-GlobalBihari bureau
New Delhi: The Father of our nation Mahatma Gandhi’s life and teachings transcend the constraints of time and space. The mega play Bapu Ab Bhi Jinda Hain is about Bapu’s sacrifices, his belief in Truth, his advocacy of Ahimsa or non-violence, his satyagrahathat still continue to influence political leaders and movements till date. All these attributes make Bapu very relevant and contemporary. He thus still remains alive in our collective conscience.
The one and half hour long mega drama has about 100 artists playing different prominent historical characters of that era. The play extensively uses lights and sound format with 3D animation. It is written by journalist, anchor and playwright Pratibimb Sharma and directed by eminent theatre director Kunwar Shyamendra Singh. Well known actor, Padmashree Manoj Joshi, who has acted in over 123 films and in several Hindi, Marathi and Gujarat plays, has the important role of narrator (Sootradhar) in this play.
Bapu Ab Bhi Jinda Hain touches upon the significant aspects of Gandhi’s life since his birth and the incidents that contributed to the making of a Mahatma who is also known as the father of modern, Independent India.
Bapu had turned India’s freedom struggle into a mass movement that was not meant just to get the country liberated from the shackles of British rule, but also to introduce a system which could ensure that the benefits reached the poorest of the poor (Antyodaya).
Bapu’s non-violent movement led to India’s Independence but the efforts to reach out to the most needy in society fell short.
Addressing a press conference here today, the union minister of state for steel, Faggan Singh Kulaste, told mediapersons that the mega play, ‘Bapu Ab Bhi Jinda Hain’ also propounds the interminable efforts of the Modi government to fulfill that dream of Bapu and to keep his ideals alive, ever since it came to power five years ago.
Whether by making Bapu the brand ambassador of Cleanliness or of the Ujjawala Scheme initiative to provide relief to poor and uneducated women, the Modi government has tried to keep Bapu alive.
Bapu’s India resides in the village and it was his view that the government should make its policies by keeping the village and village farmers at the center. Bapu’s idea of village development was to achieve Gram Swaraj, which would finally lead to Ram Rajya. To realize this dream of rural development, the Modi government launched one of the biggest financial inclusion initiatives in the world, the Jan Dhan Yojana which ensured that farmers’ bank accounts were opened. The Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, started payment of Rs 6000 to the farmers. Many more such initiatives have since been launched by the Modi government.
Bapu used to talk about 400 million Indians. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too talks about the 125 crore countrymen and by doing this, our Prime Minister is not only taking the country on the path of development but also accentuating the relevance of Bapu in contemporary world. This shows that Bapu is still alive in our collective conscience and he will remain alive.
