'Dnyanoba Maazaa' a two act play based on the life and times of 13th century saint-poet, The Divine Shree Dnyaneshwar Maharaj (Shree Mauli)

The life and times of 13th century saint-poet, the Divine Shree Dnyaneshwar Maharaj(Mauli) and his family has been a continuous source of inspiration for many a creative minds, resulting in various forms of literature ranging from poetry to short stories to novels and biographies. The sparse utilization of the dramatic medium is thus quite perplexing. The tranquility and composure with which Shree Mauli and his family face the conflicts and strife in their lives is an immensely potent matter for a rich theatrical play. This glaring need for an enriching drama was astutely noted by visionary-saint, philosopher and freedom-fighter, the late Shree Mamasaheb Deshpande. An ardent devote and humble student of Shree Dnyaneshwar Maharaj and his philosophy, Shree Mama was an accomplished dramatist himself. Having had the opportunity to direct 19 plays, he had a keen sense of the stage and was a master of all the nuances of the theatrical medium. Shree Mauli's life had quite captured his vivid imagination and almost 40 odd years ago, he wrote a four-act play called 'ChaitanyaChakravarti' ('Supreme ruler of the primordial energy'). This epic drama has been succinctly converted into a two-act play 'Dnyanoba Maaza' ('My very own Dnyanoba—'Dnyanoba' a pet term frequently used to convey affection and fondness for Shree Dnyaneshwar Maharaj) and recently presented on stage.

India is a land of saints and enlightened souls. They performed the unenviable task of molding and cajoling the society towards a heightened sense of morality and the individual towards self-attainment. They bore the message of fraternity, humanity and equality and traveled across all barriers of civilization like gender, race, caste, creed, language and nationality. Saints from different eras created stability, peace and a strong social order. Shree Mauli is rightfully considered the epitome, the Emperor of all saints. Concerned individuals of all generations sense a definite level of discomfort at the lack of individual integrity, a rapid decline in mass morality and feel that there is a distinct need for the philosophy and teachings of Shree Mauli. It is with this broad sense of giving back to the society that 'Dnyanoba Maaza' was created. It will carry the message of Shree Mauli through the powerful medium of the theatrical stage.

Of all his creations, the 'Pasaydaan' (a divine wish) is perhaps the heart and soul of all of Shree Mauli's teachings and wisdom. Seldom has a set of words in the history of languages so much as come close to capturing the essence of all that is good in all living beings. No one has ever thought with so much care and concern for the ultimate good of mankind. It is only because of this that Shree Dnyaneshwar Maharaj is called 'Mauli', the kind mother. The Pasaydaan is routinely rendered but hardly ever practiced. It is regularly memorized but seldom followed. The pathos and the compassion hidden in its words have all been but forgotten. 'Dnyanoba Maaza' has been created so peoples of the world will re-familiarize themselves with the tenderness and all the essence of the Pasaydaan.

A drama based on the life story of Shree Mauli has not been performed on the stage for the past several years. Dnyanoba Maaza has thus created quite a buzz in the general populace. The storyline follows the pilgrimage of Shree Vitthalpant (the father-to-be of Shree Dnyaneshwar Maharaj) all the way to the eternal 'Samadhi' of Shree Mauli. The philosophical essence of the 9000 + verses of 'Shree Dnyaneshwari', considered the literature form of Shree Mauli himself, have been captured in the several gems interspersed by Shree Mama in the prose. Dnyanoba Maaza not only brings these to life but also presents scenes with several miracles as they occurred in Shree Mauli's life by making skillful use of theatrical trickery. These include instances like 'walking of the wall', 'baking on the red-hot back' and even the 'reciting of scriptures by a buffalo'!! The life and times of two generations of Shree Mauli's family have been skillfully sketched by Shree Mama.

The four-act play as written by Shree Mama has been adopted and directed by experienced theatre artist, Shree Ashok Samel, while living the soul of Shree Mama's writing quite untouched. The stage and its sets have been managed by old stage hand Shree Rajan Bhise.

Dnyanoba Maaza, the play thus rests quiet solidly on the powerful triumvirate of words, storyline and music and touches the soul of its viewer. The universal kindness of Shree Mauli envelops everyone in its warmth as he becomes the 'Mauli' of all.