Lalit Gupta
JAMMU, Mar 9: Presentation of the play ‘Peer Ghani’, an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s poem Peer Gynt, came out as a powerful performance which while highlighting the disintegration of Kashmir’s age-old culture ethos in the wake of unfortunate armed conflict, also emerged as a clarion call for the restoration of peace and harmony, at the Abhinav Theatre here today.
Staged by Surnai from Mumbai, in collaboration with J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, the Hindu-Urdu adaptation by Ila Arun was directed by K. K. Raina. The plot of the play revolved around one Peer Ghani, an enfant terrible who despite the teaching of his god-fearing and loving mother Aasi, is a debauch, who is drawn to the lure of easy money. He leaves his home as a young man and ends up becoming a rich man by supplying of arms and enticing young boys to become ‘jihadis’.
The plot-meandering through symbolic anecdotes: his marriage to devil princess, meeting with his ailing mother and her death-ends up with Peer Ghani’s meeting with Khudai Khidmatgar and confession of all his sins before death.
With dialogues in prose and verse, the powerful Hindu-Urdu script marked with umpteen allusions to the spiritual and cultural underpinnings of Kashmir’s everyday life, came alive through the masterly acting by Ila Arun as Aasi, K. K. Raina as middle aged Per Ghani, Rahul Bagga as young Peer Ghani, Vijay Kashyap as Khudai Khidmatgar. The local talent who also acted in the play included Rani Bhan, Sunita Pandit and others.
The innovative set design with the raised platform at the background not only created an impressive play of levels but catapulted the dramatic action to admirable intensity. The light and background music designs were equally ingenious in accentuating the overall emotional import of scenes and sequences.
Enjoyed by jam packed audience, today’s production was a bold artistic take on as to how armed insurgency has shattered the basic grain of life in the Arcadian Valley of Kashmir and that hope lies in spiritual and cultural tenacity of Kashmir.
K. K. Raina in his address thanked Dr Aziz Hajani, Secretary Cultural Academy for inviting Surnai to perform in Jammu.
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