Monday, December 31, 2012

Dastan-e-Sedition for the Delhi Braveheart



JNUSU, GSCASH, and JNUTA will hold a march from JNU Ganga Dhaba at 8.30 pm on Dec 31 followed by a memorial meeting at 

The Munirka Bus Stop (Where the Unfortunate Girl was picked from)
New Aggarwal Sweets
Munirka, New Delhi

10.15pm, Dec 31, 2012

Dastan-e-Sedition

Directed by Mahmood Farooqui

Written by Mahmood Farooqui & Danish Husain

Performed by Danish Husain & Mahmood Farooqui

Other performers include: Madan Gopal Singh, Rabbi Shergill, Maya Rao, Parcham, and Asmita.

Please be there to express your solidarity.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Dastangoi at KidFest, Chandigarh


The Chandigarh KidFest for school children and parents
presents

Dastangoi
Storytelling in Urdu

Performed by: Ankit Chadha and Fouzia
Directed by: Mahmood Farooqui 

Date: December 22 and 23
Venue: NZCC Grounds, Kalagram, Chandigarh.
Time: Not final. It's Sunday, so be there by 3. We will, for sure start by 4.30 PM.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Dastangoi at Prithvi

Dastangoi returns with two shows to Prithvi Theatre


Chouboli 
(6 pm) 


and 


Mantoiyat 
(9 pm) 

Date: Sun, Dec 16, 2012.
Venue: Prithvi Theatre, Juhu, Mumbai
Adapted & Directed by Mahmood Farooqui
Performed by Danish Husain & Mahmood Farooqui
Tickets at INR 350-00 available at the Prithvi Box Office.

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Chouboli in Lahore

Faiz Ghar and Faiz Foundaion Trust invite you to the Lahore premiere of

Dastan-e-Chouboli
A Dastangoi Presentation

Adapted & Directed by Mahmood Farooqui

Preformed by Danish Husain & Mahmood Farooqui

on Saturday, December 08, 2012 at 6 pm

at Al-Hamrah Hall 1, Al Hamrah Complex, The Mall, Lahore, Pakistan.


Date: 8th December 2012
Venue: Alhamra Hall-1
Time: Seating @ 5:30 pm Program starts @ 6:00 pm (sharp)

LIMITED SEATS ONLY
Don’t regret later, book your seats Now!!!

Invitation Cards available at Faiz Ghar (126-F Model Town, Lahore)


For more details, contact:
Faiz Ghar: 042-35917365, 35835289
Faiza: 0334-9857864
Samiur Rehman 0321-4194241

For passes please contact Faiz Foundation: http://faizghar.net/events/dastaan-goi/

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Chouboli at Chaunsath Khamba


Aga Khan Development Network
presents

Dastan-e-Chouboli

Date: Dec 1, 2012 
Time: 6.30 pm
Venue: Chaunsath Khamba, Nizamuddin

Adapted and Directed by Mahmood Farooqui


Performed by: Danish Husain & Mahmood Farooqui

Entry open to all.

Friday, November 09, 2012

Dastangoi at Bookaroo in the City

As part of Bookaroo Children's Literature Festival,

Team Dastangoi presents

Dastan Amar Aiyaar aur Amir Hamza ke Bachpan ki

Performed by: Fouzia and Ankit Chadha
Directed by Mahmood Farooqui.

The schedule is given below:
  • Mother's International School: 10 am, November 9.
  • Jamia Secondary School: 12 noon, November 10
  • Sardar Patel Vidyalaya: 10 am, November 19.

The shows are not open to public.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Mantoiyat in DU


The Culture Council, Delhi University, invites you to 

Mantoiyat
a Dastangoi presentation on the life and times of Sa'adat Hasan Manto 

Date: October 29, 2012 
Time: 3.30 pm
Venue: Conference Centre, Behind Nirula's, University's North Campus, Delhi University, Delhi 110007

Directed by Mahmood Farooqui
Presented by Danish Husain and Darain Shahidi

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Dastan-e-Chouboli


As part of the Atelier Campus Theatre Festival 2012, we present
Dastan-e-Chouboli

Directed by: Mahmood Farooqui
Performers: Nadeem Shah and Manu Sikander Dhingra 

Date: November 5, 2012
Time: 7.30 pm
Venue: LTG auditorium, Copernicus Marg, Mandi House.

