SPMC students perform the play 'Pehla Satyagrahi' based on life and times of Gandhi

Recently, students of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College presented a play titled Pehla Satyagrahi on the life and times of Mahatma Gandhi . Students say that they prepared for two months for the production, and not only read books and articles, but also watched films and documentaries on Mahatma Gandhi. The play, directed by Sandeep Rawat and written by Ravindra Tripathy, was performed by over 40 students of the college's theatre society Navrang, as part of their annual day celebrations.

As it's a women's college, the male as well as female characters were played by female performers. Ramesh Chandra Gaur, director of the National School of Drama, who was among the attendees, appreciated the performances.

Anurima, who played the role of Bapu, said she read several books for a better understanding of what Gandhi was like. She says, "I was a bit nervous to do this role and perform it in front of the audience, but I was determined to do it.”
Sneha Sengupta, who played the role of Mahadev Desai , adds, "Mahadev Desai was an activist, writer, and Mahatma Gandhi's personal secretary. For me, the most difficult task was to crack a male character. The actions, behaviour, and overall temperament of my character was entirely different from my personality. However, after watching several documentaries and films I understood the character. I was quite nervous before the performance, as my character was also one of the narrators. But once I stepped on stage, it was smooth sailing from there."

Some students found it difficult to get the accent right. Tanisha, who played the role of a peasant from Champaran, shares that she struggled a little with the Bihari accent, but finally got it right before her performance. Urvashi, who played the role of Kasturba Gandhi , found it a bit difficult to relate to the character. She says, "I took the help of my mother and grandmother to prepare for this role.” Snigdha Bhardwaj, who played Pyarelal Naiyyar, adds, "I was also the assistant director of the play and so I had to balance between production and performance. I was quite nervous and excited at the same time, and was overwhelmed with the reception of our play.”