Jal Jal Mare Patang

Apurva Avsar

The Spiritual Mentor of Mahatma Gandhi

Apurva Avsar — meaning 'a rare occasion' — is a Gujarati biographical drama based on the life and teachings of Shrimad Rajchandra (1867–1901), the Jain philosopher, poet, mystic, and social reformer whom Mahatma Gandhi called his spiritual guide and refuge in moments of crisis. Born in Vavaniya, a small village near Morbi in Gujarat, Rajchandra recalled his past lives at the age of seven. He became a master of poetry, Shatavadhana (the feat of simultaneously tracking a hundred different tasks), and astrology. His fame spread across the country — yet he renounced it all, concentrating on self-restraint and the pursuit of liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. Against his own will, he married and entered business, which flourished across India and beyond, but his hours remained consumed by spiritual inquiry. Wanderers and seekers visited him constantly. The play brings together three towering figures of Jain spiritual history on a single stage — Acharya Hemchandra (11th century), Avdhut Anand Ghanji (17th century), and Shrimad Rajchandra (19th century) — tracing 2,500 years of a living philosophical tradition. Three actors perform fifteen characters in a theatrical challenge that moves from Rajchandra's childhood visions through his meetings with Gandhi in Mumbai in 1891, their searching correspondence while Gandhi was in South Africa, and Rajchandra's final renunciation. Dramatized by Raju Dave and Manoj Shah after a year and a half of research, the play premiered at Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai on 28 February 2007. It has since been performed across India and in the United States, including at the Jain Center of Southern California. A Hindi adaptation by Prayas Dave followed the same year. The subject matter is drawn from the everyday texture of society — the treatment is realistic, so that any common person can relate to how Jain culture has shaped Indian heritage, religion, language, literature, and philosophy in ways both visible and profound.

Hu Chandrakant Bakshi

I, Chandrakant Bakshi

The story of Gujarati literature's most controversial writer, told by the man himself — or rather, by Pratik Gandhi inhabiting him with a ferocity that made audiences forget they were watching an actor. Chandrakant Bakshi (1932–2006) authored 178 books, served as Professor of History, became Sheriff of Mumbai, got his short story 'Kutti' banned by the Gujarat government, publicly defied Bal Thackeray and refused to apologise, and wrote an autobiography so incendiary that parts of it could not be published. His writing style — Gujarati laced with Urdu, Hindi, and English — was as deliberately provocative as his public persona. He was, by every account, an incredible egoist. He was also, by every account, adored by his readers. Written by Shishir Ramavat and drawn from Bakshi's autobiography Bakshinama, the play premiered on 15 June 2013 at Prithvi Theatre. Manoj Shah uses a ladder throughout the production as a metaphor for Bakshi's obsession with being on top. Gandhi — years before Scam 1992 would make him a household name — delivers what CreativeYatra called a 'cautious yet fearless' performance, bringing the bold and egotist protagonist to 'flawless perfection.' This play, along with Mohan No Masalo two years later, is credited with solidifying Pratik Gandhi's reputation as an actor of immense talent.

Apoorav Khela

The Ecstatic Wanderer of Rajasthan

Apoorav Khela — meaning 'a wondrous play' — is the biography of Avdhoot Anandghanji, a 17th-century Jain mystical poet who dwelled in the forests of Rajasthan and whose name has been all but erased from the books of history. Anandghan — literally 'cloud of bliss' — was born as Labhanand, likely before 1624, and was initiated as a Svetambara monk in the Tapa Gaccha order under the name Labhavijaya. But monastic convention could not contain him. He became an avdhoot — an ascetic wanderer who had renounced all worldly attachments — and disappeared into the forests of Rajasthan, where his proximity to nature was said to pacify the beasts and make the trees sway in joy. His absence from monastic records suggests he was always an outsider, more mystic than monk. What survived is his poetry. Anandghan composed padas — devotional songs — in a mixed vernacular of Gujarati, Rajasthani, and Braj that were spontaneous, ecstatic, and radically non-sectarian. His Anandghan Chauvisi honours the twenty-four Jain Tirthankaras. His Anandghan Bahattari was transmitted orally and in manuscripts, its verses sometimes found alongside those of Kabir, Surdas, and Banarasidas. Mahatma Gandhi included one of his hymns in his prayer collection. His songs are still sung in Jain temples across India — and even appear in Digambara hymn collections, despite his Svetambara origins. The play, written by Dr. Dhanvant Shah and directed by Manoj Shah, is constructed from the anecdotes and oral traditions surrounding this enigmatic figure. Five actors — Ashok Parmar, Jay Upadhyay, Nimesh Dave, Manish Rohit, and Sagar Rawal — bring to life a man about whom barely any documented information exists. Kabir Thakore's set design and Uday Mazumdar's music carry the Rajasthani folk texture, while Rajesh Mandloi's language work ensures the dialect rings true. The play does not attempt a conventional narrative. It is, as its own programme notes describe it, 'an astonishing flight of happiness, beginning with anand and ending with Anandghan.'

