Sangathi Arinhya!

Sangathi Arinhya! (Have you heard!)


This one, I watched in Rangashankara in May 08. This one was by a troupe called Perch from Chennai.

(Have you heard!) Is a mix of seven stories by Basheer, all different, but with a common vein of love, humour and pathos running through them. A connecting link in this heady concoction is the character of Basheer himself, who plays narrator, participant and witness in turn.

Good direction. The play oozes with charm and humour. It is captivating.

A motley of characters who are comical, funny and hilarious.

Village life in South India has been depicted very well through the medium of a western language without loosing the nuances typical to an eastern society.

The characters speak with an accent (Malayali) which seems so natural.

Although there are more than 10 – 12 characters sometimes on stage at once, each one having something to do or say, there are no mistakes. Good synchronization.

The characters all have such hilarious idiosyncrasies and these idiosyncrasies are so very well depicted. The colours, the costumes, music and lighting combined together produce an effect that is a feast to the senses.
And the lovely melody “shamey gham ki kasam…” that lingers throughout the play is enchanting.
Good show.


The stories in Sangathi Arinhya! are:

BHARGAVI NILAYAM: Basheer comes into a rented house ‘Bhargavi Nilayam’ to write his stories in peace, little realising that it is haunted by the spirit of Bhargavi, a young girl who committed suicide by jumping into the well in the garden. Basheer’s conversations with Bhargavi and their developing relationship form the basis for this story.

POOVAM PAZHAM (POOVAN BANANA): Abdul Khader, a trade unionist, who is proud to be a rowdy, falls head-over-heels in love with the pretty and educated Jameela Bibi. His overbearing personality undergoes a sea change after they get married, till he realises that it is time to re-assert his individuality.

MATHILUKAL (WALLS): Basheer, imprisoned for his seditious writings, hears a beautiful voice singing on the other side of the wall, which houses the women’s prison. A beautiful relationship develops…

STHALATHE PRADHANA DIVYAN (THE CHIEF MYSTIC OF THE PLACE): This story features Basheer’s mythical characters Anavari (Elephant Thief) Raman Nair, Ponkurisu (Golden Cross) Thoma, Ettukaali (spider) Mammonhu, Mandan (Nitwit) Muthappa, Ottakkannan (One-eyed) Pokker, and Namboodiri, in a delightful episode full of fights, fantasy and fun.

VISWAVIKHYATAMAYA MOOKKU (THE WORLD RENOWNED NOSE): A phantasmagorical story about a man with a lo-o-o-ng nose.

ORU MANUSHYAN (THE MAN): A strange incident during Basheer’s travels.

SHABDANGAL (VOICES): Basheer’s encounter with a soldier and his story.