Dastangoi - the 13th century oral story telling art form enthralls Hyderabad

Artist Major Mohommed Ali Shah takes the audience on a roller coaster ride of narrations through emotions, accents &tones of voice and languages viz. Hindi, Urdu and English.
Hyderabad, September 16, 2017: Theatre personality, film actor and social activist, Major Mohommed Ali Shah’s ‘Dastangoi’ enthralled the theatre lovers and enthusiasts at Hyderabad late evening on Friday. Organised by Disruppt, a leadership platform spearheaded by three coaches and motivational speakers - ViiveckVerma, Harish Mehta and LokeshNathany; the event had the audience spellbound as they sat in rapt attention listening to narration of stories, speeches and monologues by Major Mohommed Ali Shah. With a voice that mesmerized and took hold of the listener, the adept ‘Dastango’ (Storyteller) Major Shah had the audience entranced during the one hour with his narrations.

About 150 people witnessed the performance by Major Shah. The audience comprising of theatre lovers and enthusiasts included the likes of Vinay Varma, renowned Theatre personality; Ahmed Nadeem, Commissioner of Labour, Government of Telangana; Mohd. Khaleeq Ur Rahman, Senior Congress Leader; Mrs. NaliniRaghuram, Programme Officer, British Deputy High Commission, Hyderabad; Ms. Neha Kanitkar, Cultural Affairs Assistant, U.S. Consulate General, Hyderabad; Mrs. Saira Shah Halim, Theatre personality and sister of Major Mohommed Ali Shah and others.

Speaking at the sidelines earlier to the event, Major Mohommed Ali Shah said that his show ‘The Major Actor’s Assorted Monologues’ rechristened as ‘Dastangoi’ by Disruppt, the organisers had travelled world over and received good response in India and the Gulf. Talking about his association with Hyderabad, Major Shah recollected his days of struggle for becoming an actor and how Hyderabad was the place he tried to get into acting. I love Hyderabad, its people, art and culture are wonderful, he said. Elaborating on Dastangoi, he said that it is the oral story telling art form where the main forte of art is the voice of the storyteller. The word ‘Dastangoi’ is a compound of two Persian words – ‘Dastan’ meaning story and ‘goi’ which means to tell a dastan. The performer / storyteller is called ‘Dastango’.

One of the organisers of the show,Life and Financial Coach Mr. LokeshNathany, Co-Founder, Coach and Mentor – Disruppt Thinking LLP said that the main objective of their organization is to create ‘DiSRUPPt’ion in the minds, thoughts, ideas, words and actions of your daily personal and professional life.We create disruption through a unique approach -- through Speaker programs which include panel discussion and interactive sessions. Mr. Lokesh said that storytelling is an integral part of growing up and the program ‘Dastangoi’ is one of our endeavoursto create disruption and to showcase a significant art form that is unique.

The engaging performance by Major Shah started off with a monologue in Hindi taking the audience on a roller coaster ride of narrations through emotions, accents &tones of voice and languages viz. Hindi, Urdu and English. The narration of Oedipus Rex, the Greek tragedy in chaste Urdu enacted with intonation and emotions set the atmosphere and mood for the evening with the audience bursting into claps at the end of the narration.

It was followed a complicated and a hilarious piece by Shah, explaining in English ‘How he becomes his own Grandpa’. Major Shah then recited noted poet MirzaGhalib’s letters showcasing his sense of humour and wit in Urdu and explaining them in English for the audience.

Speeches from Major Shah’s favourite playwright William Shakespeare viz. Mark Anthony’s funeral oration in ‘Julius Caesar’ play (Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears…) and Shylock’s speech from ‘The Merchant of Venice’ won accolades from the audience. Revolutionary poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz’snazm‘Bol’ showcased the power of the voice.

Along with the recitations and narrations, Major Shah also narrated his own ‘dastan’ (story) and recollectedhis life and journey from his dream of becoming an actor in school days to his stint in the corporate world and the Army and then again to theatre and acting. Major Mohommed Ali Shah is the son of Lt. General Zameeruddin Shah (PVSM, SM, VSM) Former Deputy Chief of the Army Staff, former member Armed Forces Tribunal and the former Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University. Nephew of renowned actor Naseeruddin Shah, Major Shah has done a lot of theatre. He acted in FTII alumnus ShriramRaghavan’s ‘Agent Vinod’; Vishal Bhardwaj’s ‘Haider’ and Kabir Khan’s BajranjiBhaijaan. His latest work was Tigmanshu Dhulia’s ‘RaagDesh’ which released this year. Prior to being a full-time actor, Major Shah studied management from IIM C and worked with leading multinationals like Genpact, Rolta Thales and Mahindra & Mahindra. He had also served the Army under Short Service Commission.

Interspersed with claps from the audience, the evening showcased ‘Dastangoi’, the art of oral storytelling with the main artistic tool ‘voice’ to portray various characters and events. The ‘Dastangoi’ was a minimalistic, yet beautifully entertaining performance.

In the digital age of gadgets and gizmos, where the attention span of humans has considerably reduced, it was a remarkable feat by the artist Major Mohommed Ali Shah to hold the sustained attention of the audience and draw them towards his art. Without any accompaniments like music, set, etc. using only his voice and facial expressions, Major Shah showcased emotions and drama; and captivated the audience with his ‘Dastangoi’.