Balwant Thakur’s Dogri play ‘Gatte-ch-Maanu’ (Man in the ditch) directed by Neeraj Kant staged here today at at Natrang studio theatre under its weekly theatre series 'Sunday Theatre' . Based on Krishna Chander’s famous Urdu classic short story ‘Khadda’, the play is a hard hitting satire on the decay of human values. Balwant Thakur has adapted it in such a contemporary manner that the audience is put to a situation in feel it as the happening of the day and much closer to their surroundings and life sufferings.
Dogri play “Gatte-ch-Maanu” shows that one and all tend to shrink their own responsibilities and work and pass it on to others. Instead they indulge in high sloganism, claiming to be the redeemers of suffering masses. This is symbolized by a person falling into a ditch whose pleas to help him come out unanswered by one and all. Different people pass by him like surveyors, youngmen, religious leaders, cops, leader in power and a foreigner. The person in distress is given different excuses for their inability in rendering help to him. The unemployed youth are unable to find out of their fixed schedule of hunting for girls. The ‘Sadhu’ showers blessings and prays for his peace in as and where condition. The police cop lodges an FIR and asks him to report to the police station. The foreigner lady enquires about his choice between India and Pakistan , which side he would like to take? The situation becomes more dramatic when a minister after a complaint from the public about the worsening of the road condition, makes a round of the area. The workers of the public works department instead of taking out the man from the ditch put wooden planks over the ditch and create a stage for minister’s public speech. Here the minister lists his development revolution and lashes at his opponents for cursing their government for political gains. The public meeting is over, the wooden planks are removed but no one pays any heed to the fallen-man in the ditch. The slogans of the upliftment of the poor fade away with the flowing dusty wind. Finally a man from the audience appears and appeals everyone to ender a helping hand to this common man who is still in the ditch despite having celebrated seventy eight years of India’s Independence. The play reflects the plight of the poor masses who continue to suffer for want of help from those at the helm of affairs.
Natrang actors who acted in the play included Neeraj Kant as Neta, Pawan Vema as Aadmi, Mohd. Yaseen as Karamchaari-1, Kartik Kumar as Karamchari-2, Aadesh Dhar as Sadhu, Aryan Sharma as Ashiq-1 and Policeman, Kananpreet Kaur as Foreigner, Kushal Bhat as Aashiq-2 and Chela.The lights were designed and executed by Neeraj Kant and the presentations were done by Adaksh Bagal.