Mysuru: Seagull Theatre and Ba-Srushti will be presenting the Kannada play “Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay (Kelavu Nenapugalu)” at Bhoomigeeta auditorium in Rangayana premises in city at 6.30 pm today (July 1).

The play, based on Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay’s autobiography, is written by Vaidehi. Design and Direction is by Bhagirathi Bai.

Synopsis

The play begins with the childhood of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay in her ancestral home at Mangaluru where her mother Girijabai and grandmother are seen to have a positive and strong influence on her, apart from her teacher Margaret cousins. The three women are much responsible for the strong personality of Kamaladevi that is reflected through her actions in every phase of her life.

Later, as a young widow, Kamaladevi was encouraged by her mother to pursue higher studies and also accept the proposal of marriage by Harindranath Chattopadhyay, the famous performing artiste and brother of Sarojini Naidu. The marriage happened in spite of much opposition from an orthodox society, and later she even chose to take the bold step of divorce from Harindranath when she realised that her dignity was being harmed.

Her role as a freedom fighter, her indomitable role in the Salt Satyagraha of Mahatma Gandhi where she opposed Gandhi’s dilemma on letting women participate in Dandi March. Her role as the first woman to contest a seat in Madras Provincial Legislative Assembly, under the guidance of Margaret Cousins, and her role in reforming the Indian arts and handicrafts, the play is an amalgamation of all these facets of her life and personality, reflected through monologues of older Kamaladevi, and enactment of younger Kamaladevi and other important characters in her life and the freedom struggle.