Cast : Dharmendra Gohil, Mansi Joshi and Disha Savla
TABIYAT Story :
TABIYAT: A Musical Journey to Health and Healing
Written by Sachit Puranik and directed by Manoj Shah, TABIYAT has been keeping the audience mesmerized with an intense foray into human complexities over health, wellness, and human existence. The very title, "TABIYAT" meaning "nature, temperament or disposition," serves as a reflection of the multimedia journey into the fabric of multifaceted aspects of our being.
Beyond the letter of the word, TABIYAT explores very interestingly all that is love, from romantic passion to philosophical existent. The piece unfolds as a triangular affair between the desire of the body for survival, the mind's desire for stasis, and the soul's quest for transcendence.
Further, TABIYAT describes the dynamic relationship between the audience and the performers. Together, they woo the muse of drama in an effort to contain her within the boundaries of space and time. The relationship between the audience and the players forms a specific triangle that determines the play.
Such ancient healing practices as Qigong, pranayama, and Ayurveda have inspired this play, which gives human form to the seven major body organs: brain, lungs, liver, bladder, kidneys, heart, stomach, and intestines. These characters-or rather, the organs-move about asking each other where TABIYAT, the life force, has vanished.
Using music, drama, and storytelling, TABIYAT brings attention to the prosaic depletion of the Divine Feminine. Weaving together ancient tales like that of Upakosha and her suitors of yore, it solidifies its key messages on modern research in health, wellness, and nutrition by paying close attention to themes around soil health and its relationships to planetary and bodily health.
Set against the backdrop of modern-day contemporary Mumbai, TABIYAT masquerades as an investigative musical. An unnamed disease spreads through the city with women losing their reflections, while men lose their erections. This alarming symptom is an indication of a greater crisis unfolding within the society - urgent attention to greater medical scrutiny and revaluation of the health stock of the country is required in this hour.
Along with Dharmendra Gohil, Mansi Joshi, and Disha Savla, TABIYAT seems to be a thought-provoking and emotionally charged theatrical experience.