Andhere Mein! is a dramatic adaptation of Swadesh Deepak’s Maine Mandu Nahin Dekha, exploring the playwright’s descent into psychological fragmentation and existential despair. The play traces his battle with bipolar disorder, oscillating between moments of lucidity and madness. Act I depict his public and domestic unravelling amid hallucinations and family tensions. Act II shifts to a hospital ward, portraying his confrontation with illness, memory, and mortality through voiceovers and poetic soliloquies. Act III brings him home to a fragile recovery, blurring reality and delusion as he faces his inner tribunal. The play blends realism, hallucination, and lyrical introspection to reveal the complex intersection of art, madness, and human endurance, offering a deeply moving reflection on mental health and the creative spirit.
Writer
Swadesh Deepak (b. 1942 – missing since 2006) was a prominent Indian playwright, short story writer, and novelist known for his intense psychological realism and sharp social critique. A professor of English at Government College, Ambala, he emerged as a leading voice in modern Hindi theatre with plays like Court Martial, Sabse Udaas Kavita, and Maine Mandu Nahi Dekha. His works explore themes of alienation, class conflict, mental trauma, and the human condition in a fragmented society. Deepak’s writings bridge the personal and political, combining poetic introspection with social consciousness. His autobiographical novel Maine Mandu Nahi Dekha is regarded as a haunting reflection on madness and memory. Mysteriously, he disappeared in 2006, leaving behind a profound and unsettling literary legacy that continues to influence Indian theatre and literature.
Director
Ravi Kumar Rai is a theatre director, actor, and a Ph.D. scholar in the Department of English, Banaras Hindu University, with a research focus on theatre studies. Actively involved in theatre since 2015, he has directed and performed a wide range of plays that span classical, modern, and experimental genres. His directorial works include Gagan Damama Bajyo, Caligula, Gandhi: A Road Not Taken, Puraskar, Akashdeep, Nadi Pyasi Thi, Bade Bhai, Afsana Nigar (based on Manto’s stories), Men Without Shadows, Chandragupt, Mahamana: Dhara ke Viruddh, Samay ke Sath, Khamosh Adalat Jari Hai! and Andhere Mein! As an actor, he has performed in the Sanskrit play Malvikagnimitram directed by Pt. Kamlesh Dutt Tripathi and the Hindi play Barf.
Director’s Note
Andhere Mein! emerges from an attempt to understand the fragile boundaries between sanity and madness, art, and suffering. Swadesh Deepak’s Maine Mandu Nahin Dekha is not merely a text but a haunting testimony of a mind in turmoil—of a writer confronting his own disintegration. As a director, my endeavour has been to translate this inner chaos into theatrical language through fragmented dialogues, shifting spaces, and the spectral presence of Mayavini, who embodies desire, memory, and death. The play does not seek to offer closure but to evoke empathy and awareness about mental health, often silenced in our society. It is both an artistic homage and a human exploration of pain, resilience, and the creative spirit that survives even in darkness.
Group
Rangshala Theatre Society is an informal, student-led theatre collective of Banaras Hindu University. Though not a registered body, it functions with the spirit of amateur theatre, providing a creative space for students to explore stagecraft, performance, and dramatic expression. The society focuses on nurturing theatrical sensibilities through regular workshops, rehearsals, and performances that address social, psychological, and cultural themes. It aims to integrate theatre education with practice, helping students develop confidence, teamwork, and a deeper understanding of the performing arts. Rangshala continues to enrich the campus cultural life by staging meaningful productions and promoting theatre as a tool for dialogue and awareness.