be his first one-woman play.”
Mansi Prabhakar Joshi who enacts Dr Anandibai has been pursuing Marathi and Gujarati theatre for 13 years besides acting in Marathi serials and films too even bagging the state best actress award and Marathi Granth Sanghralaya award.
(Dr. Anandibai... Like Comment Share on December 2, 2017 at NCPA, 5 pm)
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 "Anandibai Joshi, Gita Manek, Mansi Prabhakar Joshi, Gopalrao Joshi, Manoj Joshi, Theatre")
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