SHIV-DHANUSH’S PERFORMANCE DISAPPOINTED THE AUDIENCE

SHIV-DHANUSH’S PERFORMANCE DISAPPOINTED THE AUDIENCE

9-MAY-ENG 4

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA----------------------------The play Shiv-Dhanush, written by Manoj Singh and Dhananjay Singh, is a very popular play that satirizes education. Manoj Singh and Dhananjay Singh are theatre artists and directors. The story of Shiv Dhanush is also very short and like a story that comes out of a bunch of grandmother’s tale.

After a long gap, the play Shiv-Dhanush was presented in the theatre under banner of Circle Theatre in Education Forum.  It was organized by Satya Charitable Trust. This play was dedicated to poet, litterateur and social worker Pawan Srivastava and a state artist and journalist Rajneesh Tripathi. BJP leader Guddu Singh Babuan, Sushil Kumar, Harsh Jain, Sachin Srivastava and Sanjay Rai inaugurated the programme jointly by lighting the ceremonial candle.

The story becomes special when they way of its presentation is excellent. Director Manoj Singh wove such a web that it spell bounded the audience. The story seemed like a common life.

The story revolves around the question of who broke the bow of Shiva and this question reaches from school children to the walls of their homes, police stations, SP offices, leaders, MPs and the Parliament House. A political Mahabharat erupts over this story of the Ramayan. An inquiry is conducted but the result is nothing and finally the court asks to find the evidence.

In fact all this mischief happens because the Principal forgot the name of the person who had broken the Shiva’s bow which exposes the education department. When the education department calls him and reprimands him and cites the possibility of losing his job, suddenly ‘Hey Ram!’ came out of his mouth and he is ready to give evidence. The play gives the message that children learn a lot from historical, cultural and educational stories under the supervision of joint family. We used to gain some knowledge which is now lost somewhere. Many relationships like Dadi, Nani, Bua, Mausi, Chachi have now vanished and so has this era of stories.

Raja Basant Bahar had made the drama beautiful with music by weaving folk tunes and children’s play songs and he also acted well in the role of a teacher. Pankaj Bhatt played the role of Principal, Nishikant Soni, Nishant Deepu, Shyam Sharmila, Laddu Bhopali and Nitish played the role of students and leaders, Anil Singh as father and Manoj Singh played a role of Education Officer. Despite mesmerizing performance, the play failed to its earlier presentations. The performance of the Shiv Dhanush disappointed the audience.

The Nagari Pracharini auditorium, silent for a long time without a play, was bustling with theatre artists and spectators after getting the news of play, the spectators reserved their seats before scheduled time so that they would not face any difficulty in watching the play but the play started one and half an hour behind the scheduled time that bored the audience. During this time, many people could not bear the long wait and returned empty handed. Anyway the play started even though it was late but the beginning of the play was lame. The group looked slack which was showing. There was a lack of rehearsal. Energy was missing in the group work. The songs sounded melodious but at times, there was a lack of harmony in them. If the body language and dialogue of the actors had reached the audience along with song, the punch of the dialogue would have been heard. Voice was not reaching the audience at the Nagari Pracharini Sabhagar. There was definitely a technical issue which should have been taken care of beforehand. Apart from this, the drama scenes on the Disk Jockey (DJ) light were not able to give the same effect that spot and body lights give.

There were invitations for the play Shiv-Dhanush in many parts of the country and this play won many awards. The audience did not think that the performance of the team from Ara, the only one from Bihar and Jharkhand to go to Bharangam under the direction of Manoj Singh would be so dull. Bollywood artist Akshar Singh who had recently come to Ara from Mumbai, after watching the play, talked about improving the technical aspects. The audience expressed happiness over the play but also expressed regret that they did not get what they had come to expect.

Shiv Dhanush, a well-intended effort undermined by a loose execution. The play was written and directed by Manoj Singh marked an attempt to revive the theatrical spirit of Ara after a long hiatus. The Nagari Pracharini Sabhagar turned into a cultural fest, graced by the presence of seasonal theatre artists and enthusiastic spectators. Undoubtedly, the moment was special for all who longed to witness the resurgence of local theatre. Manoj Singh once again ventured into the traditional narrative with Shiv-Dhanush. His direction carried emotional depth and an admirable incorporation of folk melodies. The musical arrangements by Raja Basant Bahar, especially the children’s play-songs, lent a distinctive foll-musical touch to the performance.

Several performances stood out-Pankaj Bhatt as the Principal, Nishikant Soni as the student leader and Raja Basant Bahar is the role of the teacher delivered their parts with honesty and confidence. Director Manoj Singh, portraying the education officer, also carried his character well. Yet the overall presentation lacked the impact that the audience had come to expect.

Though after a long lullaby, the play began nearly one and half an hour behind the schedule dealing the first blow to the audience’s enthusiasm. A slow and uncoordinated start failed to compensate for this delay. There was a noticeable lack of synchronization on stage. Dialogue delivery often appeared hesitant rather than confident. Comedic elements fell flat, primarily because the dialogues did not reach the audience clearly. The use of LED DJ light failed to create the immersive atmosphere that traditional spotlights or baby lights can achieve. Additionally, flaws in the sound setup further hindered the clarity of dialogues, weakening the overall experience.

Despite all odds, this play has previously been performed successfully at national forum. The underwhelming quality of this presentation likely stems from a lack of rehearsal, overconfidence or inadequate technical preparation.

Credit must be given to Satya Charitble Trust and its director Sanjay Rai for dedicating the event to the late poet and social worker Pawan Srivastava and journalist Rajnish Tripathi. The support of cultural enthusiast Guddu Singh Babuan added further strength to the initiative.

Having earned recognition on several national stages in the past, the Shiv-Dhanush holds proven artistic merit. Hence, this decline in quality should be seen as a temporary lapse not a reflection of the group’s capability. Honest criticism should not be mistaken for personal attack—it is a necessary part of artistic growth.

Shiv-Dhanush is a culturally significant play and this latest attempt to revive local theatre is commendable. However, in art, true progress is driven not by applause alone but by sincere reflection and constructive critique. Only through this lens can the theatre legacy of Ara rise once again to the stature it rightfully deserve.