Gazab Kahani, a comic play about friendship between an elephant and mahout staged in Jaipur

Theatrical adaptation of

Jose Saramago

’s novel, ‘

The Elephant’s Journey

’, play titled Gajab Kahani by Mohit Takalkar was staged as part of Navras, a performing arts festival at

Jawahar Kala Kendra

in Jaipur. The play has been adapted by

Amitosh Nagpal

.

The story is set in 1551 and follows the transcontinental journey of Solomon, an Indian elephant and its mahout Subhro as they proceed through various landscapes at an unhurried pace, attended by functionaries and military men. On their journey, they also meet villagers and townsfolk who variously interpret the sudden enigma of an elephant entering their lives. The play aims to lend insight into Solomon’s heart. Throughout the trip, the elephant tries to please Shubhro and their emotional bond becomes one of the many delights of the play.

The cast of the play included Geetanjali Kulkarni, Ajeet Singh Palawat, Nakul Bhalla, Alap Vaidya, Anand Potdukhe, Anuj Deshpande, Ashish Pathak, among others.