The One Act Play "Matsyagandhi" by Sajitha Madathil

                         The One Act Play  Matsyagandhi     by  Sajitha Madathil 

                       

  A Short Biography of Sajitha Madathil :

"Matsyagandhi" was written by “Sajitha Madhathil ”, who is active in the Malayalam (Kerala) theatre and feminist. She was one of the Abhinethri (actress), the first women’s theatre group in Kerala. Sajitha Madathil is a veteran Indian film and theatre actress. She was born to Chandrashekharan Menon and Savithri at Tanur.She completed her early education from Kozhikode and later got a Masters degree in Theatre from Rabindra Bharathi University in Kolkata. She was always influenced towards theatre and had a keen interest in acting. She is a form of a living legend and has seen the transition from theatre to the cinema and has experienced both. She also got the Best Supporting Actress Award from Asiavision and Kanal Vayala Puraskaram for contribution to Malayalam Theatre.She was never an aggressive woman who loved the spotlight, but she always loved what she did and always did it with complete dedication.She had no one of the acting backgrounds in her family but did wonders in the films as well as theatre. After the inspiration she got from the University, she directed a drama “Matsyagandhi” which earned her many praises. After that, she never looked back and went on to direct as well as acted in various plays. In the times when women working were not even in the picture, she achieved a lot. Rabindra Bharathi University not only gave her experience in her working field but also gave her life partner in the name of Robin D’Cruz whom she met during her post-graduation. They have a beautiful son Aromal. Her career was going well at the theatre level, but she wanted more out of it. She started her quest of working in the mini-screen with a serial by Sara Joseph. Her one of the famous works includes Marthandavarma, which was telecasted on Doordarshan. This serial gave her fame and introduction in the people house. Her acting was loved by everyone and eventually got an offer to work in a cinema. She made her debut in the movie Nizhalkoothu directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, which is considered as an evergreen movie. She also directed various documentaries and short films. Ottomandaram is also one of her famous work. She once directed 75 episodes of Pen Malayalam documentary. She is an icon to many new directors and actors. In 2000, she won Kerala State Television Award for the best current affairs program and also won Best Children’s Documentary Award by Kerala State Council. She worked as a producer in Kairali TV from 2000-2002.Before coming in film line, she did various great plays like Aashad ki Ek Din (1993), Beauty Parlour (1999), Guardians of Deep (2002).  She is a lecturer and theatre expert at the National Institute of Integrated Learning and management in New Delhi. She is always treated with a huge amount of respect due to her mild and simple yet smart personality. She also used to work as Deputy Secretary at Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi till 2014. She did numerous films like Adimadhyantham, Ivan Megharoopan, Nadal, Nilam and much more. One of her famous work was the movie Shutter. The movie was a super hit, and the role of Sajitha was tremendous. 

 Summary of the Matsyagandhi :

"Matsyagandhi" is one-act play about the travails, problem and challenges of the fishing community in the age of globalizations. The play Wright portrays the lives of the fishermen, their problems at sea, challenges at the fish market and threats and they have to face the mechanized fishing motor boats and trawler nets in the backdrop of globalization.

The one-act-play "Matsyagandhi" deals with the plight of the lives of fishermen. Fishing is the big trade many poor people eke out their livelihood on it. Their lives are prone to tension and fear as a natural calamity such as cyclone will drag them to the roads, sometimes.
The writer portrays the hardships of the fisherman’s lives, their conventional ways of fishing and the financial difficulties faced by them because of modern changes in it. The story is a dramatic monologue. A fisher woman enacts on the stage and narrates her hardships to the audience. Their problems are compared to the stench of the fish.
The scene shifts from one place to the other. The sea shore, harbout, boats, market and ships find description in the one-act play. The advancement in fishing gives way to the rise of commercial boats and ships. The fisherman who eke out their living on the conventional mode of fishing can’t digest the changes, they undergo financial difficulties.

Urbanization led to establishment of colonies and construction of house. Manu ponds and lakes have disappeared in town and cities giving place to houses. The disappearance of water had affected fishing community. There came a lot of change in the lives of the fisherman with the advent of motor boats. They led a peaceful life. Though they were poor, they were happy and peaceful. The woman feels happy with the news of harbor. She hopes that the people on the shore will get jobs at the harbor and at the big hotels.

The women stands at the shore and recollects her memories with her mother. She makes a comparison between their present lif es and past lives. Their source of income is uncertain. Sometimes they are forced to bear the stench of the unsold fish. When the price falls down their financial difficulties increase.    Sometimes the woman is seen at market place. She explains the hardships faced by her at the place. They are affected by the arrival of trawler boats and foreign vessels. There are many instances of fisherman being killed by the rage of th sea. The tittle of the play “Matsyagandhi” is based on Satyavathi who was the adopted daughter of a fisherman. She earned reputation as a holy woman whose son, Vyasa was fathered by a wandering sage, Parashara. Since she has the smell of fish she is known as Matisya Gandhi. There is an element of irony in the story as the pathetic lives of the fisherman don’t match with Satyavanthi’s life in the original story. Their lives are tragic.