His long and happy voyage

Veterans of Nagpur city’s amateur theatre movement, who have dedicated a lifetime on stage take a stroll down memory lane and share a few pearls from their cherished treasure of experiences with me as part of The Hitavada's special series...

Proud witness to three generations of the city’s theatre, Madhu Joshi’s looks belie his age, the late seventies. Positive thinking, he says, is the only key to his fitness. “An actor’s life is dedicated to the people. He has to maintain decorum, keep himself fit, tight; not only for himself, but also for those who love watching him on stage,” says the veteran actor, who nowadays, is enjoying the on-stage company of youngsters being groomed under his guidance.

‘Vikram Chandra Gokhale’ the nine-year-old artist scribbled in college-going Madhu Joshi’s autograph book some fifty-five years back. “His father, who was playing a lead in the play, asked me why I was insisting on the autograph of the young boy who had a very small role to play. I told him that the autograph was for the future as his talented son was going to become a great actor. The man laughed at me that time, but today, we know the kid as Vikram Gokhale and I have his first autograph in my treasure,” says Madhu Joshi proudly. Blessed with the rare skill of identifying the artistic spark, the man is celebrating his platinum jubilee this year with a smile of contentment on his face.

It was a golden era of Sangeet Natak (musical theatre) on Marathi stage when the young Madhu took a bow as Hiroji Narsala, Chhatrapati Shivaji’s loyal friend, in an one-act play ‘Gad Ala Pan Sinh Gela’ set by Jamdar School team. Eventually, he got a chance to direct the same play during the absence of its director, Darvekar Master. The attraction of bright arc lights, open stage and an eager audience developed right during the school days, is still within him.

“Watching Hirabai Badodekar, Chhota Gandharva, and the contemporary classical exponents on musical theatre enriched my world,” recalls Joshi. “Bharat Natya Mandir used to be the only destination for Nagpur’s drama-lovers those days, and as young amateur actors, it was the most happening place where we used to get a glimpse of veteran actors and singers,” he says. The vintage Dhanwate Rang Mandir, witness of glorious era of Nagpur’s stage, was inaugurated with three plays in which Joshi played important characters. His passion for the stage saw him performing challenging roles throughout his long career, and the same passion is inspiring him to carry on the journey.

“Watching others, reading books, attending lectures, used to be my sources of informal training in drama,” says Joshi, who never let himself get embroiled in the infamous ‘group politics’ of Nagpur’s amateur theatre. “I remained a maverick. All drama groups used to call me and I used to go for my love for theatre,” he says. According to him, R K Laxman’s common man , whom he portrayed on the occasion of Laxman’s felicitation in the city, was a memorable of-stage character he played. “I felicitated him as a common man, his own creation. This was memorable moment for both of us,” he mentions.

Being one of the leading actors in the city, Madhu got several opportunities to work for television and cinema. Occasionally, Joshi worked for these media too, but his true love remained the stage. Here, he played various roles – actor, director, singer and judge –still enjoying the thrill of the third bell. His role in his newest play, ‘Me Muknayak’ has been appreciated. Basically, he is very positive about the young artists and terms the present generation as the most creative one. “It’s amazing to work with these young chaps. Indeed, it’s a learning experience,” says the man who has been a great learner throughout his career.

“They (young artists) handle unconventional issues conventionally, and dare to do the unexpected on stage. I must appreciate their courage,” the proud senior says. “However, like a good cook first concentrates on taste and quality of food; and then looks at the decoration; youngsters should concentrate on basic theatrical ethics before experimenting with them,” is his only ‘friendly’ suggestion to youths.

The cutting of the same article published in The Hitavada on March 28, 2011

Days when doers were learners

Veterans of Nagpur city’s amateur theatre movement, who have dedicated a lifetime on stage take a stroll down memory lane and share a few pearls from their cherished treasure of experiences with me as part of The Hitavada's special series...

According to veteran director Ramesh Ambhaikar, “If you present a good work, audience is bound to come and see your play.” This proved true when recent show of ‘Natasamtrat’ directed by him received an overwhelming response by Nagpurians. The play will be staged at New Delhi soon, and a few more shows for Nagpurians are on card. 


‘Black and white’ was the silver screen then, and televisions were rare. The only medium of entertainment, full of colours and life, was ‘theatre’. Smaller was our Nagpur then, and greater was enthusiasm for plays. The only theatre ‘Dhanwate Rang Mandir’ used to witness a full house during amateur drama festivals. Ramesh Ambhaikar, a director of number of such capacity-packed plays, recalls his memories of times spent in pursuing his love for the stage.

