Lalit Gupta
In a scenario where only 0.1 percent creative people get
thedistinction of being recognized in their life time, Kavi Rattan,
dueto single minded dedication, life-long commitment and passionto
his calling of heart, stands tall as a living legend in the field
oftheater.
His is a 75 year-old visage, but his eyes have the fire of
azealot; in his own words, he has lived and breathed theatre allhis
life. Kavi Rattan, for whom drama is more than a religion,rues the
commercialization that has reduced theatre from an artform to a
commodity today.
One who invigorated the cultural scene from 1970s onwardsthrough
introduction of innovative theatre language and tech-niques to
generations of young persons in two regional metrop-olis of Jammu
and Srinagar, Kavi Rattan, a very well respectedname across the
three regions of J&K will go down the annalsof history of the
state as having laid the foundation of a seriousdrama movement in
the state.
With all encompassing range of expertise as an actor, direc-tor,
playwright, set designer, music composer and light design-er, Kavi
Rattan remained and is as an institution in himself. Itwas due to
across-the-board facility in all departments of stageproduction,
followed by painstaking efforts to bring together rightkind of back
stage support team and appropriate actors that hewas able to mount
mega-productions which are still rememberedby theatre
aficionados.
A strict disciplinarian, he never compromised on selection
ofcast. Other than young persons trained by him in repertories
andworkshop, he was always looking for actors who fitted the
rolewithout fitting the mold. He selected actor from most unlikely
sta-tions and backgrounds. Many a times, a labourer from generalbus
stand, a driver, an office clerk, a peon, were selected forroles as
they fitted into the 'character'.
Kavi Rattan, a talented playwright, actor and director, wasborn
in 1940, in the family of Pandit Raghunath Shashtri, Amonghis seven
siblings, he was especially influenced by hiselder brother Rattan
Sharma, a fine actor and directorand prominent theatre personality.
Having worked asan actor from childhood, Kavi Rattan exposed to
thelocal Parsi style Rama Lila tradition, showed hispredilection
for creative expression, during his col-lege days by writing and
staging plays like KhotteSikke.
A 1965 post-graduate in English, he wasawarded the first
scholarship for theatre by J&KCultural Academy for three years
(1966-1969) toundergo academic training in theatre at
NationalSchool of Drama, Delhi. Wherefrom under the tute-lage of
Ebrahim Elkazi and others, he successfully com-pleted degree in
dramatics with specialization in direction.
During his stay at Delhi, he had the distinction of working
withprominent directors including Carl Weber (USA), Peter
Brooks(England), K N Pannikar, Ranjit Kapoor, Mohan Maharishi,Habib
Tanvir, Ebrahim Elkazi, Col Gupta (Ex. Director Songsand Drama
Division), Om Shiv Puri, Sagar Sarhadi, Sardar Gur-charan Singh,
Rajinder Nath, Suresh Bhardwaj, B V Kamath,Rattan Thayiam, Kahaniya
Lala, Ved Rahi, Shayam Benagal.He also worked with well known
actors like Uttara Baokar,Surkha Sikri, Sudha Shivpuri, Rohni
Hattangadi, Nadira ZaheerBabbbar, Om Puri, M K Raina, Manohar
Singh, Raj Babbar, RamGopal Bajaj, Amal Alana and others.
With his appointment as Drama Instructor in J&K
CulturalAcademy, Kavi Rattan, got a platform to hone and train
youngtalent by conducting repertories and workshops both at
Jammuand Srinagar. Today most of the well known theatre
personali-ties of the state owe directly or indirectly their basic
orientationto serious theatre by getting training in one of the
more than 12play-writing and 30 theatre workshops conducted by him
fromtime to time.
The ripple effect of the somber but intense personality of
KaviRattan who effectively trained scores of interested young
menand women through pedagogical exercises-succeeded in open-ing up
a new world of creative possibilities in theatre during
pre-militancy heydays of cultural efflorescence in the state. The
peri-od was also marked by founding of new theatre groups in
dif-ferent parts of the state which lead to healthy
competitionamongst these groups to vie for awards in the annual
dramacompetitions by staging meaningful and technically
competentproductions.
