A play adapted from Paul Zacharia’s ‘Ithanente Peru’ puts Nathuram Godse under the spotlight

Chennai-based theatre director Prasanna Ramaswamy’s new play, ‘This Is My Name’, is an adaptation of Paul Zacharia’s Malayalam novella ‘Ithanente Peru’ that interprets Nathuram Godse as a character

In May 1949, the Punjab High Court, then in session at Shimla, was knee-deep in its most important, high-profile case. Nathuram Godse, who would soon be sentenced to death for assassinating Mahatma Gandhi, made his final statement, sparking debate. To this day, many interpretations of this speech remain active. In 2003, it resulted in Paul Zacharia’s critically acclaimed Malayalam novella, Ithanente Peru, which examines Godse’s defence of the assassination. Many years on, Chennai-based theatre director Prasanna Ramaswamy manifests a physical form to this literarary work through her play, This Is My Name, produced by Chennai Art Theatre, which will reach audiences in Chennai, this weekend.