Nagpur :- Investigative analysis of those who have attained the stature of gods is necessary, isn’t it ? Gandhi, Ambedkar, Savarkar, or Shankaracharyas ; why shouldn’t be studied for different aspects ? People should be taught on how to think, said Narhar Kurundkar four decades back. The candid opinions of this forgotten scholar stunned the audience of his biographical play staged at Nagpur. Narhar Kurundkar, a professor, critic, and author wrote on socio-political issues in India. This tightly written play, an initiative of Narhar Kurundkar Pratishthan, tempted the audience with Kurundkar’s literary works and the book stand flooded in no time during the interval.
How do Muslims expect the desired transformation without being ready for constructive metamorphosis ? Kurundkar didn’t hesitate to ask this at the Jamaat-e-Islami symposium while highlighting the need for liberalism, the play shown. He satires in equally sharp words on Shankaracharya’s outdated orthodox opinions and implies that Hindus deserve the religious leadership relevant to the time. His theories on religion and atheism were quite candid. Most people are religious just because they never read religious texts. God has been useful to incite violence. It’s a strange paradox that all religions promise the welfare of followers and still a great deal of people have been embracing conversion as a liberation tool. Dalits for the instance converted to Buddhism on the call of Dr. Ambedkar. But does the conversion of slaves affect the mindset of lords ? Warkari Sampraday sect is another example of the desperation of lower castes in Hinduism, Kurundkar believed. His epiphany was that it was only lower castes who gathered around the then-outcasted Sant Dnyaneshwar, not Brahmins. The Marxists in India have to think that why Indians almost always need religion or a religious sect to redefine the individual or group identity. Logicism and Scientism could have been inculcated among Indian masses just the way Gandhi brought politics from the elite corridors to the commoners. But we Indians are addicted to absorbing only amusing stories and ignore the ideologies. Chhatrapati Shivaji is an example of this. He is an entire school of visionary thinking. But rather than all the things of the greater good, just his war stories were been sung, the dialogue of the protagonist. Kurundkar’s take on Savarkar gives the lesson that every man must be studied on three aspects, his amplitude, his mistakes, and his unconvincing traits.
Ajay Ambekar, the playwright has presented a very complex subject soothingly. It was a blend of good narration, a fine script, and perfect acting. Despite the controversies, the shows of this play have been going on across Maharashtra. Dilip Padhye, the lead actor, Jyoti Ambekar, the narrator, and the entire cast appear seasoned in their roles after so many shows. Ashutosh Shewalkar made the show possible at Nagpur. Several senior editors, intellectuals, and dignitaries attended the show and congratulated the entire team.
