Catch a play about the symbiotic relationship between a teacher and student

Abhishek Pattnaik as Jolly sir and Karan Bhanushali as Akash

There is a peculiar tendency we Indians have of considering people who aren't fluent in English infra dig. Blame it on the lasting remnants of a colonial hangover or a misplaced sense of superiority. But, we are prone to letting out a snort if someone pronounces "London" as "Lawn-don", for example. And it doesn't matter if the person's intellectual acumen in some other subject - say, mathematics - makes us seem as if we are bumbling two-year-olds in comparison.

Abhishek Pattnaik, too, was guilty of this prejudice in his formative years, by his own admission. The 27-year-old tells us, "I studied in a convent school in Mumbai in my childhood. But my father was from an Odiya-medium background. So I used to make fun of him for small things, like when he would say 'inteleegent' instead of 'intelligent'. But ultimately, today, I realise that I have gained maximum knowledge from my dad, who is a PhD in Economics and a professor, by the way. And once my understanding started changing, I started putting it across to people."

The way Pattnaik did this was to write and act in a play called Two Adorable Losers, which will be staged in the city this weekend. It's a comedy centred on a student-teacher duo. One of them is a professor who's diffident about his English-speaking skills. The other is a student who is as clueless about statistics as Americans are about the rules of cricket. This leads to the two of them developing deep-seated insecurities. So, they chalk out a plan to help each other out. And the storyline charts the evolution of their relationship in the process.

"Their bond keeps changing throughout the plot - from teacher-student, to father-son, to friends, to business partners. See, a teacher-student relationship is a universal one. So, at the end of this play, you'll wish that you had a professor like Jagannath Mahapatra during your student days. We had once performed the play in a college in Punjab, and the dean had come up to me after it ended and said, 'A professor teaches only 20 per cent in class. The remaining 80 per cent happens outside, in terms of emotional support, character building, etc.' And that's the main takeaway we want people to have," Pattn-
aik says.

He adds that while he essays the role of Professor Mahapatra aka Jolly sir, the student - Akash - is played either by Karan Bhanushali or Darsheel Safary, depending on who's available, while Murtuza Kutianawala has directed the play. "Karan, Murtuza and I are best friends, who started Out of the Box Productions, a theatre company, when I was 20 years old. And we brought Darsheel on board since Karan was doing another play at one point, and we needed his shoes to be filled," Pattnaik reveals, adding, "I honestly didn't know Darsheel. But I called up his mother and spoke to him, telling him the whole story. And that's how we ended up rehearsing together, and now we are close friends."

He also says that the two characters play 32 roles between them on stage. But the crux of the play remains the relationship between Akash and Jolly sir. The narrative also offers Pattnaik's personal insight into the pros and cons of the Indian education system. And at the same time, it critiques the Indian mindset of putting savvy English speakers on a pedestal, never mind that even as they point out the difference between "compliment" and "complement", simple arithmetic might leave them scratching their heads.

On: July 1, 7 pm
At: Sophia Auditorium, Sophia College campus, B Desai Road, Breach Candy.
Log on to: bookmyshow.com
Cost Rs 600