Farrukh Dhondy switches from one role to another with almost contemptible ease

Teacher, novelist, journalist, social worker, political activist, playwright, Farrukh Dhondy switches from one role to another with almost contemptible ease, and, a great deal of success. The physical image is equally paradoxical. Streaks of grey in his unruly mop of hair in direct contrast to the youthful swing in his walk or the aggressive vitality of his writing. A genuine air of modesty failing to conceal the multi-faceted talent. "Call me an odd-job man," he shrugs disarmingly. "I do anything really, to make a living."

Dhondy, the London-based, Pune-born Parsi, is currently earning rave reviews for his play, Mama Dragon, which reflects the dilemma of Britain's black immigrants. The advertisements for the play in the daily press -Mama Dragonby F. Dhondy at the Factory; music by the Government has been attracting hundreds of theatre-goers searching for something different from the slickness of the West End or the awesome perfection of National Theatre productions. The ambience of the Black Theatre Cooperative, for whichMama Dragonwas specifically written, is a perfect platform for Dhondy's immigrant-related work.

Despite the militancy inherent in his art, Dhondy shuns the postures of the angry young revolutionary or the coloured immigrant in Britain battling the white establishment. But it is in Dhondy's work, more than any other comparable artist's, that talented blacks in Britain have discovered an articulate expression of their own identity. His plays, novels and short stories reflect the positive ideals of young immigrants - a development central to Britain's future. Nothing reflects this more forcefully than the lyrics of Dhondy's playMama Dragonwritten for the Black Theatre Cooperative, a showcase for Britain's black talent.

"We are the second generation,
seeking a lost inspiration,
living a life on probation,
This is where you find us now...."