Sham-e Manto

The city of Mir Ahmed Ali, who invented the legend of Hoshruba. The city of Muhammad Ali Khan who brought alive Ayyaari in his narrative. The city that saw the master Dastangos like Muhammad Husain Jah, Ahmed Husain Qamar and Amba Prasad Rasa. That Nakhlau beckons its own child - Dastangoi.

To celebrate Sa'adat Hasan Manto's birth centenary,

LUCKNOW Society presents</ br>
Shaam-e Manto

''Mantoiyat''
The Dastangoi presentation on the life and times of the noted writer, 
makes its premiere at Dastangoi's Headquarters.

Directed by: Mahmood Farooqui
Performers: Darain Shahidi and Ankit Chadha
Date: November, 3, 2012
Time: 5.30 pm onwards
Venue: Paryatan Bhawan, C-13, Vipin Khand, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow - 10

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Chouboli in America

Here's a great example of how stories travel. A storyteller in Rajasthan told a folk tale to Vijaydan Detha. The latter wrote the story in Rajasthani. An American scholar, Christi Merrill translated the story into English, which got published in this book.
Mahmood Farooqui referred to this version of the story and put it back to life by retelling it in a once-lost art form of Urdu storytelling - Dastangoi. Now, Merrill and Farooqui meet. They read out their versions and engage with the process of storytelling to text to storytelling.
The South Asian Graduate Association, co-sponsored by the Center for South Asian Studies and the LSA Translation Theme Semester, invite you to a special reading of: Retelling a Rajasthani Folk Tale in Urdu: Dastan-e-Chouboli A Reading by Mahmood Farooqi Interspersed with English translation readings by Professor Christi Merrill
October 22, 2012 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Space 2435 North Quad

Monday, October 15, 2012

Dastangoi at Studio Safdar

Two pairs of Dastangos, trained by Mahmood Farooqui and Danish Husain, will present two dastans:

  • Bachpan ki Dastan: to be performed by Manu Sikander Dhingra and Nadeem Shah 
  • Aazar Jadoo Dastan: to be performed by Ankit Chadha and Ashish Paliwal 
Duration: 70 minutes
Date: October 20, 2012
Time: 6.30 PM
Venue: Studio Safdar and May Day Bookstore and Café
2254/2A Shadi Khampur, New Ranjit Nagar, New Delhi 110008


Studio Safdar is a small space with limited seating, so best to arrive early.
The event is not ticketed.


How to Reach: Shadipur Metro station (Blue Line) > Walk till Satyam Cinema > Take a cycle rickshaw till ‘Biyaasi number’ > May Day board next to DMS booth
Phone: 2570 9456.


Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Dastangoi Workshop in Mumbai

Dan Husain will be conducting a 
Dastangoi workshop 
in Mumbai.


Date: October 5-7
Time: 10 am
Venue:Habitat, Above Gloria Jeans, Prithvi Compound Entrance, Juhu

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Dastangoi and MaFa in the US

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The creator and director of Dastangoi, Mahmood Farooqui is on a tour to the States, and has been invited by some leading American universities to perform the lost art of Urdu storytelling.


The schedule for the next three weeks is given below:


  • September 27, 6 pm: Vandenberg Room, Michigan League, University of Michigan
  • October 5, 7 pm: Room no. 1200, Rolfe Hall, Center for India and South Asia, UCLA
  • October 6, 6 pm: The Bancroft Hotel, The Great Hall 2680 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA 94704
  • October 12, 9 pm: Capitol Ballroom, Wisconsin, Madison



Dastangoi at Teen Murti


SAHMAT & Nehru Memorial Museum & Library,
as a part of the Seminar celebrating 100 years of Manto,
present

Mantoiyat
a dastangoi presentation on the life and times of Sa'adat Hasan Manto

Date: September 29, 2012
Time: 6 PM
Venue: Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, 
Teen Murti Bhawan, New Delhi.

