Window to the world

What is the relation between an old person and a window? It may sound strange, but the window of a house is the only connect for the old person to the outside world. The experimental play, Khidkya —  which literally means windows explores this connect while showing the ups and downs of the relationship between a grandmother and her grandson.

The play is translated and adapted from a German play — Im Stillen written by Clemens Madge. The German script has been translated to Marathi by professor Sunanda Mahajan. Her late husband, Vidyasagar Mahajan and director of the play Girish Joshi were a part of a project in which German plays were translated and staged in Pune and Marathi plays were translated and staged in Germany.

“While translating the script to Marathi, the cultural differences had to be taken care of. A Marathi connect is more appealing to the audiences,” says Mahajan. She elaborates that Girish Joshi had been to Germany and had read about this play and thought of adapting it in Marathi. The play revolves around Kamala—the grandmother, who is taught how to operate a computer by her grandson and she explores the vast world of the computers by writing a blog.

“Kamala creates her own identity on the Internet and meanwhile her grandson doesn’t know how to progress and what to do in life. Later, she suffers from dementia but remembers her virtual identity,” says Mahajan. The play is in the form of a monologue which is a new concept to Marathi theatre. Max Mueller Bhavan has financed the staging of the play and the Maharashtra
Cultural Centre has produced it. The cast of the play includes Jyoti Subhash and Aseem Palande.

(The play will be staged on Saturday at the Sudarshan Hall at Shaniwar Peth at 7.30pm)