Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 6: Natrang in association with Airtel presented Internationally acclaimed Dogri play ‘Bawa Jitto’ at Abhinav Theatre, here. The play has been written by Prof. Ram Nath Shastri and directed by Balwant Thakur and is the longest living contemporary theatre play of India.
Ms. Sangeeta Gupta, Principal Commissioner Income Tax was the chief guest on the occasion, who appreciated the efforts of Natrang in preservation and promotion of the priceless heritage of the region. Aamir Ali, Executive Director and Secretary, J&K State Social Welfare Board was the guest of honour. Ravendra Desai, Chief Operating Officer, Airtel J&K, Sidharth Dogra, Editor, Jammu Links News, and Ajay Khajuria, Marketing Head Airtel J&K, were also present on the occasion.
Based on the supreme sacrifice of a great devotee of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, this is the first play of the region which brought Dogri theatre into International limelight. Earlier while welcoming the gathering Director Natrang, Balwant Thakur presented a detailed account of the motive behind projecting this play as the ultimate cultural legacy of the region.
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, farm less 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 the 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. The role of Bawa Jitto was played by celebrated TV/Film and stage actor Arvind Anand who kept everyone spellbound through his outstanding electrifying performance.
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