Gandhigiri to fight cancer

OMG mdash the lesserknown side of Gandhi is a play based on the private conversations letters and thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi Researched and conceptualised by Geeta Gopalakrishnan the play includes actor Dalip Tahil as Gandhi and Seema Anand a wellknown storyteller who will narrate anecdotes Excerpts from an interview Actor Dalip Tahil as Mahatma Gandhi in the play OMG mdash The LesserKnown Side of Gandhi What inspired you to write this play I wanted to do a play in London where the Indian community can sit back and enjoy like a fundraiser I had heard of Vijay Padkirsquos play on Gandhi Prophet and the Poet but to stage that I would have to pay pound17000 because the rights of the play were with someone in London Then someone told me that about the 40000 books in Mani Bhavan where I could read about Gandhi I realised that there would be something about Gandhirsquos life that not many know about In the initial research I discovered that Gandhi had spoken about Godhra I also read about where he spoke about HinduMuslim unity I found countless issues that he spoke about like Diwali crackers and noise pollution gender issuesu00a0and issues relevant to todayrsquos India This compelled me to write the 40minute play Geeta Gopalakrishnan There have been countless plays and films about Mahatma Gandhi What is new and different here Usually plays and films on Gandhi are based on things that have happened years ago So while that brings nostalgia lot of people donrsquot relate to it From all the Gandhi text that I read I shunned everything that was conncted with Ahimsa because thatrsquos been done to death So I found things that are relevant today For example he said something about statues similar to the issue of statues that was raised after Mayawatirsquos elephant statues So I found many such links and put together things that we donrsquot see in Gandhi plays Whenever people or the creative medium talks about historical figures often audiences tend to get sensitive about the stuff being spoken about Werenrsquot you afraid that your play might too stir up a controversy Gandhi said something very interesting and evocative on the Parda Something which even we talk about but I laid off that subject because every faith is entitled to its belief When I used Godhra he said something so interesting that Muslims and Hindu will love it So itrsquos not controversial He said many things about the Congress but we didnrsquot go that way because we donrsquot want to stir up a controversy Tell us something about the cause behind the staging of the play Few years ago I made a shortfilm about a girl with cancer called Koel When I showed it to people it moved them It was about spreading awareness Similarly we are using this play to raise funds for cancer patients Playing Gandhi Dalip Tahil speaks The play ldquoThe play is a dialogue between Mother Earth who talks philosophically about Gandhi who was a mahatma sent to earth Then there is a narrator who represents todayrsquos times and is asking questions to Gandhi and there is me as Gandhi who is answering those questionsrdquou00a0The character ldquoIt was a huge challenge because I donrsquot look like Gandhi at all so I had to go through a major physical transformation Twice I went on a diet that I failed to followrdquou00a0 On April 27 At Taj Mahal Palace opposite Gateway of India Apollo Bandar Road Call 66653366u00a0