Abhilash’s Mock Interview - Aspirants Season 2

Aspirants Season 2 | Abhilash’s Mock Interview

Pratik Gandhi - A Theatre Gem

Theatre is a platform to express a legion of thoughts through acting. The amalgamation of literature and performing arts is incredible, especially when it comes to transforming a literary masterpiece into a full-fledged theatre performance. To do so, it takes dedication, tremendous collective effort, and most importantly, patience. Actors who have worked as theatre artists at the beginning of their careers are more likely to succeed in the field of acting. Because at first, they understand the aura of the stage and the mood and temper of the live audience. Before the rise of Urban Gujarati cinema, theatre was one of the choices of entertainment for people. Many names come to mind while talking about theater performances. Pratik Gandhi is the most recent name and one may call him a theatre gem as he continues to shine as a theatre enthusiast even after his cinematic success. It is worth mentioning here that his love for theatre has been inevitable since his days in engineering.

In Bhavnagar, Sir Sir Sarala was a good experimental play I watched, and just like other reviewers, I stated among my friends that Pratik Gandhi would be a success in the industry. It was the first time I saw his stage performance. In 2016, it was his second-best performance in Bhavnagar while he acted in two plays, Mohan No Masalo and Hun Chandrakant Bakshi; solely performed by him.

And the rest is known to all cinema-goers. Bey Yaar and Love Ni Bhavai was a cinematic success.

Yesterday evening, it was a joyful experience to again watch him in the same plays Mohan No Masalo and Hun Chandrakant Bakshi. However it was not his first performance in Bhavnagar but for many, it was the first time that they would be watching Pratik acting live. So here are my review points.

1. Mohan No Masalo (Mohan's Masala)

This play is basically a compilation of Mahatma Gandhi's learning outcomes from his own life. It depicts the early days of Mohandas Gandhi's early childhood, his married life, his experience of going abroad on seaway, his days of studying barrister in England, the death of his father Karamchand Gandhi, his first case after being a barrister, his journey to Africa, his experience of humiliation and fight against physical violence, and so on.

Through this play, we get to know that a child's innocence and curiosity to know the truth by asking simple yet firm questions continue to grow as a virtue and become a key factor in the overall development of the personality. It is inevitable to stick to the truth in every circumstance, no matter how adverse the situations may turn.

The play has been faithful to Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography Satya Na Prayogo (The Story of My Experiments with Truth).

2. Hun Chandrakant Bakshi (Me, Chandrakant Bakshi)

Before talking about Pratik Gandhi's acting it's important to mention Bakshi Babu himself. Chandrakant Bakshi was a prolific, sharp, and brave Gujarati author who wrote masterpieces for Gujarati literature. His sense of self and me-attitude were signs of living a brave, blunt yet truthful life as a Gujarati author. His contribution to the field of literature set many milestones and inspired many young authors to write more openly in the Gujarati language.

What I loved about the play is Bakshi Babu is shown exactly as he was in his real life. The play inspires many readers to explore more about Chandrakant Bakshi. When Pratik Gandhi played Bakshi Babu it seemed like Chandrakant Bakshi himself was on the stage to talk about himself.

Through this play, I came to know many interesting facts about Bakshi Babu. Along with writing he also loved the profession of a college professor. It was a shocking thing for me that he experienced a betrayal from his close friend when he was terminated from the designation of principal; a friend who once established an institution and appointed Bakshi Babu as principal in first place. It was surprising to know that he was an ardent lover of sweets. He stayed in Kolkata for some time and it is evident that this influence of the Bengali environment is found in his writing as well. Bakshi Babu was of the opinion that every Gujarati should take military training because a fat-free and well-shaped body can make wonders in life. He himself was a marathon runner. He followed a great deal of discipline in writing. Moreover, his passion for living life in extremes is truly inspiring.

The play remains faithful to the autobiographical work Bakshinama.

If a person has a keen interest in Gujarati literature and if she's never read Bakshi then she would be missing a great deal of newness and freshness of Gujarati literature.

Thanks to Shihir Ramavat and Manoj Shah for writing and directing such a beautiful play. It was really a great feast to enjoy.

It's a lark !!!

