Kesro, a revolt against orthodoxy, a fight for dignity

SD Sharma

Chandigarh, January 16

Yet another socially relevant Punjabi play “Kesro”, which revolved around the plight of illiterate, marginalised and subjugated rural women of Punjab. The play was staged by the Television and Theatre Department of Punjabi University, Patiala, on the second day of the TFT National Theatre Festival at Randhawa Auditorium here today.

The play, written by thespian Balwant Gargi, the architect of the modern Punjabi theatre, flourished well under the direction of Sunita Dhir, a Punjabi film artiste and an academician.

Set in the decades-old pastoral environs of Punjab with miser landlords, shopkeepers and shrewd money-lenders exploiting the illiterate innocent rural folk, the modest uneducated, Kesro, emerges as a torch-bearer and exponent of literacy, equal rights and gender parity in the male dominated society.

Unable to read the letters written by her soldier husband serving in the Army, Kesro approaches many, including money-lender Garibu Shah, who used to dictate terms in lieu of it.

This transformed her life and bought a sewing machine on credit and started stitching clothes and teaching fellow women, much to the dislike of money-lenders and other orthodox villagers, who create problems for her.

A number of innovations, employing a sutradhar with a soothing musical chorus, most probably for the first time, earned the praise of the audience. Sukhbir Kaur (Kesro) and Manmohan Singh (Garibu Shah) stole the lime light.

A Hindi play, “Welcome Zindagi”, will be staged tomorrow.