Kavi Rattan's pivotal contribution in conducting theatre
work-shops was not only limited to young and talented theatre
artistsbut also in holding theatre workshop in various schools,
collegesand different departments of University, that too without
charg-ing any remuneration. Invited by Sangeet Natak Academy andNSD
for participation in directors' theatre workshops and semi-nars, he
also acted as camp director of theatre workshop atManipur.
The very fact that Kavi Rattan chose to work in J&K, he
usedhis contacts to invite world renowned theatre experts to the
statewho gave lectures and demonstrations on various aspects
ofacting and theatre techniques. These personalities
includedElkazi, Nemi Chander Jain, B V Kamath, Kanhaiya Lal,
SagarSarhadi, G N Deshgupta, Sacher (USA) and many others.
In an illustrious career in the Cultural Academy where heretired
as Additional Secretary ( being denied the post of secre-tary for
not pandering to politicians of the time), Kavi Rattan'sgreatest
contribution has been in the field of direction. He direct-ed and
scripted many prestigious productions for Cultural Acad-emy.
Another significant contribution by him was founding of pio-neering
cultural Organization Bahurangi, which through itsimpressive
productions set up a benchmark for other theatregroups in the
state. "Working in semi-govt. organization like Cul-tural Academy,
had put restrictions on me with reference to the
choice of scripts that could be staged. So the 'Bahurangi'was
created and formed to stage plays which were
anti-establishment".Kavi Rattan staged more than 170 plays
in
and outside the state. Marked with a great vari-ety, where
instead of a particular style, the formfor each play evolved from
the very structureand demands of the situations. With the
result,Kavi rattan, the master theatre director can-not be
bracketed in any particular style. Healways found it redundant to
stick to a pre
decided one for a particular narrative. "Theform should emerge
out of the content organi-
cally as the best way to tell a story".Some of his notable plays
include Mohan
Rakesh's Aadhe Adhure, J C Mathur's Reed Ki Had-di, Vijay
Tendulkar's Char Din, Khamosh Adalat Jari Hai, Dinu
Bhai' Pant's Sarpanch, Sanskrit play Bhagvad Ajjukayin in
San-skrit, Hindi, Dogri, Kashmiri, Manipuri at different locations,
San-skrit play Mattvilas, Madhyam Vyayog, Badal Sarkar's Baki
Iti-has, Pagla Ghora, Juloos, Saptacus, Vallabhgarh ki Roopkah-ta,
Vijay Tendulkar's Panchi Aise Aate Hain, Gyandev
Agnihotri'sShutarmurg, stage version of Pandit Anand Kumar's Begum
KaTakiya, Fedrico Gracia Lorka's Yerma in English, Jasma,
Dogriversion of Gujrati Bhavai folk play Jasma Oden and
Thumbal-Manipuri version of Jasma Oden and Anil Barve's Thank
YouMr. Glad.
Kahani Hamri Tumhari ( a saga of India's struggle for free-dom
through stage, slide shows, shadow play, chorus, music)and Mehak
Gulab Ki ( a play based on Pt. Nehru), conceived,scripted after
thorough research and directed by Kavi Rattan,were mega
productions, which are still remembered.
As a playwright he also has written plays in Hindi and Eng-lish
dramas like Batwara, His Master's Voice, and Khilone. Hehas also
translated and adapted in Hindi and Dogri many playsof Bengali,
Marathi, Gujrati, Kashmiri, Urdu, Sanskrit and Eng-lish. ARadio and
film and TV actor, Kavi Rattan has acted in VedRahi's film Drar,
Shayam Benagal's Yatra, TV film Vapsi for Sri-nagar, to name a
few.
Kavi Rattan's latest production staged for University of Jam-mu
was Dogri version of 'Devi' (well known Bengali story) in2009.
During 50 years of dedicated service to the cause of mean-ingful
theater, he had full support of his wife Shashi Rattan, whois also
a stage actor.
He has received many citations, honours and awards froma number
of cultural organizations, NGOs and J&K Govt., includ-ing the
State Award for Performing Arts.
