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Had a chance to accompany my parents in watching a play, “Kaal Chakra”.The play is one of the flagship plays of Yatri theatre group (founded by Om Katare).

The play revolves around an elderly couple, Mr.&Mrs.Inamdar(Om Katare and Paromita Chatterjee). Like most of the middle class families, they put in their entire savings in bringing up their two kids. The elder son for various reasons takes on Mr. Inamdar’s business and leads a financially struggling life. The second son becomes a manager at pharma company. The real trouble starts when the Inamdars become old. Their sons and daughters-in-law become reluctant to look after the Inamdars. The trauma of a neglected elderly couple has been superbly enacted. Their emotional pain reaches an unbearable point, after which Mr.Inamdar gives an advertisement in the paper that they are available for adoption, if any family is willing to give it a shot.

Before someone could even respond to the advertisement, their sons pack them off to an “old age home”, pitching it as a “better place”.  In the meantime, a young couple comes forward to adopt Inamdars as family members. There is a bit of happiness in Inamdars’s lives but the fact that they have spent most of their lives showering love and affection to their kids makes them yearn for a similar reciprocation from their sons who have abandoned them. The situations depicted in the play show a medley of human emotions. Many subtle aspects of human relationships are explored in the play. The performances were so powerful and touching that I could actually hear many people in the audience sobbing. Clearly a majority of audience could relate to Inamdars and situations in the play. The play does not end in a “lived happily ever after” note. It raises a ton of questions that are extremely pertinent in today’s world, a world where many people ascribe monetary value to every relationship and where every relationship has become transaction-oriented.