A lone bicycle tyre rolls onto the stage. Harmoniums strike up a tune, and buyers and sellers in bright clothes begin filing one after another. Suddenly we are transported to Ramnagar of the 1970s. Hawkers speak in a lilting regional dialect, their voices occasionally chiming in with a chorus of “hegas.”The opening segment is easily one of the strongest parts of the play Lapoojhanna, set in Ramnagar, Uttarakhand, which was formerly a part of Uttar Pradesh. The enunciation of the characters, the clothes from the era, and the lovely singing to go with it all immediately evoke nostalgia.In another scene, a young love blossoms between Ashok – a new lad who has come to town with his family – and Sakina, a local girl. Sparks fly and so do chappals, as Ashok dreams up the entire romance, only for it to end with him getting a spanking from his father. Another episode sees the play’s central character, Lafttu, spending money he has stolen from his father on his friends. Comedy ensues as a raging father plays a cat-and-mouse game with his son.Portions of the play capture the small-town charm of Ramnagar, especially the scene when guests come to visit Ashok and his parents, and the children are asked to “perform” in order to entertain them. Later, Ashok and Lafftu get invited to a birthday party they had little hopes of attending. Their hesitation over presenting the gifts to the girls, given the smaller size of their parcels, highlights the insecurities that even children are not shielded from.Gaurav Kumar, who played Lafttu, is magnetic and mischievous as the naughty boy from the school. The artiste portrayed the character’s innocence and his more playful side with equal conviction.The influence of RK Narayan’s Malgudi Days is also quite evident, notably in director Anuranjan Sharma’s staging of the battle between the unrelenting master and his students. The actors’ convincing use of body language makes for a few genuine rounds of laughter.The ending, however, is dragged out. The play could have been tighter and pacier had the last 20 minutes been chopped.-Anvita Singh
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