One Man Show
A short, bald man in his eighties, wearing a white linen shirt and pants, and horn-rimmed spectacles, steps onto the stage, exuding the aura of experience, looking about the audience with wisdom. Yazdi Karangia smiles to himself.
Yazdi – (starts pacing) Valsad meri Janma Bhoomi hai, Surat meri Karam Bhoomi, aur ye Duniya meri Rang Bhoomi hai. God sends everyone with a responsibility, and I perceive mine to teach and entertain.
*Curtain unfurls*
Act 1 – Valsad maari Janma Bhoomi
Scene 1
Narrator – Yazdi Karangia, in his childhood days.
(Young Yazdi enters, hopping about the stage in shorts and a vest, watching the imaginary people around him.)
Yazdi Karangia – My father runs his shorthand classes called Cambay. Every year, for the annual day, there’d be students all over my house rehearsing. It’s my house, yet no one would give me any attention!
(Yazdi flails his hands in front of the imaginary person.) Hey! Hey! Add me to the play too!
It was finally the day of the play, and everything was a mess around me, with people running here and there. And that’s when I heard it, the whistle. The whistle would open the curtains to a new world.
(Cue whistle, Young Yazdi, jumps off the stage and starts to cry, and says between his wails) And that's when I see my dad coming towards me. He picks me up and puts me on the stage in front of everyone. Just like that!
Narrator – That was Yazdi Karangia’s first entry on the stage.
Scene 2
(Yazdi, in his teens, enters the stage in a nurse’s costume.)Yazdi Karangia – Who would have thought my very first role would be in a female-oriented drama, that too of a nurse? I shall change now. No, you know what, let’s go out like this. Let the world see I am acting in a play.
(Yazdi starts riding his cycle. That’s when he heard a few boys chasing him and calling him out. Afraid he starts riding faster.)
No! How did this happen? Run Yazdi run!! Oh, police station, thank god!
(He drops his bike and enters the station.)
Oh, the DSP here knows me. Thank goodness.
Sir, help me, some guys are after me chasing me down the road. Huh? No, no, its me, Yazdi.
(The DSP slaps Yazdi)
(Yazdi thinking) Would he believe me if I told him I am dressed up for the play? He might probably yell at me more after learning that I didn’t change. Let it be now. He has offered to drop me off in his jeep, which would suffice for the day.
(Next Day
(Yazdi is getting ready for his performance on stage, then suddenly stands up from his chair.)
What! The DSP is the chief guest today?? Oh no! I am dead. He’ll surely tell my dad what happened yesterday.
Narrator – After the play
Yazdi Karangia – Thank you so much DSP sir. I am so glad that you liked my play. Oh, such words from you mean the world, thank you.
Narrator – The DSP didn’t rat him after all.
Scene 3
Narrator - Yazdi in a college fest, Delhi.
Yazdi – I can’t believe we got 3rd position, along with the best actor award! This college fest is something, to have dignitaries like Indira Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Rajendra Prasad as their chief guests! But the highlight of my day, nah, my life, would be meeting with that strong beautiful woman, outside my green room!
She stopped me in the hallway, her eyes sparkling with tears. She told me that she really liked the play. And I could never forget that face, when she told me her husband was an alumnus of this college, and he was so excited to come back here. He brought gifts too! But before he could, he met with an accident and died. She didn’t feel like coming here! But now she is happy that she did. I am delighted that she did. Because I understand now, God must have sent me here to create stories, and make people laugh. My job is to do comedy theatre, and that’s what I shall do.
*Curtain unfurls*
Act 2 - Surat maari Karam Bhoomi
Scene 1
Narrator - Yazdi in his thirties
(Yazdi enters, with a shirt and pants on, a cleanly trimmed beard and oiled hair, with horn-rimmed spectacles.)
Yazdi Karangia – I am a teacher. Yet the world knows me as an artist. Because while teaching, I pass through the minds of the people, while acting I pass through the hearts of the people.
After the successful performance in the college fest, I was invited by numerous colleges to perform! I remember being nervous while asking my father if I can go to different cities, even different states to perform. But he has the blood of an artist. He supported me throughout.
Though what caught my attention was the esteemed Dr. Ratan Marshal, beaming with wisdom and authority. He beckoned me to sit with him. “You are doing great Yazdi,” he said. “But Yazdi remember, never yearn to earn from art. We are teachers, and that’s how we’ll fill our tummies. Through art, we’ll fulfil our souls.”
Scene 2
(Yazdi to an imaginary man)
Yazdi Karangia – In one of the college festivals, I met the disciples of the very famous Adi Marzban. Their performance and storyline were exquisite! It beckoned the artist in me. So I went to them asking, “Will you give this drama to me? I would love to perform! What? What do you mean I should go increase my height first?” (Looks at himself, then puffing out his chest, says) I can’t do anything of my height, but I give you my word, with this drama, I’ll contribute to the heights of art.”
Narrator – Those dramas went superhit.
*Curtain unfurls*
Act 3 - Duniya maari Rang Bhoomi
Scene 2
(Yazdi in his 80’s sitting on a chair.
Cue – All India Radio presents Tapitate Tapidas.
Cue – the theme song of the show.)
Yazdi – It’s been a long time since I worked with the esteemed Chandravadan Mehta on our show, Tapitate Tapidas. It ran on Akashvani for three and a half years, divided into four hundred episodes. It was one of the milestones in my life. I remember I published a few famous episodes in the book and got around 1500 books printed. Chandravadan Mehta was so mad.
(laughs) “Who reads books these days? You fool, you wasted your money!” Hurtful, yet true
Points at the audience) Someone among you asked me if I planned to write a biography. Well no! Why? One lashing by Chandravadan Mehta was enough, (laughs). But also, because I am not a writer. I am an actor. So, all there is to know about me starts with the stage and ends with the stage.
*Curtain unfurls*
Yazdi Karanjia
Yazdi Naoshriwan Karanjia is a Gujarati theatre person from India. He is based in Surat and widely noted as one of the doyens of Parsi theatre.
For more than 60 years, his troupe has performed comedy plays. With Chandravadan Mehta, he has created Tapitate Tapidas, a comedy radio series on Akashvani, which ran for more than 400 episodes. Later it was also published as a book. Some of his popular comedy plays include Bicharo Barjor, Dinshajina Dabba Gul and Kutarani Punchhadi Vanki. He rans Cambay Institute of Commerce, a coaching institute.
He was awarded with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of India, for his services in the field of the arts.
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