Rites of Passage

Directed and scripted by 24-year-old student Yatin Mazire,the plays will break down the popular concerns that affect the people he sees around him. “ Aata Pass! talks about the near-mournful gloom that descends on any household when a child from the family fails the Std X exams. The play is a comment on the education system and its effects,” says Mazire. The theme for Saakav was inspired by the quote “Yesterday is History,Tomorrow a Mystery,Today is a Gift,That’s why it’s called the Present;” and has won a total of 60 awards around the state. Sandhi Prakaashaat ,on the other hand,wades into deeper waters,talking about the importance of individual choice and the pressures of society. “Many among us want to take up unconventional careers like writing,acting and so on. The play shows the struggles they have to go through to convince people all around and rise above the doubts,” says Mazire. Each of the plays will be an hour long.

Sankraman was realised when a group of students from different colleges around Pune had a wish to do something different. Today,the theater group is composed of over 100 junior college,senior college and post-graduate students,of whom 50 pitched in for this show. One of them is 20-year-old Omkar Suryavanshi,who has just completed his BCA studies. He will act in Sandhi Prakaashaat and will operate music for another one of the plays. The dilemna of the play he acts in is reflective of his real life too. “Yes,I want to pursue acting professionally,but you know how the middle-class understanding of things is,” he chuckles. “My parents are fairly supportive of my choice,but they want me to focus on the studies first. The advice is,pehle pet bharon,phir passion ka socho .”

The plays will be showcased at Bharat Natya Mandir,Sadashiv Peth,on June 5,at 9pm