Lalit Purnima: Nine events from dusk to dawn

This year, the Lalit Kala Kendra, Gurukul department of the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), will celebrate the annual Lalit Poornima Mahotsav with a unique dusk-to-dawn event titled ‘Lalit Purnima’ on Saturday, November 5, 2022, wherein the alumni of the Performing Arts centre of the SPPU will put up nine different programmes showcasing their singing, dancing and theatrical skills for the audience. ‘Lalit Poornima’ will unfold from 9 pm to 7 am at the amphitheatre or anganmanch as it is known among students within the SPPU campus. Lalit Poornima Mahotsav started from last year on the occasion of Tripurari Poornima which comes after Diwali, November 5 is also celebrated annually as the Marathi Rangabhoomi Din.

Praveen Bhole, head, Lalit Kala Kendra, said, “This year, the alumni have put together nine different performances including three musical performances, two dance recitals, two mono-acting and two plays. Among the musical performances, the evening will open with the songs of the very first Marathi drama, Vishnudas Bhave’s ‘Sita Swayamvar’. It is considered to be the first Marathi commercial play. Unfortunately, the complete story of this play is not available except for some of its verses. In 1999, the students of Lalit Kala Kendra, imagining how Bhave would have performed, staged an experiment based on this play written in 1843. Apart from the drama, the book containing some of the songs along with a comprehensive list of Bhave’s plays, will be launched as part of the Marathi Rangabhoomi Din celebrations.”

Among other performances, the students of Kathak dancer, Parimal Phadke, will put up a sangeet natak (musical play) using the classical dance form of Kathak to tell the story of cloth ‘Mi Vastravati’. Alumnus and Kathak dancer Mayur Shinde, who is part of this play, said, “Lalit Purnima is a fantastic concept and unique for we get to perform and also watch different performances from dusk to dawn which showcase different emotions. The play will be performed at night, with the darkness justifying the beauty of telling the story of cloth using mythological characters.”

Meanwhile, dancer-actor Kanchi Shinde will perform the Lavani (Marathi folk dance form). Last year, a special workshop ‘Lavani for actors’ was conducted for the drama students of Lalit Kala Kendra by Kanchi. “I was a student until last year and have seen the energy that such a programme can bring. I am looking forward to performing some Chakkad Lavani and some Aadakari Lavani,” she said while practising the ‘bol’ to the dholki.

Chinmay Kelkar, who will perform the ‘story of the lazy perfumier’ for the first time, said, “In 2000, Satish Alekar sir adapted two plays written by Alfred Farag, an Egyptian dramatist, in Marathi, and staged them with the then students of Lalit Kala Kendra.

The Lalit Kala Kendra extension programme namely, repertory, was founded with the aim of encouraging alumni across the state to showcase their talents. During the Covid-induced lockdown, there were nearly 200 performances planned through the ‘anywhere and for minimum audience’ policy. Whereas ‘Sangeet Kamali Ki Sattvapariksha’, a play currently popular all over Maharashtra and inspired by a folktale, will also be a part of the Saturday programme.