Psychological Aspects in ‘Lalsa’ a Social Drama by Lalit Keshwan

Garhwali Drama

                          Psychological Aspects in ‘Lalsa’ a Social Drama by Lalit Keshwan

(Review of Garhwali Drama, Review of Kumauni Drama, Review of Uttarakhandi drama, Review of Himalayan language Drama)

                                                                  Bhishm Kukreti

             Lalit Keshwan is famous Garhwali poet who along with Kanhaiya Lal Dandriyal and Jaya Nand Khuksal  Baulya    brought realism in Garhwali poetry.

 Lalit Keshwan wrote dramas too. He published recently a collection of five Garhwali plays – Jai Badri Narain (2011). Lalsa is one of the plays from Jai Badri Narain.     

      Lalsa means desire.  ‘Lalsa’ drama is nearest to extreme realism in Garhwali drama or could be classified as naturalistic drama.

                  The drama is very simple and there is hardly a big twist in the play ‘Lalsa’ except in the last stage.  The story of Lalsa drama is about a migrated Garhwali family living in Delhi in poor condition. Daulat Singh is an old man and ailing for long. His son Beeru a government servant is sole runner of the family needs but his income is not sufficient to cope with the increasing financial requirement. Beeru’s young children are studying in colleges.  Beeru had to take loans from friends for running the house. Daulat Singh has a strong desire to see his village in Garhwal before he dies but due to poor condition of his son, Daulat Singh is unable to fulfill his desire to visit his ancestral place. Shila the wife of Beeru tries to accommodate the circumstances. Sheru comes to Delhi from village to watch 26^th January.  Daulat gets money. Now the drama is about – whether Daulat Singh would visit his ancestral place or not?

   Lalit Keshwan being a poet has full knowledge of human behaviors and there are psychological aspects in his realistic play ’Lalsa’

Asmus- Daulat Singh is a patient of asthma and all the time, he behaves as happens in ‘asmus’ conditions.

दौलत सिंह - (दवै की गोळि गिच्चा मा धारद अर पाणी पेंद )- यूँ दवैयुं तैं खांदु -खांदु मैनोबेटी गेन पर यू रोग बीसौ उन्नीस नि ह्व़े या दमै बिमारी दमि लेकी राली. I have been taking medicines for asthma but there is no relive for a cent.

Aboulia- Aboulia means chronic indecision, with eventual loss of initiative. There are signs of aboulia in Daulat Singh, Beeru and Shila; due to lack of money they are showing indecisiveness too.

 There are dialogues between Beeru and his wife Shila for buying a television. The question was whether buying on loan TV was right move or not. They bought TV on loan but till date the decision is not resolved.

शीला - मिं क्या गलत बोली? नौना पड़वस्यों की देळयूँ मा खड़ा रौंदा छा. ...

बीरू - यानं पढे को कथगा नुकसान होणु च, यू णि देखी.

शीला- मेरा समझणन अर न समझणन क्य होंद , जब बच्चा समझुन.

Potentiality verses Accomplishment:   The playwright Lalit Keshwan showed the problem of actual accomplishment and potentiality of accomplishment y way of direct dialogues and indirect methodology for viewers to understand.

दौलत - ब्यटा मेरी या आखिरी इच्छा च म्वन से पैलि गां देखी ल्यूं . बोली बोली मी थकीग्युं

बीरू- बाबा जी आप समझदा किलै नीन ? गौं जाणो तैं पैसा बी त भौत चयेणु च . जबपैसा ह्व़े जाला त आप तैं गाँ क दर्शन करै द्योलू

 There are dialogues following the above scene showing potentiality and the actual accomplishment.

Algedonic phase of life: Algedonic is pertaining to pleasantness and unpleasantness dimension of feeling or emotion.

  Daulat Singh sold the ‘Sagwad’ (a small land before the house and courtyard for growing vegetables) to Sheru at a reasonable price. The money would solve temporary economical problem, by all means Daulat Singh could go to his native place in Garhwal from Delhi. However, there two pains attached to selling ‘Sagwad’. Daulat Singh had to sell his ancestral land and there is another reality waiting about Daulat Singh (last part of one scene act ‘Lalsa’) which, is definitely painful for audience. 

Bond and bonding: there are many examples of bond and bonding in the drama’ Lalsa’. The bond between Beeru and his ailing father, bond between Daulat Singh and the ancestral place.

The behavior of Daulat Singh about visiting his native place is nothing but an example of bovarism too and Lalit shows the same very successfully.

Body Language: No doubt, wisely, Lalit Keshwan left space for director and performers for showing body language while playing the roles in drama.   However, most the time, Lalit Keshwan showed the body languages of characters by describing the situation and most of the time dialogues create images of body languages of the drama’s characters.

There is a scene that guests from village left the house of Beeru for watching 26^th January procession and there is scene ---

(सब लोग रोटी खैकि सेइ जान्दन .)

(रात को समय )

दौलत (खंसणु रैंद )

सुबर उठिक सब लोग तैयार ह्वेकि छबीस जनवरी द्यखणु चली जान्दन)

(सब बच्चा टेलीविजन द्यखणा छन )

(दौलत अर शेरू भैर चाय पेणा छन )

   The above scene proves the capability of Lalit Keshwan for his complete awareness about human behaviors. For example, when elders are worried or active for other jobs the children are busy in watching television. This scene is enough to show that Lalit has knowledge of psychology.

  In most of the scenes, Lalit has been successful for showing contact, contact comfort and semantic content.

  Lalit Keshwan knows the importance of values and compatibility in the social circle of Daulat Singh and the circle of his age.  

  The ‘Sagwad’ before the house of Sheru belongs to Daulat Singh and when the deal of selling ‘Sagwad’ by Daulat Singh is over. There is a talk between Sheru and Daulat.

दौलत - खैर भुला अब यो च कि हम सग्वड़ कै हैंका देंदा , त वो बि ठीक नि छौ. मोर ऐथरहैका जमीन हो त वो बि बार बार चुभणि रौंद

शेरू- हाँ , ये बात त  सच च .

  The writer is successful in showing wish and wish fulfillment aspects of life in the drama. Many times, Daulat Singh behaves non-rational too and it is the proof of Lalit Keshwan knowing human behaviors very well.

 The above examples show that Lalit Keshwan not only created a realistic drama but he has been successful in using perfect psychological aspects of characters of drama ‘Lalsa’.

‘Lalsa’ a Garhwali drama from ‘Jai Badri Narain’

(A Five Stage Plays collection)

By Lalit Keshwan

Published by Next Era Print and Publication

Delhi, India

Contact number of Garhwali Dramatist Lalit Keshwan - 092116730207

 

Review of Garhwali Drama, Review of Kumauni Drama, Review of Uttarakhandi drama, Review of Himalayan language Drama to be continued….

Copyright@ Bhishm Kukreti