The drama ‘Andher Nagari’ was staged under the direction of Sushruta Gupta at Ravindra Bhavan on Saturday afternoon under the ‘Gamak’ series of theatre and cultural fest. Staging of the play in the afternoon in the weekend presentation was a new experiment, which was appreciated by the audience’s presence. The play, written by Bharatendu Harishchandra, was directed by Sushraupta Gupta, while the cast was presented by Children Theater Academy, Bhopal. While the play entertains the audience with laughter and jokes, it also casts sarcasm on dictators . It is shown in the play that the Guru and the disciple go on a pilgrimage and reach the city of Andher, where the value of all things is the same. Even after the Guru refuses, the disciple stops in the same city.

 

A complainant comes to the court of a foolish king, whose goat is killed by someone. The convict is captured and sentenced to death. Due to the noose size, the convict was unable to hang and, then the king foolishly decides that he should leave it and hang the noose and who ever’s size fits in will be hanged. The noose falls right into the disciple’s neck and he is picked up by King’s army men.

 

Then Guruji arrives at the appropriate time and through the disciple reaches the king to say that any person who will be hanged in this auspicious constellation will go directly to heaven. Believing his words the king himself hangs so as he can go to heaven. This drama teaches that the country in which both fools and scholars are viewed with the same eyesight will never prosper.