Food for thought
Words fail me as I try to write this. I entered the auditorium with mixed feelings. For one, I had not heard about Mahadevbhai. The play was fantastic. The minimalistic backdrop added to the depth of the play. The lights shifted beautifully as the focus moved to the characters the actor portrayed. The audience left with lots of food for thought.
Swati Agarwal
Nanjundapuram
Amazing stagecraft
Saturday’s play showed us high-class stagecraft. Sound, lights, acting... everything was excellent. Jaimini’s stamina and fluidity were amazing. The play reverberates in our hearts.
Shalini Dange
Singanallur
Right perspective
Numbing, touching and spellbinding — that was Mahadevbhai. Hats off to Ramu Ramanathan and Jaimini Pathak, the creators of this wonderful experience. It was a simple but apt tribute to the Mahatma and Mahadevbhai.
Though it was a one-man show, Jaimini made us witness the various historic moments of the Indian freedom struggle.
It is difficult for many of the current generation to understand Mahatma’s intent and some of his actions, such as going on a fast over the Communal Award declared by British Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald. Mahadevbhai was a good attempt to put these in perspective and gave an insight into this period of Indian history.
Our son, Prahlad, 9, watched the show. When I was putting him to bed, he lifted his hand and tried to recollect what each finger of the hand meant and how the wrist is the power of non-violence.
The impact of the play on our child’s mind made our day.
Darshan & Preeti Konnar
Thudiyalur
Unique experience
Sit through a two-hour monologue? To go or not to go? Those were the questions in my mind. Why waste a season ticket, I thought and went to the play. It was a great decision. With minimal props, Jaimini Pathak had his audience spellbound, as he took us through India’s freedom struggle, through the diary jottings of Mahadevbhai. Unobtrusively, we were made to think about that struggle, vis-a-vis the India of today. The journey of that struggle had me in tears and filled with pride. My only regret was the absence of a young audience, the ones who can get India Shining again.
Hema Pai
Velandipalayam
A teacher like Jaimini
It was a scintillating performance by Jaimini. How we wish history is taught in school the way he did. Truly, a fabulous treat. Thank you MPTF for keeping the younger audience in mind and playing this drama close to our Independence Day.
Arun Kumar
Isha Home School
Bringing alive a legend
A monologue about a person long dead and barely heard about. What courage and confidence the director and playwright Ramu Ramanathan and Jaimini Pathak have. The positive aspects are many — the introduction with an old photograph, the way important incidents are woven in without exaggeration, and Madam Priscilla.
With minimum props, Jaimini brought alive Mahadev Desai. Like a talented dancer, who presents many characters single-handedly with a few movements and facial expressions, Jaimini brought in the Mahatma, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, B.R. Ambedkar, Nehru and, of course, his indefatigable Dadaji.
Jaimini was casual, as if he was talking to us. When Mahadev Bhai’s sudden death was enacted, few eyes remained dry.
Those who went in with some knowledge of Mahadev Desai were satisfied. Those who went in just to try their luck were overwhelmed. The MPTF team deserves congratulations for having had such faith in the spectators of Coimbatore.
B. Ramadevi
Podanur
Kid-friendly
It’s not easy to hold the attention of children without resorting to humour. Jaimini, with his 90-minute monologue did just that. My young companions, aged 14 and 11, were in rapt attention throughout and even familiarised themselves with a few Gujarati words. With ease, Jaimini made us visualise the various characters he portrayed. Mahadevbhai’s diary was a revelation of sorts.
Shanthini Rajkumar
Avanashi Road
Fascinating experience
Mahadevbhai recreated the good old times and the people of that era. The dour acts from history books were given a fresh lease of life. The glitches of the microphone were made up by a consummate performance that fascinated one and all. The anecdotes associated with the events added new dimension to this rendering. The reminder that one’s grand uncle or the other would have been associated with Gandhiji, was a wonderful finishing touch. It felt great to know Coimbatore hosted the 300th show.
Gopalakrishnan
Saibaba Colony
