October 29, 2021. When Aashant Sharma remembers this day, the smile on his face fades away, his eyes get teary and his voice trembles. It seems as if someone bereaved the usual bubbly Sharma.

That day, when Sharma was en route to Kathmandu from his hometown in Nawalparasi, he had gotten overwhelming notifications of missed calls. In haste, when Sharma called back, his family told him to come back home immediately. The reason– his older brother’s son, who was in his late twenties, had committed suicide. The son who used to stutter and was often bullied by the locals for his speech impediment, frustrated with everything that was going around in his life, he hanged himself to death.

This incident changed Sharma’s life completely. In the same year, almost 5 people had already killed themselves in the same village Nawalparasi. “I knew I had to do something about it but I avoided dealing with grief with more work and got busy instead,” adds Sharma, who has been working in the theatre sector as an actor, writer and director for almost three decades now. “This play is my effort to do what I can in my own way.”

Ignited by the personal life experiences and with an intent to provide awareness on mental health and suicide prevention, Sharma wrote and directed the play ‘Sathi, sathi aaideuna’— a story of a girl named Ashmita Lamichhane in her late teens who goes through the thought of killing herself when too many things pile up on her plate.

Even though the play covers a heavy topic, Sharma has incorporated comical elements into it. Like clowns, every actor is seen wearing colorful dresses with cherry round noses. The intended over the top acting of all characters may not seem befitting at first, but once you adapt to it’s atmosphere, the play is very submerging.

“I wanted the audience to take some learnings from the play but I did not want to give trauma while doing so. People already have enough burdens of their own, I wanted them to learn while laughing,” says Sharma.

Referencing bits and pieces of filmy references of Shahrukh Khan’s Rahul character from ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’, to Nepali songs we grew up listening—the play takes the audience on an emotional rollercoaster ride.

Asmita, the protagonist of the play is a joyful dreamy girl from a middle class family with filmy expectations from life. Her character reminds people of the times they themselves had unrealistic expectations on life and the transformation that comes after those expectations fall short in reality.

Making the audience laugh and cry simultaneously, ‘Sathi, Sathi Aaideuna’ encourages the viewers to focus on the positive things life has to offer. One scene in particular between Asmita and a friend (sathi), also played by the 59-year-old Sharma, where they talk about the list of the things they like and dislike in life is goosebumps indusing. When they talk about the things they dislike they have only a few things to remember but when talking about the things they like, the list just goes on.

This play a must watch, especially if you are feeling lost in your own life. And even if you aren’t, you should definiteely watch it, and reflect on life, friendships, relationships and how often you have been there for your loved ones.

“In our village, when we were terrified to carry out some work during the night, we often asked our friends' to tag along by saying ‘Sathi, sathi aaideuna’,” remembers Sharma. “But today, we are so indulged in our phones that we don’t have enough time to talk to our friends and families. Let us all learn to lend our ears to our friends and carry the burden together through this play.”

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What: Sathi, Sathi Aaideuna

When: January 12-29

Where: Kausi Theatre, Teku

Contact: 9861315317