God was literally above us, masturbating on a bathtub. Her meditative orgasmic state of peace was disturbed by the supplications of three human beings. They were praying for the death of others. Even the almighty was confused by the prayers. And, that's when god decided to grant us—the audience—permission to take his position, to be his “democratic” hand.
The play Hand of God by P.R. Arun at River Bourne Centre, Kochi, was surreal in its setting, but it addressed burning social issues. The play was staged under the banner Fifth Estate, and the crew included popular artists like Rajisha Vijayan who won Kerala state film award 2016 for best actress.
The viewers were hot-seated to see the stories—prayers—and decide on the justice to be granted. What followed were a set of simple questions (with difficult answers) to the crowd—a microcosm of the Indian society.
Do women have the right to think about pleasure? Is our society a sexually repressive one? Are we in chains? Do we really know the meaning of the word 'consent' when it comes to sex? Is marriage a license to commit atrocities? The play raised these questions through the lives of a king, queen, and a slave.
The inner feelings of the characters were revealed to the audience through thought-tracking monologues. Cross-cutting techniques were used effectively to show the the realms of all three parties. The lights and properties were effectively used. But, beyond the technicality, it is a project that decries social ills. That the play is feminist is evident right from the portrayal of a female god.
The play is conceived as a social experiment. The ultimate question— who the biggest sinner was—was kept for each viewer to vote. It was the third time that Hand of God was staged. Rajisha, who shrieks as she pleaded against the sexual assaults, could be heard a mile away, but failed to win her the votes of the spectators. Interestingly, in all three venues, the voting pattern was against her, despite being brutally raped both by a stranger and her own husband. And, that raises serious doubts about the 'majority's decision', upon which our democracy functions.
Art is not just for entertainment. It can act as a social tool—the fifth estate—to attain the democracy that our society needs; the Hand of God underlines this fact. But, it also shows what this society would receive in the label of democracy, when its majority refuses to come out of the chains of a patriarchal mindset.