BENGALURU: Around 150 years have passed since Dr Anandibai Joshi defied patriarchal conventions and became India’s first female MD and physician, but her story could still teach us a thing or two about women empowerment. With this thought in mind, writer Geeta Manek wrote the play ‘Dr. Anandibai - Like, Comment, Share’.
Married off at the age of 10 to a man 20 years older, Anandibai got pregnant two years later and her baby suffered a neonatal death.
Naman Sheth, assistant director of the play says, that while many believe Anandi’s husband was a progressive thinker but in reality, he used to beat her up. Despite the patriarchal setting of the time where girls were not allowed to go out of their home, let alone their village, Dr Anandi
persisted in her passion for medicine. “She set sail all by herself to USA to study. She became the first Indian woman to become a doctor abroad! She did not even have funds to travel but a speech she made in Serampore
College, Kolkata got her publicity, followed by funds from foreign contributors. In the play, she comes back to the present generation and the audience can judge, how much we have really changed,” adds Naman. Speaking about the psyche and the story behind the quirky title, director Manoj Shah says, “Irrespective of how much she studies, cooking good food to impress one’s husband or house guests is a compulsion even today.” While Anandi’s was an extraordinary feat, paving the way for other Indian women to view themselves beyond four walls of a house, the play asks some pertinent questions - are they entirely free from shackles of misogyny today? Are women free from the drudgery of household chores?
“Despite living in a time comparatively worse for women, Anandibai braved it all and went independently across the globe to become a doctor in 1886.
Imagine that in the 19th century,” Manoj says, adding that his vision was to speak to the the present society in a language they understand. “The audience may not want to listen to a historical story. What we are attempting, is to have the society relate to her struggles in the current context. How much have we changed? 100 years ago, women wore corsets to enhance their appearance. Even today we still do it. Women may have found a space in offices but they are still the ones to handle household duties,”says Manoj.
The play will take on June 28 at Ranga Shankara, JP Nagar at 7:30 pm. Tickets are priced at Rs 100 and can be purchased on www.bookmyshow.com.