Report and pics by Viju Mangalore and Praveen Tauro Kulshekar

Mangalore, Jun 4: Broken within, yet not parted with truth. Surrounded with falsehood, yet not detached from the mantle of truth. Fighting a battle which the world thinks is lost. This is how one would put in words the personality of the Mestri (teacher) whom the great Konkani writer Chafra D’Costa brought into his drama ‘Aunkar Mestri’.

Brought live on stage in the monthly theatre (moinyali manchi) at Kalangann on Sunday, June 4 was a small, yet effective step to introduce to the people the juicy writings of Chafra.

Directed by Denis Monteiro Pai, the play was enjoyed by all present in the hall, which was evident in the reactions received during the play. For those who have not read Chafra, the play was a drop from his richness of his Konkani literature.

The plot of the play was knitted well with daily life, where standing for truth needs courage and strength of character to face all odds, which come ones way.

Much appreciated was the manner in which the cast brought forth each character of the drama.

Stany Alvares, whose expressive voice went a long way to pass on the emotions to the audience, played the Mestri’s role.
Franky Rodrigues and Sheryl Vas played the young lovers Avil and Alice. Denis Monteiro played the role of Alice’s father, while Leena Crasta played Alice’s mothers role.

Rony Crasta enacted an entertaining cast - the servant at the teacher’s house.

The sets were prepared by Daya Victor Lobo of Aakar while the lights were provided by Kingsley Nazareth and music directed by Murulidar Kamath.