To celebrate the 13 successful years of ‘Prayog Saanj’ series, the Directorate of Art and Culture recently staged ‘Agyatkatha’ performed by Panaji based theatre group, Abhivyaktee.
The hour long lyrical play in Hindi scripted by Antara Bhide presented a re-conceptualised episode from the Lok-Mahabharat and emphasised the need for a balance between masculine and feminine energies and explored the impact of rigid gender roles and personal repression. The play was designed and directed by Saish Deshpande in the ‘Katha Gaayan’ (story recitation) traditions of Goa incorporating elements of folk and traditional theatre and dance presented by 10 artistes of Abhivyaktee. The play focused on Arjuna’s time in disguise as Brihannala, portraying his inner conflict and showing how suppressing one’s true identity can cause emotional turmoil and environmental harm.
By challenging gender norms, Agyatkatha stressed the importance of accepting all parts of oneself. Its message was captured in the recurring line: “Sobit itlo sanvsar ga hanga jeene tarekavar” (“This world is beautiful because each follows their own path”). On the occasion, playwright Abhiram Bhadkamkar spoke about script writing and its process towards performance.
