Lucknow: A satirical play depicting the extravagant lifestyle of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has been banned by her government.
Even as play director Mukesh Kumar denied any connection with the chief minister, Lucknow District Magistrate declared "the play titled 'My Sandal' was in utter violation of the election model code of conduct and therefore its staging could not be permitted".
However, the story line of the play indicates that the play depicts none other than Mayawati. Even the names of characters are similar to those close to the chief minister.
The play is about 'Maya', a queen who rules a country called 'mayanagri'. She is obsessed about high quality sandals, which are bought from the Arab world. Her sycophants gift her sandals.
One such precious pair is bought by her devoted nobles as gift for her birthday. But since the event is still away, the nobles -- Satish, Naseem and Nakul -- decide to keep the priceless gift in the safe and secure confines of the queen's treasury.
However, the sandals are accidently gobbled up by Maya's favourite elephant, who necessarily feeds on jewels stacked in the treasury to which the animal has free access.
The deeply worried nobles seek the good offices of the kingdom's exiled doctor, widely known for doing the impossible. They implore upon him to give the elephant some drug so that the sandals come out of the intestines together with the jewels on which it had been feeding.
The doctor's medicines do the magic and the sandals slip out along with the excreta. But the jewels are all missing.
Instead, what comes out are documents exposing the corrupt practices the queen has been indulging in to amass ill-gotten wealth, which triggers a revolt in the kingdom.
IANS
First Published: Thursday, January 26, 2012, 10:52