Man for all seasons

He was all set to deliver a speech at the World Parliament of Religions at Chicago in 1893 before being replaced by Swami Vivekananda; he introduced Gujarati language as a compulsory subject at the Bombay University; started the first-ever magazine for women titled Priyamvada and was the spiritual guru for several royal families of Gujarat, yet Manilal Nabhubhai Dwivedi was considered by and large as among the most controversial characters of his times.

The man was not only a womanizer but also had a notorious reputation among his peers. Yet, if his wild antics were neglected, Dwivedi was one of the most respected scholars.

Manoj Shah, 54-year-old, director of  Gujarati theatre, has taken upon himself the task of staging a play titled Jal Jal Mare Patang, an autobiographical account of this highly controversial social figure. Shah says, “It has taken me seven years to complete my research. Obviously I had to get the facts right.”

Taking about the aspects of the scholar’s life that Shah will be showing on stage, he says, “There were three major elements in his life - lust, literature and spirituality. There will be elements from each of these three realms.” Shah has got seven playback singers to sing live and artist  Atul Dodiya has created the  backdrop of the play, which
premieres today.