Directed by: Mahmood Farooqui
Performed by: Danish Husain and Darain Shahidi

Open to all.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Celebrating Manto

On the occasion of Sa'adat Hasan Manto's birth centenary, 
Team Dastangoi presents 

Mantoiyat
A Dastangoi presentation on the life and times of Manto 



Compiled by Mahmood Farooqui 
Performed by Danish Husain & Mahmood Farooqui 

Date: August 11 and August 12, 2012
Time: 7:00pm
Venue: Indian Habitat Centre
Duration: 120mins with interval

Tickets at Rs.350, Rs.250 & Rs.100
Available at the Programmes Desk from Aug.3 for IHC members only. Open to all from Aug.6

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Mantoiyat in Mumbai




Team Dastangoi premieres in Mumbai

On the occasion of Sa'adat Hasan Manto's birth centenary

MANTOIYAT

A Dastangoi presentation on the life and times of Manto

At Barry John Acting Studio, 301, Nanak Chambers, Opposite Fun Republic, New Link Road, Andheri West, Mumbai 400 053.


On Sunday, 29th July at 7.00 pm 


This is an open event but with limited seating.

Dastangoi AntiMattered



In our next round of Anti Matter we get 2 stalwarts together who have revived the art of Storytelling that was lost to us - Dastangoi

Mahmood Farooqui & Danish Husain

Mahmood Farooqui is a Rhodes Scholar, historian, filmmaker, and a Dastango. Mahmood has been a researcher as well as a practitioner and his various interests in cinema, theatre, literary Urdu and Indian history, are brought together by this form. Among his many accomplishments are co-directing the feature Peepli Live, penning the book Besieged: Voices from Delhi 1857, and reviving the lost art form of Urdu storytelling, Dastangoi.

Danish Husain is a poet, actor, theatre director, and a Dastango. He runs his own theatre and film company, The Hoshruba Repertory, and actively collaborates with Mahmood Farooqui in reviving the art form of Dastangoi. 

Today the conversation is about the revival of an ancient form of storytelling – Dastangoi, which has been honed for centuries by practitioners. It can be used to perform traditional stories and also to tell contemporary stories. Dastangoi extends the boundaries of poetic recitation and takes it to the level of performance and as a form of storytelling extends to drama through the device of using two actors.

AntiMatter on Saturday, July 28, 2012 at 8pm at Bonobo, Bandra, Mumbai. Entry Free.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Mantoiyat



Team Dastangoi presents

On the occasion of Sa'adat Hasan Manto's birth centenary

MANTOIYAT

A Dastangoi presentation on the life and times of Manto

At The Attic, Regal Building, Connaught Place

On 20th July at 6.30 pm

Limited Seating.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Dastangoi at SPIC MACAY Convention 2012


As part of the annual SPIC MACAY National Convention, 
Dastangoi visits Karnataka.

Date: May 30, 2012
Time: 1.00 PM to 2.30 PM
Venue: National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal

Dastan Mehtaab Jadu Ki
and
Dastan-e-Taqseem-e-Hind

Directed by: Mahmood Farooqui
Performed by: Mahmood Farooqui and Danish Husain

Followers across the world can enjoy the webcast at http://www.livestream.com/spicmacaymangalore

Monday, May 07, 2012

Dastangoi in Shimla

Dastangoi comes to the summer capital of British India - Shimla.

Indian Institute of Advanced Study 
invites us to perform 
Dastan-e-Taqseem-e-Hind 
as part of a three-day National Workshop,
The Nation Unbound: India in the 1940s 

Directed by Mahmood Farooqui
Performers: Darain Shahidi and Ankit Chadha

Date: May 10, 2012
Venue: Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Rashtrapati Niwas, Shimla.

