In MAHADEVBHAI (1892 – 1942), the character that occupies centre stage is Mahadev Desai, secretary, and onlooker to Mahatma Gandhi. The play is based on the daily diary that Mahadevbhai maintained, in which he jotted down the innumerable letters to and by Gandhi, as well as conversations and banter, lectures, and discourses.
The form chosen is of lively storytelling, interspersed with humour, as one actor plays out various historical characters including Gandhi, Mahadevbhai, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, and Dr B R Ambedkar, among others. The play attempts to understand the thoughts and principles that Gandhi stood for; principles that are even more relevant in today’s world: non-violence, economic processes that favour the poorest of the poor, religious tolerance, removal of untouchability & discrimination, the status of women.
Mahadevbhai (1892-1942) attempts to remind us of the times that were, through a performance that is as captivating and charismatic as the men and women themselves.