“Bengali Association, Ranjan Kala Mandir, Suruchi, Rangarekha, and a few more; there were hardly seven or eight groups, yet, we maintained consistency of performance. Unbelievable is this in today’s scenario, but our shows in State Drama Festival used to be sold out,” recalls Ambhaikar. A proud student of legendary Purushottam Darvekar, who pioneered ‘Ranjan Kala Mandir’ in Nagpur, Ambhaikar worked as Ranjan’s trademark director in post-Darvekar era. His recent play ‘Natasamrat’, which he directed after a long time, received overwhelming response from both connoisseurs and drama-lovers.


“If you present a good work, audience is bound to come and see your play,” he says confidently. “Only 15 people watched the inaugural show of Dada Kondke’s play ‘Wicchha Mazi Puri Kara.’ But a confident Dada continued to do shows. Word-by-mouth publicity worked, and the rest is history,” smiles Ambhaikar, who will celebrate his 69th birthday 
this November. 


He has a treasure of experiences to share with young theatre activists. He is happy to see their enthusiasm. But, according to him, the urge of gaining more knowledge is missing in new boys. “While doing amateur theatre, I attended a number of drama camps, conducted by veterans like Vijaya Mehta, Jaidev Hattangadi, and Vaman Kendre. When Nagpur University introduced MFA (Drama) course, I was amongst the first few who enrolled themselves for the maiden batch,” remembers the retired RBI officer, who used to attend college after completing day’s work.


“Being a director, it was must for me to study every aspect of theatre. Hence, I attended workshop in theatre music in Mumbai as ‘Director Participant’ with experts like Komal Kothari, Bhaskar Chandavarkar, Yeshwant Deo, P L Deshpande and Ashok Ranade. Even today, I read a lot about world theatre, new developments, techniques, and try to keep myself updated,” he says.


However, when Ambhaikar conducted drama camps in the city, participants were interested just in ‘doing’ play, and not in ‘knowing’ theatre. “They don’t know who Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Dr Jabbar Patel, Pt Jitendra Abhisheki and Habib Tanveer are. They don’t event bother to know! And they say, we will do theatre,” he expresses his anguish. “For me, lack of knowledge is not a problem. But the lack of urge for knowledge is a great threat,” he points out. Information is just a click away for the young generation. Technical assistance is accessible. “But, basic needs like a good script are missing,” says Ambhaikar, who has translated scripts by all time great playwrights – Prof Mahesh Elkunchwar, P L Deshpande, Vijay Tendulkar, Jaywant Dalavi, Ratnakar Matkari, and Satish Aalekar. 


“Good language, good expressions, and proper pronunciation are the points where youngsters are struggling these days. I think, lots of work needs to be done on this,” he expresses.
For Ambhaikar and his contemporaries; the present trend is disturbing but not disappointing. When NMC felicitated him with four of his contemporary theatre activists, it was like a family function for them. “We received this honour on behalf of people of our beloved Nagpur. We worked in Nagpur and for Nagpur for an entire lifetime. Lots of work is yet to be done,” he signs off with a glitter of promise in his eyes.

The cutting of the same article published in The Hitavada on March 20, 2011

Where have all the sparrows gone?

(World House Sparrow Day Feature published in The Hitavada on March 20, 2011)

(Logo of World Sparrow Day)

They are beloved ‘Chiu Taais’ of all kids. These tiny chirpy, plump birds are one of the oldest companions of human beings. Perky and bustling, house sparrows have always been seen, mingling with finches in the fields in autumn and winter, but now weeks pass without a single one putting in an appearance. On the occasion of World Sparrow Day on March 20, The Hitavada tried to find out, where exactly the sparrows have gone?

House sparrow has become a mystery bird and is becoming increasingly rare all over. People have realised that these chirpy birds are no longer to be seen, at least not as frequently as before. “They used to be countless in numbers! I remember flocks and flocks full of sparrows roaming in and around our old house, and we used to fill water in earthen pots for them during summer,” Maai Pethkar, now in her late 70s remembers. “That is why so our folk tales are sparrow-full,” she says.

In past few years, this bird has been on the decline both in urban and rural habitats. This is an indicator of the continuous degradation of environment around us. It is also a warning bell that alerts us about the possible damaging effects on human health and wellbeing. Time has come to form action groups to help and conserve these beautiful creatures. In Orange City, a few environmentalists are working hard for the cause. Amol Khante is one of them. “The recent threat to the birds comes in the form of emissions sent out from mobile towers. These affect insects and hatching of sparrows’ eggs,” he informs.

