Play “Warren Hasting Ka Saand” by PU Students,Department of Indian Theatre, Directed By Kumara Varma

Kumara Varma’s Warren Hasting Ka Saand take us back to our own history. The Sepoy Mutiny and what was the origin of it, a version, which is not likely to be found in any history book. That’s because though the writer Uday Prakash had based his period play on the first Governor-General of the British-ruled India, the logic and deduction of facts is the writer’s own.
“The bull was a gift to Hastings which he took to England after his retirement along with a herd of cattle. Kept in captivity the herd did not survive. So the bull, which was the last of the herd revolts and is later shot down. Later, its fats were sold to a cartridge making company which next turned up in India and became one of the causes for the Sepoy Mutiny,” Varma gives the gist.
The story which Varma describes as ‘modern myth’ is also an endeavor to trace back the history of globalisation. “So though it has a period touch to it, the theme is quite contemporary. Though Hastings was a hard working and honest human being to start with, we are trying to show how money and unlimited power can corrupt a man,” says Varma.
So, this production with 32 students would be presented in a simple neutral setting so that the audience can relate to it. “Even the costumes will give only a hint of that era,” says Varma. This 2 hour 11 minute play will be presented in the narrative form with some dance choreography and a Kathakali dance number dotting the plot.
“Most probably this is my last production here and we want to give our best,” Varma concludes. Varma who is currently on a three-year extension in the Indian Theater Department is keen on going back to his home state Kerala and start his own theatre group there.(courtesy The Tribune)