Birth of a dream
As the vision of Harpal Tiwana shapes up in the form of a centre for performing arts in Patiala, Nonika Singh checks out his legacy

We all have dreams.... We all aspire for many things for ourselves, our near and dear ones. It is only the dreams of great men, which do not revolve around I, me, myself. Decades ago, theatre stalwart Harpal Tiwana dreamt of infusing professionalism and exemplary standards into Punjabi theatre. With productions like Hind Di Chaadar, Sirhind Di Deewar and many more, he enthused among Punjabis a sense of pride in their culture.

Harpal and Neena Tiwana in Diva Bale Sari Raat

He often wished wistfully how he could have done more, only if he owned his own theatre space.

Almost a decade after his death in 2002, his wish is being fulfilled as Harpal Tiwana Centre for Performing Arts (Kala Kendra) is all set to open. As finishing touches are being given to the state-of-the-art auditorium at Patiala, excitement is writ large on the faces of the proud inheritors of his legacy. Harpal’s son Manpal Tiwana and wife Neena Tiwana share grandiose plans of making it the throbbing hub of art and culture. But the moot question is can a building help reclaim a legacy? Can it bring back the audience, which once flocked his performances? Can it bring back the exciting days in Punjabi theatre in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Harpal’s productions like Diva Bale Sari Raat, Nasha Kursi Da, et al ran full house, ticketed ones at that, show after show often clocking 100 shows at one go?

From makeup to production, Harpal was involved in all aspects of his plays

Girija Shankar, a well-known actor, who has worked with Harpal, agrees that a building is only a skeleton and "we need to breathe life into it." Pray how? Going by the earlier efforts about Harpal Tiwana Foundation, which has been created by friends and family in the honour of the thespian director-producer, in the best of moments the foundation has only been sporadic in its endeavour. It has been rather inconsistent in holding the baton that Harpal had passed on to them.

So what can one expect from the Kala Kendra that is essentially a government property? Built at a cost of Rs 14.5 crore, the kendra will be run by Harpal Tiwana Memorial Society with Neena as its resident director and Manpal as the convener, but the Deputy Commissioner, Patiala, will be the ex-officio president of the day-to day governing society. Neena is a trifle circumspect that if the government interference crosses a line, it will be difficult to make things happen. However, the Deputy Commissioner, Patila, Vikas Garg, insists that the government’s role would be restricted to providing support.

Son Manpal is the proud inheritor of Harpal Tiwana's legacy

The society has on board reputed personalities like ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh, prime initiator of the project, eminent Punjabi writer Dalip Kaur Tiwana and many others, who envisage it as a nucleus of art and culture and not just theatre. Harpal, who was also a consummate bhangra dancer, created seminal plays revolving around Sikh history and culture. He also made blockbuster films Laung Da Lishkara and Deeva Bale Sari Raat. Hence it’s only fair that a kendra set up in his memory, and it should not just be confined to theatre. Gifted actor, Om Puri, who learnt his first lesson in acting from Harpal, feels that the kendra should not only organise theatre festivals and painting exhibitions, but also host art films.

Playwright and director, Dr Atamjit, however, wonders whether the kendra would help further the cause of art and theatre in particular. He observes: "In the absence of a cultural policy and concrete government vision, I have serious reservations about the outcome."

Theatre actor and television anchor, Neeta Mohindra, a died-hard Harpal aficionado, believes that the legendary theatreperson didn’t really get his due. She, too, is sceptical whether a building named after Harpal alone can bring back the magic, which only he was capable of. Like Dr Atamjit, she, too, believes that governments should create such infrastructure and hand it over to theatre persons, while they are alive and active. She adds: "Samarak to ban hi jaate hain. The crux lies in having energised and animated spaces."

Does that mean buildings in the memory of artistes are hollow tributes? Not quite. Dr Atamjit argues, "Such gestures are significant, have an iconic value and lend dignity to the artistic community at large. But the rider is if it works."

Even Puri agrees that now the onus is on Manpal, who sincerely believes that the synergy between the government and the artistic community can work and the kendra can become a self-sustaining unit. On fulfilling his father’s as well as mother’s dream, who hopes to see queues outside the auditorium, he is upbeat, "If Delhi can have India Habitat Centre, if Jaipur can have literary festival, why can’t Patiala take a lead in this region?" "Only," he insists, "Don’t prejudge. Let’s begin on a positive note." So, let time be the judge.