How 'Des' explores information, biases and the idea of nation with satire

A moment from the play

In the current climate of flag-waving nationalism, fake news masquerading as facts on forward messages and chest-thumping bigotry, it can be easy to lose sight of reality. Lost in our echo chambers, we don't wish to open the window and see what's happening, believes theatre practitioner Rasika Agashe. In her theatre company Being Association's play, Des, four characters find themselves on the eve of India's Independence, grappling with information, biases and the idea of a nation. Will they open the window to reality?

Written by Abhishek Majumdar, Des is a satirical take on today's "post-truth" India. Agashe, who set up the theatre group with her partner and actor Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, shares that the script found its way to them as part of their competition. "I felt this was an important play that needed to be staged in these times," she tells us.

Rasika Agashe

True to its premise, the production premiered last month, on the eve of Independence Day. It opens with four characters, including a husband-wife duo, in Delhi. "The husband is not ready to believe that India is free. The play captures how the common man grapples with propaganda," the artiste elaborates.

While narrating a fictional tale from 75 years ago, the script dives into questions that still plague us - what is freedom, what is a nation, and how do you choose between the imagined community that is the nation and the belonging that you feel towards people in your vicinity. The play poses these questions with a heavy dose of satire. "There comes a point after which the situation becomes so intense, that you can only laugh about it. The play takes people on a journey of the events unfolding in our society, while making them laugh," she notes.

On September 10; 6 pm
At Lé Chakallas Studios, Andheri West.
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Cost Rs 300 onwards