Friday, June 24, 2016

Code Mantra

Code Mantra

Thakorbhai Desai Hall at Law Garden was houseful with Amdavadi audience yesterday. I saw the Gujarati world beyond the TV and Cinema, watching the Play "Code Mantra". 

What a play! The writer, director and the main actress of the play Sneha Desai, with her splendid performance hold the audience for 150 minutes. 

Based on a true story, and set up against the background of Indian Army, the play Code Mantra revolves around a court martial case of a young army officer Ashwin Rathod, charged with a murder of his younger brother Rohit Rathod who was a commando of the Rajputana Rifle. It was a beautiful narration of internal discipline and commands of the army units. 

The Colonel Indravadan Rajput, the most respected Colonel was waiting for 15 August to receive the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military award for the highest degree of valour and self sacrifice, awarded to him. He is one of the few lucky to receive the award alive. He was saved from the serious injuries of three bullets fire on him by the enemies. 

The mother of the victim (Rohit) and the accused (Ashwin) goes to the lawyer Sagun Oza to save his one son, who she feels innocent. Primafacie, it is a lost case as the actus reus was clearly proved with the act of Ashwin and there is a witness, and the mens rea could be proved easily. Rohit, the commando was unable to cope up with the extremely challenging training requested the authorities for his transfer and was willing to confide details about a firing case killing two Pakistanis across the LOC. Ashwin did it.

But Sagun Oza, one of the victims of Army training of internal ragging, tuned to a Military Law Expert took up the case, lead it and end up convicting the most unusual suspect, who gave the Code Mantra. Lieutenant Colonel Joshi, a friend of the Colonel of the Regiment Indravadan Rajput, feels Ashwin is innocent, doesn't come forward as witness, commits suicide during the trial of the case. Ashwin obeyed the command of his senior Lieutenant Chauhan to execute the Code Mantra. 

Code Mantra is one kind of punishment out side the military law book, developed as a custom as part of patriotism, an excessive of duty, not looking at the health and human aspect of the individual but in want of making the unit best, execute unethical commands of punishment over the weak through the internal hierarchy developed through army discipline. Sagun successfully defended Ashwin and uncover the face behind the Code Mantra, the Colonel Indravadan Rajput. His unjustified patriotic excess of discipline killed one commando. And that to with the hands of his elder brother. The Colonel was Court Marshalled. It was the climax of the case. 

His Param Vir Chakra was withdrawn. 
The most respected Colonel go mad under the stress of the outcome of the case. But the anti climax, Sagun is a daughter of the Colonel Indravadan Rajput and daughter-in-law of the Lieutenant Colonel Joshi. Saving Ashwin, she lost her two. She has proved that call of duty is above all the relationships.

Want to see? The next show is scheduled on 30 June

Gujarati Theatre is not famous as of Bengali. It's folk theatre Bhavai originated in 14th century was the most popular acts in villages. Sanskrit Plays were performed in temples and Royal courts. Drama entered into the land through Portuguese and British Raj. The first Gujarati Theatre was started by a Parasi travelling group in 1853. Poet Dalpatram wrote the first Gujarati play 'LAXMI' in 1850. After 163 years, the Play 'Code Manta' has proved that Gujarati language too has a power. After a very popular Gujjubhai drama, Code Mantra pulls the crowd with a theme based story with splendid performances of the all 30 characters on the stage and some behind.

I enjoyed the night show watching Code Mantra with LAXMI.

Punamchand 
24 June 2016

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