Though we live in modern times, native wit and wisdom strike a deeper chord within us when used to tell stories, such as PRETH, written by Purva Naresh and Naresh Saxena and directed by Gopal Tewari and Purva Naresh. A simple folktale tells the story of how a Goddess agreed to follow a small tribal king as long as he did not turn around to look back at her, which would turn her into a statue. The King eventually does, tricked by the Goddess' silence, and thus begins the history of a small tribal kingdom and its ignorant and superstitious people. The autocrat rules and at his cry of 'murtivat' his people must turn into lifeless statues in order to pay respect to their Goddess.
One of the King's subjects is Alha (Rahul Sharma), living with his wife Lachhi (Trishla Patel). Alha must run for his life, as he has witnessed the killing of a beggar who dared to move during one of the 'murtivat' moments, when the courtiers turn into lifeless statues. More than that, he could not resist sneezing at one such session, and must now pay with his life. The King (Kumud Mishra), unable to trace Alha, declares him to have become a 'preth', an evil spirit, and must now go on a rampage of kidnappings, rape and murder, all to implicate Alha. Alha's friends must now find him, discover the truth, and expose the King's crimes. Would they, a superstitious and ignorant lot succeed in helping their friend? Or are they too clever to let the Kingdom fall to pieces?
PRETH is an exploration in our times of the power games played by a state that must continue to rule by all means - through lies and misinformation, by exploiting superstitions, cheap entertainment, spurious display of emotions, and eventually through brute force. By juxtaposing the fight of an individual against state persecution, the play has a universal theme, but in its style and storytelling, it retains the flavour of an Indian folk tale narrated and sung on stage with live music (courtesy a musical troupe straight from Bundelkhand) and classical dance (courtesy Purva Naresh).
Those who have seen Purva Naresh's previous play AAJ RANG HAI, can expect to see a visual treat which blends beautiful light effects with music, poetry and dance, as the former play did too though its subject could not be more different. The scenes between Rahul Sharma and Trishla Patel show finesse in acting skills, and Kumud Mishra wins applause with his monologue of self-doubt.
The costumes and set designs are colourful and elegant, and lend a rural touch to the ensemble. The music team from Bundelkhand, with the help of traditional tribal instruments, provides a very natural treat to the ears, and the music threads itself through the plot. The acoustic effects during the jungle monologue of Alha are authentic and worthy of being heard again. But the play could be shorter as it tests the stamina of the audience to sit through its rigours of over one and half hours without an Interval. PRETH reminds us to keep our common sense alive, and not be misled by inherited superstitions and manipulative leaders.
*Amit Sharma works for a knowledge consultancy firm, and writes to make it meaningful.
Though we live in modern times, native wit and wisdom strike a deeper chord within us when used to tell stories, such as PRETH, written by Purva Naresh and Naresh Saxena and directed by Gopal Tewari and Purva Naresh. A simple folktale tells the story of how a Goddess agreed to follow a small tribal king as long as he did not turn around to look back at her, which would turn her into a statue. The King eventually does, tricked by the Goddess' silence, and thus begins the history of a small tribal kingdom and its ignorant and superstitious people. The autocrat rules and at his cry of 'murtivat' his people must turn into lifeless statues in order to pay respect to their Goddess. 
