With the massive commercialization of Gujarati theater in Mumbai, the city’s Jain community has leveraged this art form to address social issues relevant to society. Members of the community from all walks of life take time out from work to perform plays in their native Vargad dialect, serving as a guide for audiences from different communities.
The Vargad Visya Oswal Jain community from Vargad district of Kutch took up theater as a medium to convey social messages to the members of the community. Since 2018, the community has started staging plays under his Team Vaagad name, addressing issues faced by the community while preserving the local dialect.
The cast and staff of these plays are ordinary people.
The cast and crew of these plays are ordinary businessmen, builders, professionals, students, and housewives who showcase their talents through the stages provided by the community.
Team Vargad started their theatrical journey in 2018 with a play called ‘Parkar Taya Pote Ane Pote Thaaya Parkar’, which tells the story of a father-son duo whose relationship deteriorates due to financial reasons. Ta. The message conveyed through this play was to value family more than money.
problems faced by families
Lakshmichand Charla, Chairman and Director of Team Vargad said, “During the 11 years I have served the community as president, I have received many complaints about the problems faced by families. The idea of conveying a social message was born at that time. Through theater, we are conveying the kindness of our mother tongue to the younger generation.”
After their first play received acclaimed response with 25 performances across Mumbai, it was also translated into Gujarati and 50 more performances were added to the list. In 2019, the team came up with another play titled ‘Dhikri Mujhi Ladakvai’, which depicts the bond between father and daughter with subplots about adoption and revenge. After 22 performances, the show had to be canceled due to the pandemic, but the team worked hard to create a masterpiece and began touring this year.
“Lagan E Hu..Tu..Tu..” is a play about divorce that goes too far
“Lagan E Hu..Tu..Tu..” is a play about excessive divorce and the declining trend of joint families in society. The play was completed within a month, with 16 performances scheduled, and 4 more performances are scheduled for the end of February. The community has also received offers to commercialize the play, which sees packed shows every weekend.
A theater professional with 30 years of experience, Vijay Gala has directed all plays for the community. He said, “With the commercialization of Gujarati theatre, there are limits to commercial theater. We need to write light stories that the audience wants to watch.” On the other hand, Team Vaagad has the ability to appreciate the message that needs to be conveyed. There is freedom. Since the recent play, many people from other communities have come to see our play.”
Published on: Saturday, February 24, 2024, 6:54 PM IST