Note: The performance is not open to public.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Dastan-e-Ghare Baire in Mumbai

So,  Dastan-e-Ghare Baire comes to Mumbai for the first time,

as part of the conference
Simankan: Tagore and the Boundaries of Art

The event is jointly organized by Sahitya Akademi & Jnanapravah.

Adapted & Directed by Mahmood Farooqui
Performance: Mahmood Farooqui & Danish Husain

  Date: May 04, 2012 
Time: 6.30pm 
Venue: Jananapravah, Queens Mansion, 3rd Floor, G. Talwatkar Marg, Fort, Mumbai.

Please RSVP to:
Jnanapravah
Queens Mansion, 3rd Floor, G. Talwatkar Marg, Fort, Mumbai.
+91-22-2207 2974/75

Sahitya Akademi sahitya@vsnl.net, sahitya@mtnl.net.in
+91-22-2413 5744

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Dastangoi in Chandigarh

As part of the Chandigarh Arts & Heritage Festival, Dastangoi comes to The City Beautiful with two spellbinding tales:

Dastan-e-Taqseem-e-Hind

Performed by Mahmood Farooqui & Danish Husain

Dastan-e-Aazar Jadu

Performed by Manu Sikander Dhingra & Nadeem Shah

Date: April 28, 2012

Time: 6.30 PM

Venue: Tagore Theatre, Sector - 18, Chandigarh


The event is organised by Department of Cultural Affairs, U.T. Chandigarh.

ENTRY BY PASSES ONLY
To request for passes, send an SMS to 09810057705.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Dastan-e-Ghare Baire at JNU


We present Dastan-Ghare Baire, an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's classic novel Ghare Baire as part of a two day workshop on "Challenges of Institutionalizing Women's Studies," organized by Women's Studies Program, JNU & Indian Association of Women's Studies at:

6 pm, April 19, 2012
SSS I Auditorium, JNU Campus
New Delhi

Adapted & Directed by: Mahmood Farooqui

Performed by: Mahmood Farooqui & Danish Husain

The event is open to all.

Thanks

Friday, April 06, 2012

Three Dastans in a Megapolis: Dastangoi at Prithvi

We return to Mumbai with three tales this time. The details as below:

THE INDIA FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS FESTIVAL:

DASTANGOI
(Urdu)

6 pm Show: 1 Hour 30 Minutes (No Interval)
9 pm Show: 1 Hour 50 Minutes (With Interval)

Dastangoi is a lost art form of Urdu storytelling. We present three tales, one from the classic series Tilism-e-Hoshruba, part of the longer cycle of Dastan-e-Amir Hamza, where Amar Aiyyaar, the chief trickster, enters Afrasiyab, the sorcerer king’s magical realm and slays his crony sorcerers. The second tale is a fable around the arrest of a Hakim in a fantasyland on charges of sedition. Both these tales will be performed at the 6 ‘o’ clock show.

Later for the 9 ‘o’ clock show we present for the very first time in Mumbai an adaptation of a Rajasthani folk tale, Chouboli, based on the celebrated writer Vijay Dandetha’s version. Princess Chouboli has vowed to marry only that person who makes her speak four times in a single night. A brave Thakur who shoots hundred an eight arrows everyday through her wife’s nose ring takes up the challenge. Will he live up to the challenge?

About the Group:
Dastangoi, the lost art form of Urdu storytelling, was revived in 2005 by Mahmood Farooqui under the aegis of the noted Urdu scholar SR Faruqi after the form has been extinct for more than 70 years. He was soon joined by Danish Husain, and together they have worked at reviving the form for last 7 years, including bringing topical and other folk narratives in its folds. The costumes are designed by Anusha Rizvi.

