Kalpana Gagdekar's journey to Kasturba Gandhi

Kalpana Gagdekar has found her alter persona in a most unlikely character of a century ago. As she accepted the role of Kasturba in November last year and started researching on the famous, yet underrated character of Mahatma Gandhi’s wife, Kalpana discovered that she could relate to the lady much more than she would have imagined. Kasturba got married at 13, Kalpana at 15, they both had their first child before 17; their husbands propelled them to pursue their studies.

Like Kasturba could not stop her tears when her estranged son Hari came to meet her at Katni railway station; Kalpana’s tears of joy flowed uncontrolled when her 16-year-old son Tarun updated his Facebook status ‘I am proud of my mother’ after watching the play. The first public show of Kasturba, the first play by  Bapu’s closest aide Mahadevbhai Desai’s son Narayan was staged in Gujarat Vidyapeeth recently,  commemorating her 69th death anniversary. This is the first time that a play has Kasturba as the main protagonist and not the towering Gandhi.

It is poetic justice that Kalpana should play the role of Kasturba. While the struggle of Ba with her husband Mahatma Gandhi for the freedom of India was of monumental proportions, Kalpana’s ongoing movement for de-stigmatisation of Chhara community – a De-notified Tribe (DNT) is landmark in modern times. Even today, Chharas are bracketed by police as ‘born criminals’. One of the core campaigns of Bapu was uplift of marginalised communities and there cannot be a better ode to his legacy.

33-year-old Kalpana is the face of a generation of the stigmatised community that is emerging from darkness by acting – theatre and street plays. Fourteen years ago, a bunch of young Chhara activists started Budhan Theatre to channelise the energies of a victimised generation to spread a constructive message. The DNT movement gathered momentum with the runaway success of their first street play Budhan (named after a DNT from Bengal who died in police custody) in which 19-year-old Kalpana played the role of Budhan’s wife
Shyamali, in 1998.

After around 40 plays of Budhan theatre and 10 Gujarati movies in which she played short roles, this mother of two has finally come into her own as Kasturba.
She plays the role of 13-year-old adolescent Kastur to middle-aged, when she lives in South Africa. Finally, 74-year-old Ba whose resilience is tested with Gandhi in India’s Freedom struggle.

“I was not interested in Gandhi. We had been to Sabarmati Ashram a few times, but was never properly introduced to Kasturba. When I was offered the role, I didn’t realise the impact of it. For about two months, we researched every available material on Kasturba on the internet but not much was available; saw all Gandhi related movies, documentaries, read lots of books, Mahadevbhai’s diary and spent a lot of time at the Ashram. I studied how she sits, talks, her demeanour, body language. Then I spent time with some octogenarians in my building to understand how old women behave and talk,” she recalls in an interview to DNA.

Besides the inherent similarity that her physical build – small and slender – was similar, Kalpana felt it was her story. “Our thoughts and ideologies match – she would not accept anything wrong no matter what; she fought a movement with her husband and I fight the DNT movement with mine… they both lived happily through poverty and happier times… I even agree with the compromises she made for her husband and admire her for it. He took the vow of abstinence at a young age of 35. It was remarkable to single-mindedly support her husband at that age,” says the soft-spoken artist.

Resurrection of Ba
More shows are scheduled across the state in this month. After a standing ovation from the audience after the first weekend, Kalpana was overwhelmed when strangers walked up to her to congratulate her as Ba (as Kasturba was popularly addressed). Director of the play, Aditi Desai, says work is underway to translate the play into Hindi and take it across the country. “Vidyapeeth V-C Sudarshan Iyengar told me he will always address me as Ba now,” the young
artist says shyly, fidgeting with her long light hair.

In a play that has Gandhi, it is inevitable for him to overshadow other characters.
In this script, however, the most striking scenes belong to Kasturba and her first son Hari. A couple of scenes have been chopped to contain the length of the play, which runs into 140 minutes right now. However, the play keeps you hooked through six busy decades of Ba and Bapu.

One may have heard this story multiple times over, but Ba – the wife, mother, and above all a woman – has a fresh perspective to offer of history. For instance, the debate of Gandhi’s treatment of his own children, especially Hari, and how it affects his family; or his vow of abstinence and its impact on Kastur are well captured.

Even as a few scenes are extremely moving – for instance when Hari comes to meet Ba and Bapu at Katni Railway station, or a scene of Orissa where only one woman of a poor family can come to meet Ba, as they have only one Sari amongst three of them - a sharper outline of Kasturba’s character might help.

Though she defies history textbooks by emerging from the shadows of a dismissive, submissive wife of an overpowering character, few acquiesces by Kastur are unexplained. Kalpana’s acting is flawless, as is Abhinay Banker’s as Gandhi. Hemang Dave as Haribhai is particularly striking.

Shyamali to Ba
Though looking forward to the country-wide plays and the ensuing popularity, Kalpana and her husband feel their life has already changed at a very different level. She learnt how to operate a Charkha and Retiyo, and in fact now often resorts to it to control her anger. She learnt from her son Tarun how to mine Google and operate the internet when researching on Kasturba.

After a break of 14 years, without finally clearing her SSC, she is now pursing her bachelor’s in social work (BSW) from IGNOU. Though Kalpana has acted for the last 15 years, this play is totally different from earlier work she has done. “The transformation from Shyamali to Kasturba has been difficult but there is no looking back now,” Kalpana concludes.