Old stone mansion" by Mahesh Elkunchwar

"Old stone mansion", a play, by Mahesh Elkunchwar, translated from original Marathi 'Wada Chirebandi (वाडा चिरेबंदी)' to English by Shanta Gokhale. This book is published by Seagull in 2004 and has 72 pages. This book was recommended by my father. 

Patriarch of a respected, but almost broke, family is dead. His second son and daughter in law arrive from Bombay. The play is about perspectives of family members towards each other, society and their own future, their relationship with each other and their opinions against the harsh reality of dwindling monetary situation and need to spend for the sake of appearances, social status and prestige. It's the story of transformation of a once wealthy Brahman family in a town in Vidarbha staying in a huge 200 year old stone mansion and hollowed economic situation. 

When you read a play, the characters and their relations with other characters are not explained by author like in a novel. Here these things are slowly unveiled through the dialogues. That's the beauty of play.

There are a number of tiffs in the play. Rich and poor, city and town dwellers, deshasta and koknastha, young and old, opportunists and naives etc. There is love between the family members but it is time and again measured with the economic yard stick. 

Characters are rich. Blind and deaf grandmother who is stuck in time and calls her son. Mourning, loving Aai whose opinion does not count, Bhaskar the opportunist elder brother who is not able to retain the lifestyle, Vahini his wife, Parag their son who is in bad company, Ranju their daughter who is dreaming about acting in films, Sudhir the middle son who works in Mumbai, Anjali his Koknastha (A Brahman sub cast) wife, Chandu the youngest son ordered by all and Prabha their sister who has been subjected to injustice. 

The character of Vahini (Eldest daughter in law of the family) is most interesting. She demonstrates a lot of shades. She is responsible, works a lot, keeps her husband in check, adores her brother in law, keeps ordering her youngest brother in law, is blindsided with her love for her children and can't see the inevitable, has taken control of the house. Probably the most developed character.

Translation is OK. In some cases it is a transliteration rather than translation. For example Vahini keeps saying 'pest'. I wondered why she uses the word out of context. Then I realized that probably the original Marathi play used the expression 'jalla (जळ्ळं)'. Also the change in spoken Marathi in Warhad and in Kokan that shows the tiff in family is lost in translation.

It's a powerful play of transitions and lack of adaptability. I have not watched this play on stage but it was one of the classics. It was revived recently and is running currently.

Special mention should go to the title of the play, both original and translation. It's so perfect that there couldn't have been a better name. The name says it all. 

Read the original in Marathi. Or better watch it.