By Dr Rajiv Padhye  and Dr Swati Muzumdar 

The on-line sale of tickets to be a part of the Akhil Australia Marathi Sammelan 2016 and its various programs has commenced from 1st December, 2015.

More than half of the seats (of total capacity) have already been sold out!!

Please visit the website – aams2016.org to purchase tickets. The last date to book tickets is 31st January, 2016. 

Also, you can mail your articles, short stories, poems etc. for the Sammelan 2016 – Smaranika which will be published in English and Vasant Masik Special Issue in Marathi by 31st January 2016.

 Some popular programs at AAMS 2016 to look forward to:

 Natak- GosthaTashi Gamtichi

Directed by:Adwait Dadarkar, Written by: Mihir Rajda, Cast: Shashank Ketkar, Leena Bhagwat and Mangesh Kadam.

This Marathi play marks the stage debut of Shashank Ketkar who plays the protagonist in this play. The theme of the play is as old as the hills- generation gap and how it overall affects the relationships among people. Only here, the gap is more like a valley. On one side stands the father, Sanjay Dikshit (Mangesh Kadam), a middle class Marathi manus; and on the other, Kunal (Shashank Ketkar) his abrasive, with-it son. What adds edge to their conflict is the fact that Dikshit lives in Vile Parle (E). That makes him a very special strain of middle class Marathi manushood.

His home, neighbourhood, time-tested values, social ideas and middle order job are like his security blankets. Try to tear them away and you draw blood.

It would be wrong to call it a comedy for we usually associate comedy with mindless laughter. This show is much more than that. It has some very important lessons for each generation to learn which it conveys successfully to the audience through the medium of comedy. The dialogues are a major strength of this play. They aren’t too over the top or preachy. They are in a language which we use today, which is in fact a major achievement in itself.

Sharad Ponkshe- Marathi Natya/Cine KALAKAR

Marathi theatre movement is as rich as the Marathi language. Maharashtrians, wherever they are in the world, their love towards Marathi theatre does not decrease. The common Marathi man is not only fond of Marathi theatre, but is also very much aware of its rich heritage. Therefore, the biggest appreciation that an actor can get is winning the hearts of the Marathi audience. In view of this appreciation, Marathi theatre has produced many actors who have subsequently become world renowned.

One such personality is Mr Sharad Ponkshe. Not only has he captured Marathi theatre with his brilliant performances, but he has also regaled the audience through Marathi cinema and television serials. Sharad Ponkshe’s role as Nathuram Godse in the Marathi play “Mee Nathuram Godse Boltoy” brought him international acclaim. He is one of the top artists in Marathi film industry.

Natak- Goshta Eka Kalachi- Kalya Pandhrya Padadyachi

Cast– Milind Oak, Rahul Solapurkar, Swanandee Tikekar, Amit Vaze, Jitendra Abyankar, Chaitanya Kulakarni and Swarada Gokhale

This is a story of a bygone era, a story of people, a family who lived then.

Those days have submerged in the ocean of time, glimpses of which can be seen in its reflections frozen on celluloid. Putting these reflections and bits and pieces of memories together, can we feel and experience those “good old days”.

Gostha Eka Kalachi- Kalya Pandhrya Padadyachi is an attempt to do this.

This is a first person narrative of a retired professor who accidentally lands in his memory lane.