By Lalit Gupta
JAMMU, Jan11: Performance of Punjabi play ‘Lahore Di Chitthi Amritsar De Naa’ written and directed by Rajneesh Gupta’s marked the second day of ongoing annual drama festival organized by Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, at auditorium of Government College for Women, Gandhi Nagar, here today.
Presented by Yamini Cultural Society, the play is an example that even now, more than 60 years after the partition, artistic works that relate to the events of partition are being written and staged. The play which highlights instance of humanity amongst the mayhem of Partition, is about one Jinder, a Hindu, whose wife Channi is left behind in Lahore whereas he crosses over to Amritsar. Channi lands up in haveli of Zamal Khan who exploits her, while Jinder offers shelter to a young Muslim girl Tahira, who was being hounded by Hindu religious zealots.
Tahira finds sanctuary as daughter in Jinder’s house, Channi who is carrying Zamal Khan’s child in her womb with help of pious a Muslim manages to reaches back to Amritsar. She is turned out by Jinder’s mother who lies about Jinder’s remarriage with Tahira. Channi kills herself by falling in front of a moving train, Jinder, on the other hand after hearing his mother’s concocted version that pregnant Channi was very happy with the accompanying Muslim, in a fit of retribution casts an evil eye on Tahira but is chastened by the Shabads of Guru Nanak. The play ends with Tahira’s who at time of return to her brother in Pakistan feels as if she is leaving her father’s home for good.
The appearance of Madan Rangeela as Jinder, Sapna Soni as Channi, Parveen Sharma as Zamal Khan, actors who are active in TV serials etc, was like return of prodigals to Jammu theatre after a quite a gap. Today’s production with almost no set, emerged as showcase of actors’ skills. Designed with emphasis on varied human emotions, the performance saw actors enacting longish monologs with variation in pitch and tone. Especially the situations where humanistic values were highlighted, received a lot of appreciation. Divankshi was quite impressive as Tahira.
High pitch of background score many a times was jarring. Light design with spots staying for a longer duration in the freeze scenes gave a feel of a deliberated ‘affect’. Other members of the cast included Santosh Sangra as mother, Arun Sharma as Muslim social worker, Harbans Sharma as Noora, Rohit Kumar Plathia and Surinder Choudhary.
Third play of the festival to be staged on Monday, 12th January, would be Rohit Bhat’s Kashmiri drama ‘Gadd Batah’ by Natya Karmi.
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