An ode to India's literary gurus on Tagore, Manto's birth anniversaries

Rabindranath Tagore

Their writing is cherished for the sensitivity it brought to the portrayal of the human condition. Far ahead of their time, they held a mirror up to the society and strove to unshackle the human mind from regressive beliefs. And as a matter of coincidence, while Rabindranath Tagore was born on May 7, Saadat Hasan Manto's birth anniversary falls on May 11.

To celebrate the two literary icons, Katha Kathan, an initiative by Jameel Gulrays, 67, to bring people closer to Indian languages through literature, is organising a baithak. "Gurudev and Manto are my favourite writers. For the last three years, we have commemorated their birth anniversaries through stage shows and other events. This year, we decided to host an open mic in the form of a baithak, where participants can submit their story titles and the duration of their dramatised reading, two days ahead of the baithak," says Gulrays, who has been an advertising professional for 48 years.

Saadat Hasan Manto

The submissions received thus far include Shiksha (Punishment; in Marathi) and Aparichita (in Hindi) by Tagore, and Tangewale Ka Bhai, Tobatek Singh (in Marathi), Khol Do and Bhangan by Manto. Gulrays will be reading 15 very short stories by Manto, too.

Each Katha Kathan session takes place simultaneously in Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow and Allahabad, and is broadcast through Facebook Live and YouTube. In fact, when Naseeruddin Shah came across a video of Gulrays's reading of lesser-known essays by Ismat Chughtai, he contacted him to finalise the script of his latest tribute to Chughtai, which included many of these essays.

Jameel Gulrays

"I have been worried about Indian languages being reduced to dialects. I am not talking of the near future. But think of it this way - schools and parents discourage children from speaking in their mother tongue, and gradually, even everyday words are being replaced by their English counterparts. Young people take pride in not being able to speak in Bengali or Marathi," rues Gulrays, "Our dream is to have a chapter of Katha Kathan in every village and town of India."

ON May 5, 5 pm
AT Flat 2C, Bharti Bhavan, SV Road, Khar West.
rsvp 9821144203 (limited seats) Email kathakathans@gmail.com

Also attend
Ank Theatre's Ravindranjali, a presentation of Rabindranath Tagore's poetry and songs translated in Hindi.
ON May 6, 7 pm AT Kreating Charakters, near Four Bungalows, Andheri West. Log on to bookmyshow.com Entry Rs 249

Bebaak Manto, a solo performance by Daksh Vashisht that weaves together some of the writer's stories on prostitution.
ON May 11 and 13, 8.30 pm
AT CLAP Center, opposite Infiniti Mall, Malad West.
log on to bookmyshow.com Entry Rs 300

Her Letters, based on Tagore's short story, Streer Patra. The play will be followed by a Q&A with director Sharmistha Saha.
ON May 12, 4 pm (for ages 15 and above) AT Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Byculla. log on to bookmyshow.com Entry Rs 200

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