Cast :
Mahmood Farooqui
Danish Husain
Rajesh Kumar
Rana Pratap Senger

Director: Mahmood Farooqui
Costumes: Anusha Rizvi
Production & Logistics: Manu Sikander Dhingra

A Rajasthani Folk Tale & A Lost Art Form of Storytelling: Dastan-e-Chouboli

We return to Gurgaon after a successful show of Dastan-e-Chouboli at the Epicentre, Gurgaon on Feb 12, 2012. This time as part of Gurgaon Utsav organized by iamgurgaon.org

The details of the show are as given below:

Adapted & Directed by Mahmood Farooqui

Performed by Mahmood Farooqui & Danish Husain

Gurgaon Utsav When: April 7, April 25
Music acts: 7pm onwards
Entry: by Passes
Contact: 9810349056
Available at: Music Station, Galleria Market, DLF IV, Gurgaon
Where: Amphitheatre, Biodiversity Park, Mehrauli Gurgaon Road
Nearest metro station: Guru Dronacharya on yellow line

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Dastangoi at IP College for Women


Dastangoi returns to IP College for Women, University of Delhi with three tales, and two new Dastangos debuting. Please be there tom Thursday, 29th March 2012 at 12:00 pm to witness:

Dastan-e-Bachhpan by Manu Sikander Dhingra & Nadeem Shah

Dastan-e-Aazar Jadoo by Fouzia & Deepti Pant

Dastan-e-Taqseem-e-Hind by Ankit Chadha & Darain Shahidi

Directed By Mahmood Farooqui

Thank you for your support and congratulations to the new dastangos.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Dastan-e-Taqseem-e-Hind: The Partition Tale


Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar, Patron

&

Shri K T S Tulsi, President

Policy & Planning Group

cordially invite you to the launch

by Shri Kapil Sibal, Member of Parliament from Chandni Chowk and Hon’ble Union Minister for Human Resource Development and Communications & Information Technology of

Brig. (Retd.) Abdul Rahman Siddiqi’s book

“Smoke without Fire” Portraits of Pre -Partition Delhi

Foreword by Smt. Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister of NCT of Delhi

at 8:00 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012

at Azad Park (adjoining the Town Hall)

Main Church Mission Road, Near Old Delhi Railway Station, Delhi

The book launch will be followed by a Dastangoi story telling- in Urdu by Shri Mahmood Farooqui & his team, on Dilli before & after partition.

The event is open to all.


RSVP: Eileen Pereira Tel: 011 26014029

Monday, March 19, 2012

Dastan Jai Ram Jee Ki


Considering that Lord Ram is too important to be left to non-Muslims alone, the Dastangoi team has taken it upon itself to reintroduce Hindustan Jannat Nishan to the good graces of Ram Katha.

Come and earn your good Karma!

On Wednesday, March 21 at 1.45 pm

At Ramjas College Auditorium, University of Delhi North Campus, Delhi 110007.

Dastan Jai Ram Jee Ki

Based on the works of A K Ramanujan and Others

Following the First A K Ramanujan lecture by Girish Karnad

Devised and directed by: Mahmood Farooqui

Performed by Mahmood Farooqui & Danish Husain

The more detailed program is below:

INVITATION TO THE FIRST AK RAMANUJAN LECTURE AND SEMINAR


The History Society Ramjas College, University of Delhi invites you to a National Seminar, ‘Speaking with Ramanujan’, to be held in the College Auditorium on March 21, 2012, 9.45 am onwards.

This seminar is being organized in light of the recent decision of the Academic Council of Delhi University to exile AK Ramanujan’s scholarly essay, ‘300 Ramayanas’ from the Undergraduate syllabus of the University, and in appreciation of the vast range and depth of AK Ramanujan’s intellectual contributions. The seminar will underline the significance of Ramanujan’s work for the Humanities and the Social Sciences and its importance for the understanding of India’s histories and cultures.

Shri Girish Karnad will deliver the First AK Ramanujan Lecture. This shall be preceded by the screening of a documentary film ‘Kanaka Purandara’, made by Shri Karnad in 1988. This film draws heavily on AK Ramanujan’s prefaces to Speaking of Siva and Hymns for the Drowning. The screening and lecture will be followed by a discussion initiated by Profs. Kumkum Roy and Udaya Kumar, and Dastangoi by Mahmood Farooqui and Danish Husain. The day will end with Bindhumalini from Bangalore and Vedanth from Chennai singing songs written by India’s mystic poets.

