Tansen, a beautiful play about the journey of an artist is presented by The Dramatic Art and Design Association. Written by Mohammad Faheem and Sudheer Rikhari and directed by Sudheer Rikhari, talks about the journey every artist has. The cast of the play includes senior theatre actors, Sudheer Rikhari, Mohammad Faheem and Ridhima Bagga.
An artist’s journey of an endless search is filled with ups and downs, acceptance and rejection, pain and satisfaction. The play “Tansen” explores this journey through the life of the legendary Tansen. The play begins with a dilemma about “Ibadat”(worship) and “Ishq”(love). Is the search of a destination called love or is losing oneself in that search called love? The intention is to talk about the dilemmas of an artist and explore the factors that make an artist feel liberated and also what makes him feel caught in his own emotions, expectations and pride.
“Tansen” is not only a documentation of Tansen’s life but also a parallel search of an artist that is never ending. The performance aspect of the play includes a wide range of theatrical devices. It consists of the three major elements of performing arts namely music, dance and drama which are blend together to say the story. The play also focuses on the journey of Hindustani classical music from its origin where it was performed in the form of “Dhrupad” till today’s “Khayal Gaayaki”. Therefore, it includes live music ranging from Dhrupad, Qawwali, Hori to Khayal Gaayaki along with live instruments namely Sitar, Tabla, Pakhawaj, Harmonium and Tanpura that give a different flavour to the play.
To get a glimpse of the cultural, musical and philosophical aspects of Indian history, this play is a must watch.