Talking about theatre acting, Kavi Rattan simply slams
thecurrent practice of the so-called physical acting. He finds it
lack-ing in all the subtleties and organic connections while the
atten-tion is solely on visible bodily movements and making a lot
ofnoise! He is pained by the shenanigans of the so called
presentday flag bearers of Jammu theatre. Kavi Rattan, an idealist,
whoabhors double talk and hypocrisy, rues that the gross
commer-cial interests have polluted the spirit of theatre in Jammu.
Hefeels sad that Theatre, which is being used by a few clever
play-ers as a ladder for their personal growth and gains, has not
onlysuffered a setback but failed to become integral to the
culturallife on people of J&K.
Dr. Richa Sharma & Dr Samit Sekhar
Despite continuing efforts to improve antenatal care,
theincidence of a number of adverse pregnancy outcomes,including
low birth weight, preterm delivery and birth defects,has not
diminished in recent years.
Reasons-This may in part be attributed to* an increased number
of women of advanced age at the
time of their first pregnancy* an increased number of multiple
pregnancies * a relatively increased number of high-risk
pregnancies
among women with a chronic medical
condition.Prevention-"Prevention is Better than cure"so if we
are
fully prepared prior only we can curb down such incidencesHere
we will give some tips to our readers-The first antenatal visit
usually takes place after baby for-
mation process have been completed and, therefore, is toolate to
have a substantial impact on reproductive outcome.Hence, risk
factors for adverse pregnancy outcome shouldbe addressed before
conception.
The opportunity for primary prevention, to address andreduce
risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcome beforeconception, has
led many to believe that a shift from antena-tal care to
preconception care could be the most effectivestrategy to improve
maternal and fetal outcome.
Ways followed-* Promoting healthy habits* Education of women on
pregnancy planning and the
need for antenatal care* Identification and reduction of
(modifiable) risk factors
before conception* Preconception care should not be restricted
to women;
their partners should also be involvedfor the evaluation
ofpaternal risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcome
OUT-PATIENT CLINIC FOR PRECONCEPTION CARE-Own initiative or
referral externally or from within hospital
First visit- * Medical history* Description of specific problem*
To gain additional information from doctors involved Con-
sultation of other specialities* Additional diagnostic
proceduresSecond visit-* To draw up to a multidisciplinary
preconceptional, ante-
and postnatal plan of management* Written report (for referring
specialist, own files and couple)COMPONENTS OF PRECONCEPTION
CAREPreconception care should encompass the following
four components:(1) Risk assessment: the systematic evaluation
and iden-
tification of risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcome.
Thismay require additional screening, diagnostic tests and
con-sultation with other specialists.
(2) Health promotion: couples are informed and educatedon a
variety of health-promotion issues, including periconcep-
tional folic acid supplement use, avoidance of alcohol, tobac-co
and other drugs, and proper nutrition.
(3) Intervention in order to modify or eliminate risk
factors.(4) Counseling: adequate information and counseling
allow couples to make an informed choice on whether torefrain
from child-bearing or opt for pregnancy.
Preconceptional screening questionnaire-Medical
history-Diabetes, Thyroiddisease, Asthma, Heart-
disease, High blood pressure,Deep venous thrombosis,
Kid-neydisease, SLE, Epilepsy, Sickle cell anemia,
Cancer,Reproductivehistory, Uterine or cervical abnormalities,
Twoor more first-trimestermiscarriages,Preterm delivery, One ormore
intrauterine death(s), Prior infant < 2750 g at birth,Pri-or
infant admitted to neonatalICU, Prior infant with birth
defect,Operative delivery
Nutritional history-Vegetarianism/veganism,Frequentconsumption
ofsnacks/pica, History of bulimia/anorexia ner-vosa, Specialdiet,
Vitamin supplement use, Intolerance formilk
Disease history- STD,Herpessimplex,Chlamydiainfec-tion,
Humanpapillomavirus, Viral hepatitis (or risk behavior),HIV (or
risk behavior), Occupational exposure to blood, Bloodtransfusion,
Own/work with cats, Immunity to rubella
Family history- Birth defects/genetic diseases, Related
topartner, Race
Social history/behavior risks- Alcohol use (per day), Tobac-co
use (per day), Marijuana, cocaine or other druguse, Chem-ical use
at home/work,Exposure to radiation at work, Partic-ipation in
sports, Age ? 34 years
Medication history- Use of prescription medication,Use
ofover-the-counter(OTC)Medication
Counseling-Couples should be counseled on the specific risks of
preg-
nancy based on the presence of other risk factors, which
mayinclude genetic issues or the recurrence risk of
previousobstetric complications. In recent years, more and
morewomen who have previously been told or who have assumedthat
they could never bear a child because of a (severe) con-genital
anomaly, or chronic disease (and medication use) ororgan
transplantation, are opting for pregnancy. Preconcep-tion care in
women with chronic medical conditions requiresspecial knowledge,
training and organization . This deals withthe optimal timing of
pregnancy and balancing of maternaland fetal/neonatal well-being
and prognosis.
