Organisers to obey noise limit norms

One of the biggest spectacles that Mrinal Deo, 50, has seen is the finale of the epic play Jaanta Raja (The Wise King) where 250 performers stand amid a horde of horses, an elephant and bullock carts on a single stage.

One of the biggest spectacles that Mrinal Deo, 50, has seen is the finale of the epic play Jaanta Raja (The Wise King) where 250 performers stand amid a horde of horses, an elephant and bullock carts on a single stage.


“It was an unbelievable scene,” said the Dombivli homemaker, describing the coronation scene of the spectacle on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji. “Everyone must see it at least once. If I get a chance I would love to see it again,” said Deo, who saw the 26-year-old play at Dombivli in 2009.

The play holds a special significance given its scale and is only performed in open-air grounds that command a crowd of more than 6,000 spectators per show. This December, it will stage a comeback at Shivaji Park in Dadar, where it was last held five years ago.

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After travelling across the state in the last few years, when the organisers sought permission to stage it at Shivaji Park, the civic body rejected the application stating that the ground falls in a silence zone.

The organisers moved the Bombay high court and after receiving its go-ahead on October 21, they are preparing to comply with the guidelines on noise levels. “We are planning to install more speakers and spread them out so that it does not exceed the permissible decibel limit,” said Mandar Karnik of Swargandhar, a cultural organisation, which has staged the play in Navi Mumbai, Thane and Mumbai. The play, by writer-historian Babasaheb Purandare now has a 50 feet tall revolving set with changing backdrops of a fort, palace and a battle scene.

“The character of Shivaji is larger than life and so is the presentation,” said Ajit Apte, secretary, Maharaja Shivchhatrapati Pratishthan, the Pune-based umbrella body organising the play.