No Lights, No Cameras, Only Action

One of the many highlights of an academic year in St. Pius X Seminary is the Major Play. It is presented to the Priests, Religious, Family, Friends and Benefactors of the Seminary during the second term. However, the precursor to this is the Inter Class One Act Play competition. The One Act Play competition has been a long standing tradition of the Seminary. Each class presents a 25 minute play based on any topic where the creativity and talents of the Seminarians takes center stage.

This year the One Acts plays were held on 8th September, 2017, wherein six classes presented creative plays based on varied contemporary issues. These included Beef Ban, plight of the farmers, GST, child labour, dilution of faith practices, family difficulties, religious ideological rigidity and so on. Usually this competition is an in-house event, however, this year our seminary neighbors such as the PSOL Sisters, Nirmala Niketan Sisters and the Shantinivas family attended this event. Their presence elevated the spirits of the brothers as there was sizeable audience to witness their hard work and creativity. The judges for this event were Fr. Harold Vaz, Fr. Warner D’Souza and Mr. Omkar Bhatkar, all of whom have tremendous experiences in Theatre and Dramatics. Though the night ended with winners and appreciations all around it was however a celebration of the talent gifted to all Seminarians.

The plays presented this year were:

Orientation: You are My Miracle

You are My Miracle portrayed the story of a young boy who struggled with his difficulties in speech and through the help of his friend Jesus overcame those difficulties. The play stressed that each of us is a Miracle of Jesus who is with us in good times as well as the bad ones and has a definite plan for us.

1st Year Philosophy: Beef Ban

As the name suggests, the 1st year Philosophers presented the politics and consequences of the Beef Ban. A group of college students planning a going-away party get embroiled in a heated debate based on their eating preferences. What follows next are disclosures of rigid ideology and effects of the Beef Ban in a family of a student.

2nd Year Philosophy: Room of Tears

Each one of us experiences feelings of joy, fear, anxiety, hatred, jealousy and anger in our hearts at different moments in our lives. This ‘Heart’ is our Room of Tears and this was illustrated using the various difficulties and fears faced by a Seminarian and his family before his ordinations.

1st Year Theology: Where the Mind is without Fear

In a world broken by religious fundamentalism, a group of students witness their friends become influenced by these strong ideological currents, which destroy their friendship and ends with the loss of a life.

2nd Year Philosophy: Gandhi’s God: The Dilution of Faith

What if Gandhi was baptized a Catholic? How would he react to our faith practices? Novenas, lighting of candles, idol worshiping, preferential treatment in the Church; all these aspects are critiqued by the Father of the Nation in a hilarious presentation in Gandhi’s God: The Dilution of Faith.

3rd Year Theology: No Man can Live On an Island

Larry is stranded on an island for the last three years. Destitute, alone and without a friend, Larry is at the end of his wits. But is he really alone? After hilarious turn of events Larry discovers that he is not alone but there are many people stranded on the island who were just around the corner from where he was. The play focused on the fact that we are comfortable wallowing in our own lives rather than to look around the corner where others also exist.