Indian students bring Bapu’s message alive

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “My life is my message.”

Indian students from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), brought this message to life again, by movingly enacting key moments of his life in Gandhi: The Power of One. The play was produced and staged by Vishwaas, the UNSW Hindu Society, on August 1 at the Greenhalgh Auditorium in UTS Kuringai Campus.

And in a truly Gandhian act, all proceeds from the tickets sold also went to the Medical Students’ Aid Project (MSAP) of UNSW, towards funding medical supplies for a rural hospital in India.

So, how well did a bunch of Uni students portray one of the most charismatic and revered personality of India, and the most critical moments of our freedom movement? The answer was ringing aloud in the enthusiastic cheering and applause after each act, as well as in positive conversations in the lobby.

In a moving gesture of respect, the organisers had freedom fighter Nana Badve spin a charkha and weave a thread on the stage, prior to the commencement of the play. Nanaji is a senior member of the Marathi Association in Sydney and has been in Australia for a few decades. He was through a book by Maxwell Klein. We first find the young, suit-clad and bumbling, but steadfast Mohandas aboard a first-class compartment of a train in South Africa. While the story is familiar, it is the little engineering and bio-medicine student playing Gandhi, made the transformation on stage most convincingly. From the nervous, almost Raj Kapoor-ish gait of the young Gandhi in South Africa, to the concerned, but confused Gandhi arriving into to the resolute, brisk walk of a man determined, during the Dandi March and finally the disappointment of a nation divided upon independence – Wodeykar created an image of the Mahatma as we

When Wodyekar first walked onto the round rimmed-frames and walking stick, he exuded the aura of a man transformed, convinced and determined to win freedom for his people. The audience succumbed to spontaneous applause - Wodyekar’s performance had provided yet another moment of great drama and theatre. He was of course supported by an enthusiastic and driven cast, many of whom played multiple roles. Engineering and commerce student Shankar Vasudevan, and the director of the play, could perhaps be a Bollywood filmmaker in the making. After all he displayed the one trait of a successful Bollywood director - in Gandhiji’s travels around India, he seized the perfect opportunity to sneak in some peppy folk songs, group dances and bling costumes. Vasudevan’s direction of some of the more sensitive and explosive scenes was also commendable. Jallianwalla Bagh’s terror was effectively recreated. The Dandi March progressed through the audience with followers joining Bapu in the march from different areas of the auditorium. At the start of the play, the organisers announced that the play was their quest into whether Gandhiji’s message is relevant today. The play was a great reminder of the responsibility we inherit from Bapu’s legacy in our struggles with today’s injustices. The show was also perhaps a motivating insight into Gandhiji’s life for second generation immigrants who may not be as familiar with his philosophies.

And of course his message is his life - and that was ringing aloud in the heart of every audience member.

Shivangi Ambani-Gandhi

To donate or participate in Vishwaas activities, please visit www.vishwaas.com

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