Of friends and foibles

THERE ARE play readings and there are play readings. When the reading of Vijay Tendulkar's translated play ` A Friend's Story' started nearly 20 minutes after the scheduled time, a number of people in the audience had resolved to go away midway, ``never mind if the reading is not over''.

But nearly an hour later, when the members of the Madras English Association (MEA) took their bow, the audience was still there. Perhaps it was Tendulkar, perhaps it was Gowri Ramnarayan's translation, perhaps it was the reading. More likely, a combination of all three. But the audience stayed that evening, even as rumours of an imminent earthquake did the rounds outside the premises of the British Council.

`Mitrachi Goshta' was written much earlier in its original Marathi by Tendulkar. The occasion was only the Chennai launch of the translation by Gowri Ramnarayan, published this year. With only a blurb to help before the reading, the book came later, most of the audience knew that they were going to listen to a poignant dramatisation of hetero and homosexual love. An obsessive lesbian love and a pleasant platonic heterosexual relationship, that is meant to be redeeming, but ultimately is not.

After Dr.T.Prabhakar, retired head of English department, Madras University, who was primarily responsible for the revival of the Association, gave a brief introduction, five members of the MEA took the stage. Dr.Anand Kumar Raju who is also head of the department of English, Institute of Correspondence Education at Madras University, began first as the shy, reticent, boy, Bapu.

In a sustained performance Dr.Raju, became Bapu. A college campus, a much bullied first year Arts student Shrikant Marathe (Bapu), a `different' woman Mitra, other minor characters, Mitra's `lover' Nama and her boyfriend Dalvi. A convincing performance by Dr.Raju nearly had the rest of them fading- retiring as minor appendages to the larger drama that was unfolding in Bapu's life.

In that, though, they were good. The drunken stupor of Bapu's room mate Pande, (K.Jagadeesh) had the audience in titters and his accent was probably apt in that context.

Priyadarshini played (read) out the role of Mitra, while Fatima Banu was her lover Nama and K.Dinesh slurred as Dalvi.

The intricate tale of love between Nama and Mitra intertwined with the more `normal' love between Nama and Dalvi with Bapu playing the go-between in all relationships.

A discussion followed later, as the team stopped, poised at an interesting stage in the play. What came next? Speculate, as some in the audience did, or buy the book, as others did.

By Ramya Kannan

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