The authors are Senior IVF consultant Gurgaon Fertility Centre,
GFCand Executive Director GFC)
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2015 (PAGE-4)
Pregnancy Preparation
PERSONALITY
HEALTHLINES
Dr.Varun SuthraThe most imperative but lesser known fact is that
a few
effortless changes in lifestyle and daily regime reduce therisk
of falling prey to various ailments by almost 90 per-cent. Ayurveda
is the most ancient discipline that makesus aware of such essential
lifestyle components. Its dis-tinction lies in principle of
preserving healthiness. Follow-ing few simple regimen modules can
save your time, ener-gy and money, which you have to spend under
compul-sion that too without any bargain at chemist shops,
hospi-tals or clinical laboratories.
Ayurveda widely classifies life into 'Sukhayu' and'Dukhayu'. An
individual free from major ailments bothphysical and mental, living
a satisfied and liberal life, enjoy-ing youthfulness, full of
energy would be considered hav-ing 'Sukhayu' whereas someone
leading an ailing life, fullof miseries and short of resources
would fall under theambit of 'Dukhayu'. Every individual aspires
for 'Sukhayu'.
Most interestingly, Ayurveda is not just a discipline ofmedicine
but an encyclopaedia oflife which provides all solutionsfor
elevating a 'Dukhayu' to'Sukhayu' and countlessresearchbased
Sutras' andShlokas have been dedicated forthat, which are the
outcome of rig-orous researches of ancientseers (Acharyas)
includingCharaka, Sushruta, Vaghbhata,Nagarjuna, Chakrapani andmany
others.
To substantiate this fact, onemost simple but
imperativeinstruction from Ayurveda textson 'AharVidhi', would be
the bestto reveal. Simply putting AharVidhi means 'How to Eat',
yesmethod of meals which is indis-pensable part of consuming
foodbut majority of people make smallmistakes here due to their
igno-rance which actually leads to bigtroubles later.
Ayurveda has very scientifi-cally and systematically shown some
very simple steps tobe followed by any individual while having
their meals irre-spective of what you eat. Do remember How you eat
ismuch more important than what you eat. Undoubtedly whatyou eat
makes you what you are but how you eat is fore-most thing to be
taken care of.
Following these simple steps on methods of mealensure mental and
physical strength, strength of tissue ele-ments (Dhatus), pleasure
of senses, complexion, goodvoice, longevity, happiness,
satisfaction, intellect, enthusi-asm and memory.
Known as 'Ahar-Vidhi' the Sanskrit Sutra from Ayurve-da
describes method of meals in few steps:
"Ushanam Snigdham Matravat Jirna Viryavirudhe Ish-ta Deshe
Ishtupkarne
Natidrutam Nativilambam Ajalpan Ahsan
TanmnaAtmanamAbhisamikhye'
Ushnam: Food should be taken warm as it stimulatestaste buds
which is most essential to trigger a better diges-tion. It enhances
the catalytic effect of digestive process,in Ayurveda terminology
it's called 'Jathragni Pradipan'.Most importantly it leads the
passing gas towards anusand that is most important for
uninterrupted digestion andsaves one from all gastric ailments. The
Ayurveda termi-nology for the process is " Vataanuloman'. Vata or
Vayu isreferred as air. Always say no to stale food.