Amar Fal

The Eternal Story of Raja Bharthari

He was the chosen one — a king, chosen by the omnipresent for the element that would make him immortal. The undying love for his queen made him bestow the fruit of life on her, only later to question the very meaning of life. Amar Fal is the story of Raja Bharthari, which ends as the story of Sant Bharthari. Written by Bharat Naik and directed by Manoj Shah, the play traces a king's shattering journey from royal power to spiritual awakening — from the intoxication of love and sovereignty to the stark clarity of renunciation. Bharthari has been a mystery since the 5th century. Numerous scholars have tried to decipher his works — from the Dutch in 1651 to the French in 1670 to the Germans in 1882. He formed the basis of notable thinkers' thoughts for centuries thereafter. His works have been translated into English, Greek, Russian, Marathi, Brij, and Hindi. With Kalidas as his close friend and Gopichand as his nephew, Bharthari's story becomes all the more transcendent. When the fruit of immortality reaches Bharthari through divine grace, he gives it to the queen he loves above all else — only to discover the fruit has passed through a chain of betrayals. Dejected and crestfallen, he questions everything. He watches his world burn in a towering inferno. The more he questions, the more he finds answers — answers that lead to the realisation that reality is nothing but an illusion. This realisation, dawned on a cremation ground in the company of the almighty, transforms him. He writes as he thinks — Shringar Shatak, Niti Shatak, and ultimately Vairagya Shatak — works that taught the world the fundamentals of Moksha. With Dharmendra Gohil as Raja Bharthari, Pratik Gandhi as Ashwapal, and Manoj Shah himself as Guruji, Amar Fal is a visually rich ensemble production that brings one of India's most enduring legends to the Gujarati stage.

Lakshmi Poojan

Lakshmi Poojan is a Gujarati play in two acts — 2 hours 15 minutes with intermission — written by Uttam Gada and directed by Manoj Shah, with music by Kaniya, sets by Kabir Thakore, lights by Asmite Pathare, and a cast including Pratik Gandhi, Bhamini Oza Gandhi, Satchit Puranik and Trupti Thakkar. Produced by Ideas Unlimited. The destinies of Sonali and Viraj are tied together since they were children — by a single note of one song. That note haunts them for years. Two decades later, the same note brings them back to each other, and they fall madly in love. But — yes, there is the usual but — both their families are staunch enemies. So love is in peril, and has to survive the trials and tribulations of the story. Sounds familiar? This love story is startlingly different. It is a laugh riot, a roller-coaster ride as never seen before. The stage is teeming with strange and weird characters — more than twenty-two of them. The action moves from Nal Bazar to Nepean Sea Road to New York and back at breakneck speed. There is singing, dancing, fighting, breaking arms and legs, and breaking hearts. And, somewhere in all of it, there is a race to invent something that will change the face of the planet. All this — enacted by just four actors. Love survives. The music survives. And so does the planet.

Achalayatan

Rabindranath Tagore's Allegory of Freedom

Tagore's searing allegory of an ashram so rigid that even light is forbidden entry. A young student named Panchak, unable to cope with the dead weight of rules, peeks through a forbidden window and discovers a world outside — free, simple, alive. His encounter with the untouchables beyond the walls sets him on a path of self-discovery that challenges the very foundations of the institution. When the Guruji finally arrives, he does not repair the system — he breaks it open. Adapted into Gujarati by Giridhar Kripalani under the guidance of Kaka Kalelkar, this production was Ideas Unlimited's tribute to India's first Nobel laureate. Manoj Shah spent eight months — six in study, two in rehearsal — preparing the play, calling it one of Tagore's best crafted works. The production premiered at the five-day Tagore Festival in Kolkata at G. D. Birla Sabhagar, where it was the only Gujarati-language play presented — a bold choice that brought Tagore's most scathing critique of institutional orthodoxy back to his own city, in a language he never wrote in.