GANDHI captures the arc of Gandhi’s life and times, from his ‘experiments with truth’ in London to his campaigns in South Africa, to the civil disobedience movement he led against the British in India.
Naatak’s grand musical presents a rare opportunity to see the full sweep of Gandhi’s life, with the ferment of world affairs in the background. While describing events well-known to millions – Gandhi’s great march in the Transvaal, Jallianwala Bagh, the Non-Cooperation movement, the Salt March, the hanging of Bhagat Singh, Quit India, the quarrels with Ambedkar, the campaign for ‘untouchables’, the world wars, Partition riots, Independence, assassination – the play also delves into Gandhi’s experiments with food, abstinence, sanitation and spinning, as well as the vehement intellectual opposition he aroused in his time, in an attempt to understand the meaning of his life to the world.
The play spans 60 years, features a multi-racial cast representing Indians, South Africans and the British, and is presented with live music and dance, including tunes familiar from Gandhi’s life and the Indian independence movement – वैष्णव जन, रघुपति राघव राजा राम, ऐकला चौलो रे – as well as original music and choreography.
Music composed by Nachiketa Yakkundi and performed live by Nachiketa and team.
Dance choreography by Soumya Agastya, Shwetha Subraya and Nisha Natraj.
October 2, 2019 is Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary. In addition to regular shows over four weekends, there will be a “Gandhi Jayanti show” on Wednesday, October 2.
Run Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes (and a 15-minute intermission)
Children under 7 will not be admitted