Little is known about Katsurba, the wife of Mahatma Gandhi, but on March 17, BYU- Hawaii students were able to learn about her from the play “Jagadamba,” written by Ramdas Bhatkal, performed in the McKay Auditorium. Yashodhara Deshpande Maitra, from Rochester, New York, portrayed the solo character of the one-woman play, telling stories from Kasturba’s view on how she handled the difficult situations she went through. The play has been shown in several places around the world, one being the home of Gandhi himself. Maitra said, “The Gandhi house wasn’t fancy. The sound system didn’t work, but it was the most incredible experience because on the far wall was a picture of Gandhi and behind me was a picture of Ba.” A review in the Times of India said this story is about the powerful character of Kasturba, a woman who was a freedom fighter, a daughter-in-law, a wife, woman, and a mother of children and an entire nation. Jagadamba itself means mother of the universe. Those who attended said they liked and learned from the play. “It was enlightening. It identified many different attributes,” said Dan Scott, a chemistry teacher at BYUH from Laie. “It reveals kind of the plus and minuses of the relationship that his decisions had onthe family.” Maitra performed in front of the audience with only a few props, telling the story of how Katsurba traveled to live in Africa with her husband as he worked for the rights of Indians there. The second act described their work in India, as she and Gandhi worked through nonviolent means for Indian rights. Audience members laughed when she said, “For the first time, Bapu asked a family member to stay out of jail,”and smiled when she sang “Lead, Kindly Light.”The play showed how Kasturba had to work very hard with her husband. Maitra said, “Gandhi said in his autobiography, ‘I learned satyagraha from you.’ Satyagraha literally means truth force. It means that the truth is on my side. You may put me in jail, you may punish me, but I will not lash out at you. I will stand for my principles and hope to convince you through nonviolent means. That’s how India’s independent struggles were based on, the principles of satyagraha.”Maitra began acting two years ago with no previous lessons, yet she portrayed the character well, said the Times of India. Rahul Maitra, an attorney from Kailua and also the actress’s son, said, “I had no idea about the acting, but she comes from a literary family, her mom, my grandmother, is a poet. So we grew up as really big readers. That was our family’s biggest passion, and I think that kind of morphed into the acting part of this.”Maitra also said she thought this play would be appreciated by other people. “I think this has a universal appeal. Every work of art leaves questions, leaves people thinking or disagreeing. That’s what a work of art should do. It should make you think. It should make you angry. It should make you want something.”Uploaded March 25, 2015
Writer: Rachel Reed
