Mai Ko Lal: A Garhwali Drama about Sacrifice of Martyr Shridev Suman a great Freedom Fighter

Mai Ko Lal: A Garhwali Drama about Sacrifice of Martyr Shridev Suman a great Freedom Fighter

(Review of Garhwali Drama ‘Mai Ko Lal’ written by Playwright Abodh Bandhu Bahuguna)

               Brief notes on worldwide modern  dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters modern Asian dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters, modern Indian dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters, modern North Indian dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters, modern Himalayan dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters, modern Uttarakhandi  dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters, modern Garhwali  dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters

                                 By Bhishma Kukreti

                        Every area has its great personalities who sacrificed their lives for independence or for social causes to their countrymen. It is not only in India but worldwide dramatists wrote dramas about freedom fighters and their sacrifice for the countrymen. KBS a channel broadcasted a drama about the sacrifice of Freedom Fighter, Lee Hoe Young of Korea on the occasion of 100th anniversary of occupation of Korea by Japan.                            

                              Famous African dramatist Benjamin L. Leshoai wrote a satirical drama ‘White Mass’ about freedom fighter of Africa. Noble Prize laureate Wole Soyinka wrote dramas about sacrifices of African freedom fighters and African independence. The two African plays ‘The Snare’ and ‘Aster ‘from ‘Three Eritrean Plays’ edited by Jane Plaistow deal with freedom and sacrifices of freedom fighters.

                      Film (as drama) ‘Hangmen also Die’ by F. Lang is also a drama about freedom fighter’s sacrifice.

                     Abodh Bandhu Bahuguna wrote many types of dramas in Garhwali. Bahuguna’s Garhwali language drama ‘Mai Ko Lal’ is about the life, the struggle for protesting against the oppression by Tihri Riyasat , family and social relationship, life style,  and death by 85 days fast of freedom activist Shri dev Suman.

                 Bahguna created many new characters and incidents to develop the character of Shri dev Suman in the freedom fight oriented drama ‘Mai Ko Lal’. The dramatist portrayed the characters of mother and wife of Shri Dev Suman with patriotic synthesis. There are characters of Badi badan, spies, King Narendra sha and many more those provide the strength to the strong character of freedom fighter Shri Dev Suman. There is mention of communist movement in Tihri but the writer did not mention about Vidya Sagar Nautiyal and his comrades.

             Over all Abodh Bandhu Bahuguna is able to create a good portrait of Shri dev Suman as family man, as colleague, as freedom fighter and as strong will powered freedom fighter.

                 Garhwali prose expert Dr. Anil Dabral concludes that the story construction of freedom fight oriented drama ‘Mai Ko Lal’ are suitable for creating desired emotion and pseudo- philosophy  depending upon time of period and class of characters. Dr.Anil also supports Bhishma Kukreti’s opinion that Bahguna could never leave his intellectualism and the dialogues are proof that many times, the dialogues from the characters do not match with their backgrounds.  However, Bahuguna will always be remembered for his initiation in writing historical and true incident based Garhwali drama.

   References:

1-Dr Anil Dabral, Garhwali Gady Parampara (Modern, Contemporary Garhwali Dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters from beginning till 1990)

2-Abodh Bandhu Bahuguna, Gad Myateki Ganga (Modern, Contemporary Garhwali dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters from beginning till 1975)

3-Dr Sudharani, Garhwal ka Rangmanch (Modern, Contemporary Garhwali Dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters from beginning till 1985)

4-Drama special issue of Chitthi Patri magazine (Modern, Contemporary Garhwali Dramas and plays staged in Delhi, Karachi, Mumbai, Dehradun and other places)

5- Dr Hari Datt Bhatt Shailesh, Garhwali Natak evam Rangmanch: Ek Vihngam Avlokan (Modern, Contemporary Garhwali Drams about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters and theatres from beginning till 1985)

6-Dr Bhakt Darshan: Barrister Mukandi Lal Srmriti Granth (Modern, Contemporary Garhwali dramatists or theatres playwrights till 1985 reference of modern Garhwali dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters

7-Dr Nand Kishor Dhoundiyal, Garhwal ki Divangat Vibhutiyan (pp108-116, about contribution of Bhagwati Prasad Panthri for developing Moder, Contemporary Garhwali drama referring modern Garhwali dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters

8- Abodh Bandhu Bahuguna, 1986, ‘Chakrchal’, 16 Modern, Contemporary Garhwali Drama collection, B2 -B48, Janakpuri, New Delhi -110058 referring  modern Garhwali dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters

Copyright@ Bhishm Kukreti, Mumbai, India

               Analytical notes on worldwide modern dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters modern Asian dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters, modern Indian dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters, modern North Indian dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters, modern Himalayan dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters, modern Uttarakhandi dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters, modern Garhwali dramas about Sacrifice by Freedom Fighters to be continued…….