Allegory of the Cave - Plato

Allegory of the Cave

The Allegory of the Cave, or Plato's Cave, is an allegory presented by the Greek philosopher Plato in his work Republic (514a–520a) to compare "the effect of education (παιδεία) and the lack of it on our nature". It is written as a dialogue between Plato's brother Glaucon and his mentor Socrates, narrated by the latter. The allegory is presented after the analogy of the sun (508b–509c) and the analogy of the divided line (509d–511e).

In the allegory "The Cave", Plato describes a group of people who have lived chained to the wall of a cave all their lives, facing a blank wall. The people watch shadows projected on the wall from objects passing in front of a fire behind them and give names to these shadows. The shadows are the prisoners' reality but are not accurate representations of the real world. The shadows represent the fragment of reality that we can normally perceive through our senses, while the objects under the sun represent the true forms of objects that we can only perceive through reason. Three higher levels exist: the natural sciences; mathematics, geometry, deductive logic; and the theory of forms.

Socrates explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows on the wall are actually not the direct source of the images seen. A philosopher aims to understand and perceive the higher levels of reality. However, the other inmates of the cave do not even desire to leave their prison, for they know no better life.

Socrates remarks that this allegory can be paired with previous writings, namely the analogy of the sun and the analogy of the divided line.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_cave

For More:

https://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/cave.htm

https://www.thoughtco.com/the-allegory-of-the-cave-120330

Stay tuned for more.

SK Sir Ki Class - TVF Mini Series

Hello All,

Since the air in youth is all about opening a startup and making money from the business, some of the online content has been so viral that it compels one to think again about studying seriously. It is known to all that there is no alternative to hard work. In such a scenario, one should watch the following mini-series which talks about a student not at all interested in preparing for civil service and how a dedicated teacher opens up his student's potential to hard work and perseverance.

Title: SK Sir Ki Class

Directed by: Pratish Mehta

Cast: Abhilash Thapliyal, Gagan Arora, Rajesh Jais

Year Released: 2023

1. SK Sir Ki Class | EP1 - Chakravyuh

2. SK Sir Ki Class | EP2 - Agnipariksha

3. SK Sir Ki Class | Finale - Karmyuddh

Thanks for staying tuned.

Sandeep Bhaiya - A TVF Original Series

Hello all,

You might have heard about the famous series Aspirants. Well, there was a character in that series namely Sandeep Bhaiya. Taking along his ups and downs of the preparation phase, TVF has brought a completely new series.

Openly accessible from YouTube, and from here as well. Watch and inspire.

Title: Sandeep Bhaiya

Directed By: Parijat Joshi

Cast: Sunny Hinduja, Deepali Gautam, Punit Tiwari

Year Released: 2023

1. Sandeep Bhaiya | New Web Series | EP 01 | Mulyankan

2. Sandeep Bhaiya | New Web Series | EP 02 | Decision Making

3. Sandeep Bhaiya | New Web Series | EP 03 | All In

4. Sandeep Bhaiya | New Web Series | EP 04 | Comfort Zone

5. Sandeep Bhaiya | New Web Series | EP5 Finale | Believe

These fictional characters can be viewed as the voice of many students and aspirants who are preparing for different civil services exams or feeling anxious about their careers. In this info exploding era, one must choose what content to view and relate to.

Thanks for staying tuned.

Literary Criticism - Reading Resources

Hello all.

This blog will be useful to literature students, teachers and readers who are teaching, learning and having a keen interest in literary criticism. Please treat this blog page as an open reading resource to access the PDFs and their links mentioned herby.

Note: All the reading resources updated here are already available for download. Further links will be updated.

Roland Barthes

From Work to Text Explained - Click Here

From Work to Text Full Essay PDF - Click Here

From work to text full essay PDF - Click Here

Annotated text PDF - Click Here

simplified version of the essay with explanation PDF - Click Here

I. A. Richards

Principles of Literary Criticism (1930) PDF - Click Here for essay "The Imagination"

New Criticism (For Overview of two critics) - Click Here

F. R. Leavis

Reality and Sincerity - Click Here

The Living Principle: English as a Discipline of Thought PDF - Click Here Visit Page 125 for the essay.

W.K. Wimsatt Jr. and M.C. Beardsley

Intentional Fallacy PDF - Click Here

Northrop Frye

Fables of Identity PDF - Click Here Visit the index part of the book for the essay.

Thank You !