This effort is generously supported by the ICHR, the IIAS, Shimla, The School of Liberal Studies and The School of Undergraduate Studies, Ambedkar University Delhi, and the Departments of History Jamia Miliia Islimia, Miranda House, Zakir Hussain College and Indraprastha College.

09:45 am: Screening of Kanaka-Purandara, Directed by Girish Karnad
10:45 am: First Ak Ramanujan Lecture by Girish Karnad
11:50 am: Seminar by Kumkum Roy & Udaya Kumar
01:45 pm: Dastan Jai Ram Jee Ki
02:30 pm: Lunch & Siesta
05:00 pm: Tea
05:30 pm: An Evening of Songs: Bindhumalini & Vedanth sing mystic poets of India.

Tuesday, March 06, 2012

Dastangoi: Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2010

Sangeet Natak Akademi, the apex National Academy of Music, Dance, & Drama presents the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, 2010 to artists with outstanding achievements in their respective fields. Mahmood Farooqui & Danish Husain get the award for reviving and putting the lost art of Urdu storytelling, Dastangoi, on the performance map.

The award ceremony will be held on Wednesday, March 07, 2012 at 5 pm at Kamani Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi.

The performance will be held on Saturday, March 10, 2012 at 4.30 pm at Meghdoot Theatre III, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi.

Entry is by invitation only. Admission cards may be collected from March 04, 2012 onwards between 11 am and 4 pm on first-come, first-served basis from Sangeet Natak Akademi, Rabindra Bhawan, Feroze Shah Road, New Delhi 110001. Enq: 011-2338 7246/47/48

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Review of Dastan -e- Ghare-Baire

Retelling Tagore’s novel in dastangoi
By Nita Vidyarti

To showcase and bring forth the “plus-points” of Kolkata and promote its image to people outside Bengal, a group of enthusiastic Kolkatans, professionals in their respective fields, decided to project the city’s image through a series of events under the name Happenings. They organised their first event in 2003. Since then a number of festivals have been organised.

Under the guidance of mentor, the Late Habib Tanvir, Happenings organised the Tagore festival in 2006. In the subsequent years, other facets of Tagore’s genius were delved into which included theatre, music and dance and a unique event in the 150th anniversary, presenting Tagore’s controversial novel Ghare-Baire ~ Home and the World ~ in the inimitable style of dastangoi.

Organised in association with Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies and the ministry of culture at the Maulana Azad Museum, the dastangoi has been a popular story-telling tradition in India since the turn of the 11th century but is now a dying art form.

Originally told in Arabic and then in Persian, the art travelled to India and was adapted in Urdu and flourished immensely because of Emperor Akbar’s personal interest in the form. The dastans were presented by dastangos, who were mimics, actors, narrators ~ basically talented elocutionists who used to recreate and mould stories while performing.

Revival in the last six years was mainly due to the effort of the famous Urdu scholar SR Faruqui and Mahmood Farooqui and also the actor, poet and Dastango Murtaza Danish Hussain.

Prevalent for centuries as the aural form, the traditional repertoire ~ the Dastan-e-Hamza ~ the traditional stories have been printed in 46 chapters and forms a treasure trove of enchanting stories. Apart from traditional repertoire, Danish Hussain and Mahmood Farooqui have experimented the style successfully with contemporary themes, works of different styles and regions and this time it was the presentation of one of Tagore’s major works in Hindi, keeping true to the style of dastangoi.

Ushering in the performance with a loud, dramatic khuda labz hain, the excitement of the style of dastangoi was initiated with a fable by the two actors dressed in white angarakhas, sitting with knees folded side by side with two silver bowls and a dastan each on the two sides. The novel was then presented in Hindi and not in Urdu for comfortable appeal adapting the translation of Surendranath Sen and Umesh Mishra.

