BENGALURU : It was five years ago when writer Meher Pestonji met a friend – a mother of four children, two of whom are autistic – in Mumbai, which became the foundation for her new play, Turning Point. Pestonji, a social activist who has participated in several movements and has voiced her support for the less privileged, has now come up with a story dealing with tetraplegia (a paralysis of the upper and lower body).
According to Pestonji, there is always something more than meets the eye with parents of autistic children. “When I met my friend, she told me that she and her husband had enrolled their autistic children to a senior citizens’ residence because they were concerned about what would happen to them after the couple’s death. This is a common concern of every parent with a special child. I connected with this incident because my grandson also has cerebral palsy,” says Pestonji, who later improvised the story to make the couple the centrepiece of the play.
The Red Curtain, a Kolkata-based theatre group, that is facilitating the play, features Bengaluru-based theatre persons Aswin Varrier and Tanvee Ravi, in the lead roles. Varrier essays the role of Darius, a tetraplegic, while Ravi plays the role of Rhoda, wife of Darius. According to the makers of the play, Turning Point is a story based on how Darius, an adventurous and sports-driven character, meets with an accident, leading to the breakdown of his spinal cord. The story later delves into how Darius, now diagnosed with tetraplegia, is received by family and society, and goes on to underscore the need to eliminate the taboo surrounding people with disabilities. The online play was staged to mark the ‘Spinal Cord Injury Day’ on Sept 5.
According to Ravi, Darius is the mind of the play and Rodha is the heart of it. “Rodha is jovial and brings love to everyone in the family; and that contributes to changing the mindset of other characters towards Darius. I was very moved when a tetraplegic person reacted to our online play after watching it. This kicked up real emotions within me after realising the level of impact it had on the audience,” she says.
Meanwhile for Varrier, it was the first time he was playing the role of a differently-abled person. According to Varrier, the artistes rehearsed the play remotely without too much hassle. However, what did pose a challenge was essaying the role of a tetraplegic. “As artistes, we engage our hands and legs extensively in all our performances. But playing a tetraplegic forced me to restrict my movements, which was quite difficult. Being in the shoes of a tetraplegic and being in a wheelchair for just two hours was a choice given to me. Imagine the pain in reality,” wonders Varrier.
For details on the next online show, visit The Red Curtain website.