EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, Sept 14: On the occasion of Hindi Day, Natrang presented a thought-provoking Hindi play “Shrimaan X” under its weekly theatre series Sunday Theatre at Natrang Studio Theatre, Jammu. The play was written by noted playwright Giriraj Sharan Aggarwal and ably directed by Neeraj Kant.“Shrimaan X” is a sharp social satire highlighting the clash between human values and mechanical efficiency.
Set in the futuristic “Vigyaan Colony”, the story revolves around wealthy Seth Giridhari Lal, who dismisses his servant Gopal and replaces him with a robot that works tirelessly, without error, and with punctual precision. While Giridhari Lal celebrates this technological leap, Professor Dr. Shrimali, Gopal’s mentor, sees it as a dangerous symbol of misplaced priorities. He remarks that India lives in three centuries at once where bullock carts and robots exist side by side.
The conflict escalates into a gripping debate between progress and humanity. A comical yet telling incident occurs when Giridhari Lal hosts a lunch: the robot, bound by its programmed timing, clears the food away, leaving the guests hungry. The satire sharpens further when the robot, working in a sugar factory, blindly attempts to push a human supervisor into the crusher once it runs out of cane supply. Though disaster is averted, the robot is arrested, leading to a courtroom climax.
In the end, Giridhari Lal realizes that while machines can excel in efficiency, they can never replace human judgment, empathy, and understanding. The play closes with a powerful question for the audience: Should progress mean replacing people with machines, or should it seek harmony between the two?
The play featured impressive performances by Kananpreet Kaur, Supria Gorka, Aryan Sharma, Kushal Bhat, Krishay Bhatia, and Kartik Kumar. The lights were designed by Neeraj Kant, sound was scored by Kartik Kumar, presentations were made by Kushal Bhat, and the show was coordinated by Mohd. Yaseen.
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