Another main reason behind decline in number of sparrows is changed human lifestyle. Nowadays, we bring Rice and other grain, polished and packed and ready to be cooked from malls. Gardens vanished, along with it, disappeared worms and insects that were part of the birds diet. The disappearance of old fashioned houses with eaves, cosy little niches and nooks and corners for the birds to build their nests. A more lethal reason is the chemicals used in urban and also in neo agrarian set up. The introduction of unleaded petrol is one, as the combustion of which produces compound methyl nitrite, which is highly toxic for insects that forms a vital part of a chick's diet. Young birds cannot thrive without their accustomed food and the decline became more severe.Recently, Bohara community donated thousands of nest boxes to public in order to save their lives. This is welcome initiative and should be carried forward by other social groups.

Environmentalists have decided to observe March 20 as world House Sparrow Day to use it as a platform to underscore the need to conserve sparrows as well as the urban biodiversity. It will also help in attracting the attention of government agencies and the scientific community to take notice of the need for the conservation of the common bird species and urban biodiversity.

Cutting of this news published in The Hitavada on March 20, 2011

Amplifying emotions

Veterans of Nagpur city’s amateur theatre movement, who have dedicated a lifetime on stage take a stroll down memory lane and share a few pearls from their cherished treasure of experiences with me as part of The Hitavada's special series...

For Damu Morey, the sound system is a lot more than something that transmits a speaker’s voice. “A microphone should be able to pass on feelings, thought and character of the speaker,” says the man, who has seen three generations of speakers, actors, and singers quite closely, sitting right in front of them, arranging the sound tracks.

“Eyi Harami, tui amar natok noshto kore dili. Toke aajke merei phelbo,” (You bastard, you spoiled my play. I will kill you.) With a dagger raised in a hand, the warrior was chasing the man who missed the exact moment of turning on the spotlight during a play. The dagger-borne man was portraying a soldier in the ill-fated play and now his ire was focused on the technician at the Dhanwate Rang Mandir, the only auditorium in Nagpur those days.


“Oh my God, that was a great sight! I was trembling with fear running out of the theatre. And in a warrior’s get-up; Toru Mitra was standing right at the main gate, shouting at me. People were watching the drama within the drama, and it was a great embarrassment for me being the technical in-charge,” recalls Damu Morey, veteran sound technician, who was recently felicitated by Nagpur Municipal Corporation for his contribution to the city’s theatre movement. Owner of the century-old ‘Morey Sound Service’; city’s signature sound system provider; Morey, these days, relaxes at his recording studio in crowded Modi No 1, behind Janki Talkies, recalling his seven-decade-long association with theatre.

“It was not a personal quarrel. It was an anguish of an actor, who failed to deliver the desired impact due to a technical goof-up. The incident never dampened the spirit of companionship between me and T P Mitra nor did it stop the next half of the Bengali play ‘Gehri Pataka’. Thankfully things went right later,” remembers Morey.

Understanding emotions is probably the most important thing Damu Morey has achieved in his life apart from a bagful of prizes, acclaims, recognition and a lot of work.

That is why, when he provided sound system for the historical ‘Dhamma Pravartan’ event at Deekshabhoomi, or when he changed the look of the city’s trademark ‘Ram Navami Shobhayatra’ by playing a single song on every loud-speaker all along the 17-km route; or when he introduced the use of recorded speeches of national leaders during election campaigns; he was met with nothing but resounding success.

“It was the ‘Deeksha’ event which made me realise the impact of ‘one’ voice,” says Morey almost entering into a trance while recalling the golden days.

“My approach towards work changed after seeing millions of people answering to a call of a single charismatic voice that my loud speakers were transmitting. At that very moment, I realised the difference my work can make,” he remembers.

Since then, his profession has become a passion for Damu Morey. Studying performers’ voice quality, auditorium’s architecture, and sound needs before arranging sound system is his habit. This is why, everyone right from Prabhakar Panshikar to Pt Bhimsen Joshi insisted on Morey’s service whenever they performed at Dhanwate Rang Mandir.

“I shared a special bond with Rang Mandir,” says Morey. He vividly remembers the structure and architecture of Rang Mandir, and explains the theory of sound waves, that he learned through experience. His two sons learnt the same after doing BE (Sound Engineering) from Mumbai.

His decades-long career is full of experiences. He remembers the legendary Mohd Rafi for his humbleness; Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia for saying “Yeh mera nahi, Morey Sahab ka Kamal Hai” when he was provided a spontaneous reverse echo while playing his trademark ‘Pahadi Dhun’; Pt Bhimsen Joshi for his down-to-earth nature; Lata Mangeshkar for the way she responded to a song played during her felicitation in Nagpur; Yashwantrao Chavan for a look he gave him when Morey played a Maharashtra Geet to coincide with his entry on stage; and so on.

Today, in his seventies, Damu Morey is still busy working on innovative concepts. In his studio, now full of modern equipment, he records for a variety of events. He is proud of young theatre activists in the city and is always ready to help them. This is because he understands their urge and emotions.

He has mastered this art now.