Set against the backdrop of the Swadeshi (home rule) movement in Bengal following its sudden and arbitrary partition by the then British viceroy Lord Curzon in 1905, the Home and the World was originally published in Bengali as Ghare-Baire in 1915. The story of three friends, the novel deals with the experiences of three characters during the volatile period of Swadeshi: Nikhil a benevolent, enlightened and progressive zamindar, his childhood friend and a voluble, selfish but charismatic nationalist leader, Sandip, and Nikhil’s wife Bimala, happy at the outset in her traditional role as a zamindar’s wife but who, encouraged by her husband, steps out of ‘home’ to better acquaint herself with the world.

Carried away by Sandip’s adulation Bimala begins to fancy herself as “Mother India”. Her intoxication ends only after she has stolen money from her own house. Portraying the environment of the country of the then British Raj, the dastangos began in their traditionally assured style with chidiya choo choo nahin karti thi parinda par nahin hilata tha touching on with flattering lines tera rayat nainsukh payi phirangee tero raaj sundar sada rahio referring to the situation of “Bangalasa” (Bengal), bharat durdasa nahin dekhi jayi, the reference was with respect to the rule of Lord Curzon in 1905.

With an apology for any distortion in pronunciation Farooqui attempts in bangla aamar sonar bangla bibhajito hochhey followed by an emotional ghar kya hain, bahar kya hain, dil kya hain demak kya hain, vande kya hain mataram kya hain

The narration begins from the point when Sandip arrives with a hurah hurah and Bimala’s dialogue by Danish. Meer Taqi Meer’s popular sher parasthishkiye tak ke aye buut tujhe, nazarmein sabhon ki khuda kar gaye creates the initial attraction between Bimala and Sandip who explains that he arrives for khas kam desh ke liye. Farooqi narrates and portrays Nikhil’s role with dignity, restraint and high classicism smeared with the required emotion and profound significance. He shares the characterisation of Bimala elegantly with Danish.

Danish’s baritone in his voice, powerful throw and energetic expression as also articulation makes him as lively a Sandip, and also as a coy and coquettish but desperate Bimala.

Each glance, each gesture of the artistes were different and their facial expressions amazingly variable but wonderfully significant. Farooqui’s emphatic recitation of Vidyapati’s line e bhara bhadar maha bhadar was, however, a bit strong and clashed with the subtle nuances relevant to the original novel.

The script was interspersed with lovely shers and for those with a taste for Urdu poetry it was highly rewarding. The intense moments of the novel were not only narrated with moving emotion but were punctuated with passionate shers like hum to bujh chuke hain mujhse tapesh nahin and Faiz’s ye raat us dard ka shazad hain jo mujhse tujhse azim tar hain.

The rendition which is meant to be listened to but not spoken was extremely gripping and does not tamper either with the tradition of dastangoi or with the original novel. The Urdu poetry only enhances the appeal of the text. The artistes alternate their execution true to the Dastangoi style and captivate the niche audience from the beginning till the end.

A very important aspect of this fascinating and aesthetic presentation is that the intersection of poetry, text, narration, recitation, theatre and drama and the authentic and characteristic style is entirely different from a sruti natak and should not be mistaken as an audio play.

There was no background music. It was the high calibre of the artistes together with the beautiful ambience of the garden of the museum that made the Dastan-e-Ghare Baire a memorable experience.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Dastan-e-Ghare Baire at Friends of Books Event


A Dastangoi adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's classic novel 'Ghare Baire,' at Friends of Books' Book Swap Event. For more details please visit FOB's site.

