A still from the play
Bhagwan said the villagers labelled the boatman a lunatic, but now, years later, he understands him, as he also finds great joy in nature and in conversing with bees and butterflies. He has stopped going to work, instead imagining children playing in the deserted park where he sits by himself, “speaking to the birds”. The play begins like a whisper. A corner apart from the main stage is suddenly brought into relief. Yellow lights overhead come to life, and a man named Bhagwan is seen murmuring to himself, and then gently swaying to some music which only he can seem to hear. A cinematic beginning that immediately commands your attention. Bhagwan then narrates the story of his village boatman who used to claim that he could speak to birds. He was ostracised soon after. This foreshadowing by actor Kartik Pandey, who essayed Bhagwan, suggests that perhaps he is about to meet a similar fate as the boatman. The evocative and haunting monologues of Bhagwan make us wonder – are these the ravings of a mad man, or timeless pearls of wisdom?
