NEW DELHI, January 4: Mamiji, a silver-haired lady, had the time of her life savouring each word uttered on stage by artistes from Lahore in Pakistan at Azad Bhawan on Saturday evening. She was quick to answer any query and from time to time she would say, ``Well, they are speaking quite well,'' she would say as she was no stranger to the language. It was a mixture of the Multani-Jhangi dialects, known in Pakistan as Saraiki, and music to the ears of 1947 migrants who came to hear once again the forgotten accents.Interestingly, these very dialects are a bone of contention in the parent country today with two parallel movements for Punjabi and Saraiki. There have been agitations in Pakistan on the theme of `Bol Punjabi' or `Bol Saraiki'. Its use in the play countered the language-hegemony and provided a folk flavour.'' Nostalgia for the land and language left behind was a major attraction for many senior citizens who turned up on a cold evening to watch Kaala Mainda Bhes (Black Are My Robes),
staged by Ajoka Theatre Group and hosted by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
Madeeha Gauhar, director of the play, says: ``The production is an experiment in folk theatre tradition with colourful costumes, vibrant music and dance of the desert. The objective of Ajoka has been to promote quality theatre in Pakistan by blending traditional theatre forms with modern techniques and to provide entertainment with social relevance.'' Written by her husband, Shahid Nadeem, the in-house playwright for Ajoka, the play clicked here more for shared language and culture ties between the people of the two countries. Thus the play became a treat for people with roots in Pakistan and there is a special show today for the benefit of the most important `refugee', Prime Minister I K Gujral.
Set in a small desert village, Gauhar's play speaks against the exploitation of the poor, who pay even for water to the Peer Sahib, who uses religious obscurantism to befool the villagers. Water is the dominant metaphor
juxtaposed against the aridity of a wasteland. The exploitation of women who are treated like cattle comes out very strongly through Sundri and Sohni, two childless wives of Allah Wassaiah. Folk songs and witticisms used in their raw form sans fusion and diffusion were refreshing.
Ram Gopal Bajaj, Director, National School of Drama, says: ``There should be more exchange of plays and other cultural activities between the two countries.'' If the people here are starved for what they lost 50 years ago, so are people there. This is what the mamijis and masijis on both sides of the border yearn for.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
