Delhi celebrates Pakistani play ’Kaun Hai Yeh Gustakh’

Once again art pushed the boundaries of diplomacy, just that much further. Pakistani theatre group Ajoka, who many believed had packed their bags and gone home, performed Saadat Hasan Manto’s Kaun Hai Yeh Gustakh to a packed auditorium on Saturday. At the end of the play, audience and members of the crew broke into tears, overwhelmed by the memories of Partition and the emotions which still bind the two countries. The clapping resonated for a long time. Following a directive by the government after the LoC beheading faceoff last week, Ajoka’s play was scrapped from National School of Drama’s Bharat Rang Mahotsav. 

They were told that the current diplomatic discord between the countries could lead to retaliation against the play. But, supported by liberal theatre and civil society groups, the group stayed put. In a symbolic gesture against the diktat by the government, the group performed at Akshara theatre at 6pm. Though Akshara’s seating capacity is far less than Kamani Auditorium where the play was to be performed, the group said that it had achieved its objective. The play is an assortment of many of Manto’s popular works, including Thanda Gosht, Toba Tek Singh and Khol Do. It also offers glimpses of Manto’s life and his chronicling of the pangs of Partition.

The cast members said they were very "depressed and disappointed" with the sudden cancellation of their performance at BRM and that it was even more shameful because the play was meant to celebrate Manto’s centenary. "Manto is shared heritage. He is as much of Pakistan as of India. Instead of celebrating him, theatre’s voice is being silenced. It is even more disappointing because we expect a lot from a secular democracy like India. They could have given us security cover if they were worried that some fringe lunatic elements would stop a theatre performance," said Madeeha Gauhar, director of the play.

Interestingly, the group has performed earlier in Mumbai right after the 26/11 attacks. "I think we are one of the few groups who performed in Srinagar, which is a very sensitive area. We also performed in Mumbai after 26/11. Why is our voice silenced now? I think with every such diplomatic discord, we regress at least a few decades. Our peace talks have completely derailed again," said Madeeha.

When theatre groups approached actress Jalabala Vaidya and playwright Gopal Sharman, who own Akshara theatre, they agreed to stage the performance immediately. "We are not funded by governments, corporations or foreign embassies so nothing stops us from letting them perform here. We welcome them. We stand for free speech & free theatre. Institutions like theatre should be free," said Vaidya. She recollected that another performance by Pakistani actor Zia Mohyeddin at Akshara theatre in 1999 had drawn similar criticism initially but its success prompted closer ties between the two countries. "Then PM Atal Behari Vajpayee had taken a bus ride to the Wagah border soon after that," she added.

The cast described how they were asked to pack up on the day their play was scheduled in Jaipur. "Our show was at 6pm on January 16. Around 2pm, they told us that our play was cancelled. They also said that our play in Delhi at Kamani Auditorium scheduled for January 19 was called off. Our hearts broke. We were asked to pack our bags immediately. In no time, we were put on a bus to Delhi. They told everyone that we had left the country but we were very much here watching every play at BRM," said Tipu Sultan, who acted in the play and managed the lights and stage.

Naseem Abbas, who plays Manto, felt that repression of theatre because of diplomatic concerns was exactly what happened to Manto. "Manto always told the truth. His writings were considered controversial because he called a spade a spade and his depiction of the violence during Partition was ruthless. It all rings true today. Especially to me as I have rehearsed his character so many times," said Abbas. The play too had several emotional scenes related to the Partition and a video from the time was projected on the screen as a background to the performance. A person from the audience who was also in tears said Manto’s centenary celebrations in India would have been incomplete with out the staging of this play. Spokespersons from National School of Drama (NSD) were not available for comment. Ajoka performed the play again on Saturday at 10 pm at Jawaharlal Nehru University where hundreds of students enjoyed it. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Troupe-vs-troops-Delhi-celebrates-Pakistani-play/articleshow/18094468.cms

See also: Pakistani group stages play despite cancellation by NSD
Veteran theatre personality Gopal Sharman, who along with his wife Jalabala Vaidya manages the affairs of Akshara Theatre, said once Pakistani actor Zia Moinuddin staged a solo-act play based on the literary works of Manto and other Pakistani writers at Akshara Theatre. “His performance got such an overwhelming response from the public that the then Indian Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, took a clue from it and went on a bus journey to Lahore.†Noting that her theatre group stood for independence of institutions, Jalabala Vaidya said: “Art and sports should never be dragged in whenever there is war mongering on either side.†All-India Student Association national president Sandeep Singh said the NSD must explain why it insulted the Ajoka group by cancelling its show. “The State and the NSD have surrendered to pressures from those indulging in war mongering, but democratic-minded people will still go ahead fostering people-to-people contact. Ajoka group will stage its play at JNU at 10 p.m. today,†he added.

In search of Sa’adat Hasan Manto

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NB: I was sorry to miss the play, and still remember the trip she and Shahid made to DU campus in the late 1980’s. I hope we find occasion to welcome them many times more. Here’s a note on Indo Pak militarism, from a FB thread to which I added it a few days ago. I place it here as a contribution to the ongoing debate

A Final Warning by George Orwell: (see the video-recording in the link below)