Charitable feat

Jasma Odan, a Bhavai musical folk play from Gujarat directed by R. Shanker, was performed at the Emirates Theatre from April 4-6 and hopes to raise around Dhs 40,000 for charity.

The drama group will be donating all profit, less expenses, to the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre.
The production took approximately six months to reach the stage, which included special accessories ordered from India. Musicians were present on stage singing traditional Gujarati songs, with music arranged by Satish Gadagkar.

Said R. Shanker: "This play has been a team effort. The casting process was long and tedious, but the end result was visible. This is the first time we have undertaken a fund-raising project and we hope to raise Dhs 40, 000 in charity." He said the final figure would take a week to calculate.

Members of the audience displayed mixed reaction to the play. Reema Sabri, a secretary, said: "The performance was splendid, but the play seemed to drag a bit. After a point the folk songs didn't seem entertaining."
The team will soon start work on their latest production, Othello, which will be presented in English and Urdu.