Aarushi Thakur
Jammu witnessed biggest ever theatrical wonder on stage featuring 600 young performers. This mesmerizing presentation ‘UDAAN’ conceived, designed and directed by Padamshree Balwant Thakur kept Jammu elite spellbound with four shows at General Zorawar Singh Auditorium, University of Jammu. History of performances in Jammu has never seen this volume production with so much of the electrifying spectacle, vibrating rhythms, mind-blowing thematic content, magical visual imagery and multiplicity of artistic approaches. The occasion was the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of Presentation Convent Senior Secondary School, Jammu which celebrated the 60 years of the presence in Jammu. Duty in its empirical form is concerned with duty towards oneself but the essence of this word means duty towards others or towards the society as a whole. We all talk about duty towards the society, we read it in the newspapers, we blog about it and share various posts on networking sites about our larger responsibility towards the world around us and in doing so we look for inspiration. One such inspiration was Nano Nagle, the foundress of Presentation Convents in Ireland, who not only was morally enlightened but served her life to work for the poor and deprived in her region. UDAAN is a tribute to this saint, an egalitarian who the world now knows as Nano Nagle.
The mega cultural musical drama UDDAN was a unique design used by Padamshree Balwant Thakur which was something the audience had never witnessed in the annals of history. A simple story of Nano Nagle was contemporarised and presented in such a way that the audience was left enchanted and thrilled beyond measures. Padamshree Balwant Thakur who is also Known as the Magic Man of theatre has been known to create visuals on stage that even cinematographers fail to project. His other works with children include plays like Aap Hamare Hain Kaun, Mare Hisse Ki Dhoop Kahan Hain? have already acquired national and international acclaim but Udaan was a new experiment with 600 children on the stage each having a unique and relevant part to play in the production.
UDAAN opens with an euphoric dance with an underlying presumption that celebration can only be done with the help of singing and dancing. This cynicism is dispelled by a group of girls who feel that there are other ways to celebrate any special event. In doing so they try to remember the relevance of Nano Nagle in their lives and how because of her efforts girls could get education in Ireland in the 18th century. Just as this is being said, the stage is transformed into Eighteen century Ireland where Nano Nagle was born, and how she used to play in the Black waters. The flowers, the carriage and the church giving a 3 dimensional effect leaving the audience consumed in awe of the visual treat.
The story moves on to a common girl who is inspired by the work of Nano and wishes to follow her legacy. However, her life is full of struggle at home where she is stereotyped and is expected to behave in a certain manner which is determined by the society around her. Mr Balwant Thakur raises the question that has been hovering on everyone’s mind these days, the status of women in our society; this riddled argument is answered in this play. Domestic violence and sexual abuse are often called ‘women issues’ but this bold and blunt play shows how these violent behavior are tied to our awareness and how in any circumstance we need determination to overcome any type of crisis. UDAAN touches sensitive issues like bride burning, rape and female feticide. The unfortunate reality is depicted on the stage leaving the audience to ponder over security issues in our country.
The play further shows terrorism and the growing hate among people to attain power and wealth. This form of theatre is used as a medium to bring awareness among people about the realities around them. We all have been a victim of the insurgency crisis in Jammu and Kashmir, so the relevance of the theme was magnified. The theme of the play urged us to think beyond the pseudonymousity. The message is given out in words of Martin Luther King, Jr. ”Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that”. Mr Thakur conceptualized the theme in such a way that the problems were not only highlighted but the resolutions were given in the story itself. There is a reference to Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl who was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012 for advocating for girls education. At the UN Conference in New York , Yousafzai spoke about education as a way to fight extremism. She said ”Let us wage a glorious struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism. Let us pick up our books and our pens, and let us shield ourselves with unity and togetherness. The extremists are afraid of books and pens, the power of education frightens them”. UDAAN focuses on dealing with problems with the help of courage and faith among oneself. It shows that if a sixteen year old could fight the extremists, so can any other girl.
It is a Native American proverb that says that we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. This idea is beautifully projected in the play with the help of visuals of mother earth who has been misused and damaged beyond measures. The pollution, population and the excessive utilization of recourses is putting load on the nature and the weather imbalance and global warming is the wrath and the ill effect of our misuse. The play showed the impact of Kashmir floods where houses were uprooted, people were drowned and many suffered. The ultimate tragic paradox of the play is that pristine and evocative beauty of visuals resides side by side with the projection of human suffering and misery. Be it the natural disasters like floods and famines or manmade ones that include invasion and terrorism, the mega performance, UDAAN had it all. It had the eye watering scenes, scenes that would give you Goosebumps and at the same time there were contemporary dances that include tap dance, fan dance, umbrella dance that would urge to wear your dancing shoes on.
UDDAN is not only an eye opener but also has a positive message stored in it. It compels us to look beyond the mundane and realise our own potential. It teaches us that our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We all can make amendments and bring about a change in the society. In words of Marianne Williamson, ”It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others”. The theme of UDDAN is beautifully explained in these words. This unique concept designed and directed by Balwant Thakur raises contemporary issues and gives solutions to these problems. His unique style of mystifying and utterly bewildering the audience and his capacity of demonstrating any given situation on stage was applauded by all the viewers.
(The author is a graduate of St. Stephens, New Delhi who after having her Masters from University of Leister (U.K.) trained from Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, London)
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