Aadyam returns to the capital with musical tale of bygone era

Traversing seven decades through engaging anecdotes that chronicle time, relationships and culture, Purva Nareshs "Bandish 20-20000 Hz" is all set to open the 2017 edition of "Aadyam" in New Delhi.

"Aadyam" is the Aditya Birla Group's theatre initiative and its third edition will feature five new productions spanning a myriad of genres. "Bandish 20-20000 Hz" will see three performances over May 27 and 28 at the Kamani Auditorium here.

"A senior yesteryear singer is to be awarded during a ceremony in a small village to commemorate her 70-year career. She is joined by another senior artist of a different discipline and two contemporary singers. Through the exchange of their anecdotes, interspersed with songs that drive the story forward, 'Bandish 20-20000Hz' explores the complexities and compulsions of relationships," Aadyam artistic director Divya Bhatia informed IANS.

"Through these stories, we look at how things that were once dear to us may over time become redundant or inconsequential. How the politics of relationships function and make us function. How humans are often governed by their pride or ego," Bhatia added.

"Bandish 20-20000Hz" is a story of a nautanki singer and a baithak (classical) singer. Both performers relive their glory days and have witty anecdotes to share. These are stories of escapes from kings' palaces, slapping British officers, getting kidnapped by the local rangeeley zamindars, refuting lovelorn Nawabs and getting duped by charming and conniving men in the name of love and marriage.

Each anecdote is accompanied by a musical and a dance number, and is an exploration into time and seeing things with a revived and perhaps revised perspective.

"It is a play about four artistes, two of whom are yesteryear singers from different disciplines. As they reminisce and dwell in some alluring nostalgia, they also work through human politicking, generational and cultural gaps with the other two young artistes, as the younger ones are affected by the conversations between them. They travel through time via their stories and look through life and relationships with some renewed perspective," director Purva Naresh said.

Sticking to her forte, Purva's play will have a good mix of music ranging from nautanki and baithak to a lively Bombay (now Mumbai) ditty that dates back to the time of the Raj.

--IANS

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