Snigdham: Then food must have a balanced amountof 'Snigdha'-
something with oily properties. At times whenAyurveda formulations
were conceived Butter, Ghee etc.were considered must for health but
in the contemporaryera one can use different oils or butters as per
the bodydemands. A balanced amount of Snigdha providesstrength to
senses, builds up tissues and in improves com-plexion.
Matravat: Quantity or dosage is the third most impor-tant step
that has to be decided carefully by an individual.Overeating or
undereating both have adverse effects butmeals taken in an
appropriate quantity are easily digest-ed and able to reach the
anal opening without panic. It notonly maintains the normal body
temperature but also leadsto a painless digestion.
Many young men and women are often seen doingrounds of many
doctors for their skin troubles mostly foracne, but they hardly
discover that trouble lies in their howto eat. They should
understand the fact that most of thetimes their bad eating
practices are major reason for trou-bles with their face and outer
beauty.
Jirne: There should be a considerable span betweentwo meals and
the easiest measurement of the duration isgoing for next meal only
when the previous meal is prop-erly digested. Pure burps and a
sense of lightness is signof proper digestion.
Viryaavirudham: Going for right food combinations is
again another very important step. There are many
wrongcombinations like sour items with milk, radish with curd,milk
after garlic etc. are some very wrong combinationswhich must be
avoided.
Ishta Deshe-Ishtaupakarnam: Meals should beginwith grace in
order to create a quiet, calm and respectfulenvironment and should
be eaten in quiet without distrac-tion such as television, reading,
reading or excessive con-versation. It is the most widely discussed
but hardly fol-lowed instruction. Involvement of mind is equally
impor-tant in eating as the use of physical body.
Natidrutam-Naativilambam: Pace of eating againneeds to be
balanced neither one should eat rapid or inhaste nor too
sluggishly. Eating fast increases the threatof taking the
impurities like hair easily in and would notallow the eater to
enjoy the taste even. Whereas eatingtoo slowly will lead to
irregular digestion.
Ajalpan-Ahasan Tanmna: Avoid laughing or talkingwhile eating. It
has adverse effects on smooth digestion offood.
Atmanam Abhisamikhye: One must consume anyfood only in
accordance with acceptability and adaptabili-ty of body.
Ironically parents nowadays are stressing kids to learndance,
skating, aerobics, acting etc. from very early stageand invest a
lot but fail to teach this most basic principleof Ayurveda- How to
eat, whichthey have themselves for-gotten. Such an indispensable
teaching which had beenpart of ancient wisdom and well taught in
our kitchens fewgenerations back from now is slowly waning.
Salutations to the Acharyas of Ayurveda who under-stood the
significance of such vital facts and compiled allin Sutras for
ensuring a quality life.
How to eat?Saibal Chatterjee
The film's tagline says it all: All is Well is "all about
car-ing for your family". Not a bad starting point that, but
thefilm makes rather heavy weather of its voyage to its the-matic
destination.
Director Umesh Shukla works with two distinct moods- comic and
emotional. While he handles the first with afair degree of flair,
he isn't quite as self-assured with thelatter, which pushes the
drama into the domain of uncon-vincing contrivances.
So, All is Well is the kind of film that is watchable onlyin
parts. As it nears its business end - the facile climax -it takes
on unintentionally laughable overtones. This is thestory of Inder
Bhalla (Abhishek Bachchan), who hates hisfather Bhajanlal Bhalla
(Rishi Kapoor) because the latter
wants to foist his bakery on the young man, unmindful ofhis
personal ambitions.
The son is a singer who now lives in Bangkok becausehe wants to
get away from the constraints of small-townIndia. He is forced to
return home in response to a phonecall from a man called Cheema
(Zeeshan MohammadAyyub), who has over the years lent the
protagonist's bak-er-father lakhs of rupees.
The unflappable old man is unrepentant and refusesto part with
his bakery to pay off his debt.
