Every time one hears the name Malgudi, one is instantly transported to the quaint little south Indian village, rendering it not so fictitious anymore. Which is precisely what made Monk of Malgudi, a play staged in association with t2 on February 26 at Gyan Manch, a must-watch for those who love living in the throes of nostalgia.
Adapted from RK Narayan’s The Guide, the story is about Raju, played by Swarnendu Chatterjee, and his journey from being a man just out of jail to a tourist guide, going on to become a celebrity manager and ultimately a revered holy man.
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There’s the railway bookshop that helps Raju scrape a living, and the historically ‘accurate’ facts doled out by him as a guide leave tourists befuddled. Then there’s Marco and Rosie, the couple in an unhappy marriage, and Rosie’s dream of becoming a dancer. Raju ends up helping Rosie in her journey to superstardom. Soon after, tragedy strikes and as one thing leads to another, Raju is convicted for forgery. Fate, of course, has a grand plan for Raju, who gets labelled a sadhu who can perform miracles.
“We tried to show how relevant the modern classic is in today’s times,” said Arush Sengupta, the director of the play. Monk of Malgudi is the maiden venture by Illuminart, a “trust formed to promote and market independent content and artistes”.
Want to catch another show of this play? Head to Gyan Manch today at 7pm to find out how Raju goes from being the guide to the monk of Malgudi.
Riddhima Khanna
Pictures: B. Halder
