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Waiting for some justice

DIWAN SINGH BAJELI

Director Jitendra Mittal’s “Ek Bayaan” is a poignant play on a man framed in a murder case and the consequent ruin of his family.



Touching A scene from “Ek Bayaan”.

The harrowing experience of the family of an educated man framed in a murder case has been depicted aptly in “Ek Bayaan”, presented by Yayavar Rangmandal from Lucknow at Sahitya Kala Parishad’s auditorium in Janakpuri recently.

Conceived, written and directed by Jitendra Mittal, the play is based on the script developed during a theatre workshop conducted by Mittal with prisoners in Adarsh Karagar, Lucknow. The participants were all murder convicts. Mittal managed to get permission to stage his workshop production for the public. The tremendous response of the audience to a show by prisoners inspired the director to write a script on his observation of the life of prisoners and their world. The play has had several performances in Lucknow, apart from its shows at National School of Drama’s Bharat Mohatsav-2003, Jaipur, Udaipur and Allahabad.

The central character is Avinash Goswami, a teacher and an intellectual, who is revered by society and his students. He is living a happy life with his wife and two children — a daughter and a son. Suddenly his world is thrown upside down, as he is framed in the murder of his dear friend and colleague. With the stigma of a murderer, he is rotting in prison, waiting for justice.

Though the plot is thin, the director-playwright and his cast offer intense and provocative moments. The entire action takes place in prison; the pathetic story of the teacher is revealed through the interactions between him and his wife, Rewa Goswami, who comes to meet him. Devastated, demoralised and insulted, the wife tells the husband about the destruction of the family — the girl has turned into a prostitute and the boy has become a drug addict. But the wife continues to stand by her husband in the face of adversity as she is sure of his innocence.

We are also touched by the humanity of the prison inmates. Karim Ulla is a bully but has a soft corner for the teacher. Munna, being tried for a murder case, is a simple and honest man but is bold enough to fight the perpetrators of violence against the weak and vulnerable. He has killed a village tyrant to protect a hapless person.
Dominant mood

Though the dominant mood in the production is one of despair, a brief flashback sequence showing the college days of husband and wife when they were young and in love, dreaming of a future full of beauty and love, sharpens the irony in the lives of the couple and heightens the atmosphere of pathos.

The script has a few flaws though. The characterisations tend to be sketchy. Rewa Goswami resorts to a long monologue, projecting her traumatic life and the ruin of her family. This makes the thematic element more obvious. The need is to make it more complex and intricate.

The production conveys a sense of defeat and the characters are vulnerable enough to be crushed by the weight of an unjust social order.

Lalit Singh Pokhariya in the leading role of Avinash Goswami imparts sensitive and emotionally restrained touches to his portrayal. A graduate from Bharatendu Natya Sansthan, he is a fine poet, writer and actor. Roji Dubey as the wife of Avinash Goswami creates a moving portrait of a woman forced to witness the tragic disintegration of her family. Mohammad Hafiz as Karim Ulla, Vijay Mishra as Munna and Anil Shukla as jailor Mishra radiate human warmth.