His obduracy sparks off a comic battle of attritionbetween the
Bhallas on the hand and Cheema and hismen on the other, which plays
out in the form of a chasein which the hunted and the hunter go
around in circles.
Inder has two other stories unfolding in his complexlife. One
hinges on a mother (Supriya Pathak) sufferingfrom Alzheimer's.
The other revolves around his neglected girlfriend,Nimmi (Asin),
who is on the way to get married to anoth-er man. This story of a
man in the grip of by a negativemindset that compels him to keep
both his parents andhis girlfriend at bay is enjoyable only until
it plays up thecomic aspects of the rigmarole.
When the tale turns deadly serious in the second half,it assumes
overly moralistic proportions and loses itsentertaining edge in the
bargain.
The film's many failings are somewhat offset by thequality of
the performances, with Abhishek Bachchanpulling off the pivotal
role with some effort to spare.
The character, of course, suits him to a T because itsarc is
restricted to a set pattern into which the actor set-tles with
ease.
Rishi Kapoor is formidable as the father, conveying awide range
of emotions. The versatile Zeeshan Moham-mad Ayyub, on his part,
anchors the funny passages withcommendable aplomb.
All is Well is a well-meaning, mildly diverting trip thattends
to meander far too much for its own good, but,despite the avoidable
detours, it does manage to getsomewhere in the end. (PTI)
MOVIE-REVIEW
A trip that yields mixed results
Living Legend of Jammu Theatre
Kavi Rattan in Hindi play ‘Thank you Mr. Glad’
/ColorImageDict > /JPEG2000ColorACSImageDict >
/JPEG2000ColorImageDict > /AntiAliasGrayImages false
/CropGrayImages true /GrayImageMinResolution 300
/GrayImageMinResolutionPolicy /OK /DownsampleGrayImages true
/GrayImageDownsampleType /Bicubic /GrayImageResolution 300
/GrayImageDepth -1 /GrayImageMinDownsampleDepth 2
/GrayImageDownsampleThreshold 1.50000 /EncodeGrayImages true
/GrayImageFilter /DCTEncode /AutoFilterGrayImages true
/GrayImageAutoFilterStrategy /JPEG /GrayACSImageDict >
/GrayImageDict > /JPEG2000GrayACSImageDict >
/JPEG2000GrayImageDict > /AntiAliasMonoImages false
/CropMonoImages true /MonoImageMinResolution 1200
/MonoImageMinResolutionPolicy /OK /DownsampleMonoImages true
/MonoImageDownsampleType /Bicubic /MonoImageResolution 1200
/MonoImageDepth -1 /MonoImageDownsampleThreshold 1.50000
/EncodeMonoImages true /MonoImageFilter /CCITTFaxEncode
/MonoImageDict > /AllowPSXObjects false /CheckCompliance [ /None
] /PDFX1aCheck false /PDFX3Check false /PDFXCompliantPDFOnly false
/PDFXNoTrimBoxError true /PDFXTrimBoxToMediaBoxOffset [ 0.00000
0.00000 0.00000 0.00000 ] /PDFXSetBleedBoxToMediaBox true
/PDFXBleedBoxToTrimBoxOffset [ 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000 ]
/PDFXOutputIntentProfile () /PDFXOutputConditionIdentifier ()
/PDFXOutputCondition () /PDFXRegistryName () /PDFXTrapped
/False
/CreateJDFFile false /Description > /Namespace [ (Adobe)
(Common) (1.0) ] /OtherNamespaces [ > /FormElements false
/GenerateStructure false /IncludeBookmarks false /IncludeHyperlinks
false /IncludeInteractive false /IncludeLayers false
/IncludeProfiles false /MultimediaHandling /UseObjectSettings
/Namespace [ (Adobe) (CreativeSuite) (2.0) ]
/PDFXOutputIntentProfileSelector /DocumentCMYK /PreserveEditing
true /UntaggedCMYKHandling /LeaveUntagged /UntaggedRGBHandling
/UseDocumentProfile /UseDocumentBleed false >> ]>>
setdistillerparams> setpagedevice