5:00 pm Sunday, February 26, 2012
Gandhi King Plaza, India International Centre
40, Max Mueller Marg, Off Lodhi Road
New Delhi

Adapted & Directed by: Mahmood Farooqui

Performed by: Mahmood Farooqui & Danish Husain

The event is open to all. The performance premiered at Kolkata in January, 2012 and this is the first time Delhi gets to see the complete performance of Dastan-e-Ghare Baire. We performed excerpts from it at the Dastangoi book launch.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Dastangoi at LSR

Tales from the classic Tilism-e-Hoshruba as part of Dastangoi performance tomorrow Friday, February 17, 2012 at 4pm at Lady Shriram College, Kailash Colony, Delhi.

Directed by Mahmood Farooqui
Performers: Manu Sikander Dhingra & Nadeem Shah

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Dastangoi at Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2012

A Dastangoi performance tonight at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival:

9:00 to 10:00pm, Sun, Feb 12
David Sassoon Library Gardens
Kala Ghoda, Fort
Mumbai

Directed by: Mahmood Farooqui
Performed by: Usman Sheikh & Rana Pratap Senger

Be there and enjoy the tales from Tilism-e-Hoshruba!

Thursday, February 09, 2012

Dastan-e-Sedition in Jabalpur


Dastangoi revisits Jabalpur, MP. Dastan-e-Sedition and Aazar Jadoo's tale from Tilism-e-Hoshruba will be performed at:

Shaheed Smarak
Gol Bazaar, Jabalpur

at 7.00pm on Thursday, February 09, 2012.

Directed by: Mahmood Farooqui
Performers: Rana Pratap Singh, Usman Sheikh, Rajesh Kumar

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Dastan-e-Chouboli for the 1st Time in Gurgaon


On huge popular demand

The first formal Dastangoi show in Gurgaon

A repeat performance of

Dastan-e Chauboli

Adapted & Dir. Mahmood Farooqui.

Performed by - Danish Husain & Mahmood Farooqui.

Based on the version created by Vijaydan Detha.

Princess Chauboli has vowed that she will only marry a man who can make her speak four times in one night. Seventeen times twenty-four princes have tried and failed and are now rotting in the dungeon grinding fodder for horses. A brave and valiant Thakur, one who shoots 108 arrows through his wife's nose-ring every day, wishes to try his luck. What happens to him? How will Chouboli be won? Containing a story within a story within a story, some of them pan India favorites, Chouboli is a funny, bitter, sarcastic and lyrical take on Indian life. The repeat performance is happening after rave reviews and repeated requests from fans for the same. Tickets available at the Programme desk. An Old World Culture and Lata Bhasin presentation.

7.30pm Sunday, February 12, 2012
Epicentre, Apparel House
Sector 44, Gurgaon, Haryana
Tickets for INR 350.00 and INR 500.00


For online booking: http://in.bookmyshow.com/plays/Chouboli/ET00007630
For Program Desk please call: 0124 - 2715000 / 5100

Friday, January 20, 2012


It is with great pleasure that we invite you to a big milestone in the decade long modern journey of Dastangoi

The launch of DASTANGOI - The Book

in Urdu and Hindi,

by S. R. Faruqi and Shahid Amin

on 6th February, 2012

at Stein Auditorium, IHC at 7 pm,

compiled by Mahmood Farooqui and Mohammed Kazim,

In the chair, Binoo and P. C. Sen,

To be followed by a Dastangoi performance by two debutantes

And then farmaishes

Dastan-e-Sedition: An Audio Link of the Performance at IIC, Delhi


Panini Anand uploads an audio file of our performance at IIC, New Delhi on December 20, 2011 on his blog: Pratirodh

You'll find the link below the pic on the blog.

Thanks

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Dastan-e-Ghare Baire



Maulana Azad Museum & Happenings
present

Dastan - E - Ghare Baire

presented in the inimitable style of Dastangoi

by Mahmood Farooqui & Danish Husain
Adapted & Directed by Mahmood Farooqui

on Tuesday : 31st January 2012, 6:30pm
at Maulana Azad Museum
5 Ashraf Mistry Lane, Off Ballygunge Circular Rd, Kolkata -19.


Contact :
Ruchira - 9831256730
Anjum - 9831022227

There are no entry tickets for the show.