A consummate storyteller, Dr Mohan Agashe recalls how he first watched Grips plays and then thought of staging them in India, specifically Pune and in the process grooming a young generation of theatre artists — who are now veterans and household names.
“The journey began in 1970s when Pune was known for Ghashiram Kotwal (the play), Shaniwarwada, Parvati and Osho,” says Agashe, on his return from Berlin, Germany where he was invited to attend the 50 years of Grips Gala.
THE INDO-GERMAN ASSOCIATION
In the ’70s, any German or French dignitary visiting Pune, made it a point to watch the path-breaking play — Ghashiram Kotwal. “Merkel, who was the director of Max Mueller Bhavan, Pune wrote a letter to the authorities in his country that the play should be invited to be staged in International Theatre Festival. In 1979, I was first invited to watch the festival and for a discussion. I had no money then. So I took a cheap air ticket of (Rs 6,400) Polish airline, which went to East Berlin. I travelled Mumbai-Warsaw and from Warsaw to East Berlin and then I crossed over to West Berlin. In that visit, I first heard about Grips,” reminisces Agashe.
But before he embarked on the Grips journey, he, Satish Alekar and Theatre Academy worked on bringing German plays to Pune. “Max Mueller Bhavan said that if we did German plays, they would support us, sponsor us. At that time, Brecht plays were performed all over India. Satish decided to work on the then German contemporary play. He liked Tankred Dorst’s Curve at the Wall (which referred to the Berlin Wall). He used the crux of the play to talk about urban and rural wall, and the curve indicated the curve/turn at Bor Ghat, where the vehicles would break down in old days. He wrote two long act plays, Bhint (wall) and Valan (turn/curve). That was the period when Shrirang Godbole (called Ranga in theatre fraternity) and his contemporaries joined Theatre Academy. Satish worked with these youngsters in Bhint and Valan,” he adds.
The team also adapted Flood, a play by Gunther Grass, another German writer. It had a successful run as Mahapur. “We were doing well, riding high on Ghashiram’s success. Around the same time, Volker Ludwig, who initiated Grips movement, was in India, conducting theatre workshops. I was the liaison person. And, that’s how we met,” says the actor, who was the recipient of The Cross of Order Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz) from The President of Federal Republic of Germany.
MEETING OF MINDS
Agashe and Volker met and bonded over Shaniwarwada and Ganesh idols. “Volker was a little frustrated with the exercise. I could sense it and I told him to talk about his work for children with teachers here. We didn’t speak about theatre during his stay. Instead I showed him around Shaniwarwada, Saras Baug and Dharavi’s leather market in Mumbai. He also saw how Ganesh idols are made and fell in love with the god. He has a collection of about 40 such idols and every time someone visits him from India, he asks the person to bring along Ganesh idols,” Agashe says with a smile.
In 1984-85, Agashe went to Germany to see the Grips plays and the awe and pride he felt them on watching the productions still resonate in his voice. “I saw the process of two Grips plays. I also watched all the Grips plays. One was based on Euripedes’ Medea. Like we have Sanskrit scholars Bana and Bhavabhuti, Euripedes was a scholar too. In the play, Jason falls in love with Glouga, have two kids and then drift apart. Jason falls in love with another woman and the kids watch their parents bicker. The word ‘separation’ falls on their ears and the kids start playing their own game of ‘separation’, dividing toys and books. There is an au pair girl to take care of them. She tells them, ‘You have your lives. Why spoil it (because your parents don’t get along?). I thought it was such an important line. In India, mothers are made to feel guilty about going to work,” he exclaims.
That was the first Grips play staged by the Indian artists. Writer Volker and director Wolfgang Kolneder’s play touched a chord with all. “Wolfgang helped Ranga adapt the play in Marathi. It’s called Chhan Chhote, Vaait Mothe. Vibha (actor Vibhawari Deshpande) was seven when she watched the play. I told Maneesha Dixit, her journalist mother, that she should get along her daughter to watch the play. Today Vibha and Ranga are the strongest pillars of this movement,” Agashe says with a twinkle in his eyes.
THE PRESENT TIMES
From 1986-96, Theatre Academy initiated and supported Grips movement. In 1997, Maharashtra Cultural Centre took over. “Grips is now 35 years old and Vibha and Ranga have done a lot to take forward the movement, which ‘entertains kids and educates adults’. When Grips started, it was a different world. Now times have changed. The movement too has undergone transformation. Volker has now retired, so to say. He is in the consultant’s role. Stefan Fischer, Lutz Huebner had stints at Grips after him. The focus is now on youth because there are hardly any writers for children’s theatre,” says Agashe, a wistful note creeping into his voice.
Agashe also took a backseat around 2014. “Michael Flucht, head of Max Mueller Bhavan identified Lutz Hubner for Author Project. And, he asked me for names from our side. I recommended Vibha and Ranga and the result was Du & Me. Lutz came down to Pune and the trio gelled. They zeroed down on kids going on foreign exchange programme. Lutz did the German version Guest is God. They have now worked on youth radicalisation and we have the play Y in Marathi and Paradies in German. Both the plays will be staged in the city this month,” he adds.
At the 50th year celebration, Maharashtra Cultural Centre’s Jamba Bamba Boo was performed. But the thrust was on a symposium on children’s rights in keeping with the changing times.
