Excelsior Correspondent
KATRA, Oct 18: Most celebrated Dogri play ‘Bawa Jitto’ was presented here today by Natrang Theatre group at Matrika auditorium, SMVD University.
Scripted by Prof Ram Nath Shastri, the play was directed by Padamshree Balwant Thakur. This presentation of the play was supported by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and SMVD University and the show was a part of the celebrations of ongoing Navratra festival. Vice-Chancellor Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Prof Pardeep K Sharma was the chief guest on the occasion.
Welcoming the gathering Director Natrang dwelt in details about the history of the play ‘Bawa Jitto’. He appreciated all artists for their whole hearted support and complemented them for creating this history for Jammu theatre. Balwant Thakur thanked NN Vohra, Governor of J&K who not only inspired and encouraged him but also supported him in his endeavours to preserve the priceless heritage of the surrounding areas of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi hills.
Based on the supreme sacrifice of a great devotee of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, the current series was supported by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. The play Bawa Jitto is based on a folk tale of Aghar Jitto (Katra). The story of Bawa Jitto portrays the age-old saga of exploitation of landless farmers by landlords. Due to the constant and persistent pressures of relatives, with a piece of land as bone of contention, Bawa Jitto, a hard working, farmless farmer, is forced to leave his native village. Accompanied by his nine-year-old daughter, he takes shelter in the house of a friend in Shamachak, a nearby village. The efforts of his friend Rullo result in a land grant from landlord in Shamachak and one fourth of the produce is fixed as land revenue. The hard work put in by him, the sweat and toil of Jitto turns a barren land into prolific treasure. This makes avaricious landlord to back out on his word and ask for major share of the crop. Helpless Jitto, unable to endure injustice, kills himself. The agony becomes boundless when Gauri, his little daughter immolates herself on her father’s pyre.
Girdhari Lal and Harbans Lal, the folk artists rendered soul to the play with their ‘Karkan’ singing. The most outstanding feature of the play was the performance by versatile actors on stage. The role of Bawa Jitto was played by Arvind Anand who kept everyone spellbound through his outstanding electrifying performance. He was supported by senior actors like Neeraj Kant as Rullo, Renu Sharma as Jojan, Dimple Sharma as Mehta Beer Singh, Subhash Jamwal as Malli, Vijay Bhat as Ghaghi, Rahul Singh as Isso, Pawan Verma as Aadmi and Sanchita Dubey as Bua Gauri in a highly professional manner.
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