Young dramatists go back in time

FASTEN YOUR seatbelts. This is a journey that takes you to a distant, very far away place. No, not through the galaxies; no star-treking here.

Not to set right ``historical inaccuracies'' a fashionable term that has seized the imagination of a certain breed of zealots, who dress, think and act the same way.We are talking about a man who jailed his father, executed or presided over the execution of his kith and kin to ensure that no one would grab his hand as he waded through the last few bloody-rivulets to sit on the most coveted of thrones in one point in time - the Peacock throne.

The persona - you guessed right again, after all there are few people from our history books whom we hate as much as this one man - is Aurangazeb.What more can be said about this man, you might wonder. But then, do remember that all that you read in your Central Board/State Board/ICSE/Amar Chitra Katha books gives out only one version.

Enter the ``brainy'' IIT-Madras theatre team.After having won accolades for their performance at several contests, the IIT theatre team, `Stagecoach,' will put up a public performance. The play, ``Aurangzeb'' is an English translation of a well- acclaimed Tamil play written by Indra Parthasarathy.

The beautiful Taj Mahal forms the backdrop for one of the most treacherous tales in Mughal History. An ailing Shah Jahan, a black Taj Mahal, and shocking tales of double-crossing and wanton killings, present a picture which is, at times, different from the history we know. The organisers are not willing to reveal much, except this: ``one ends up wondering whether the history taught to us has not been manipulated...'' What does that mean? Guess...

`Stagecoach' is not a big name in Chennai theatre, but has done well in the inter-collegiate circuit for a while now. They have been commended for their performance in Bangalore and in the city. The theatre group has even staged an Indian-English drama, written by Manjula Padmanabhan, `The Harvest,' at a time when the ruling `paradigm' is to adapt easier foreign comedies. The why of it? Keep the audience in the seats, of course (first priority) and get them to laugh...

The show will be on at Music Academy, on April 4, 7 p.m. and tickets can be had at Odyssey, Landmark, Qwikys, Fruit Shop, embassies, consulates and the British Council (Stagecoach Tel: 2351365-5767).

By R. K. Radhakrishnan

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