Amritsar: Kesaro staged at Virsa Vihar

Amritsar: The Manch Rangmanch kicked off a 10-day theatre festival at Virsa Vihar here on Sunday. In the series, Punjabi play Kesaro was staged by the artistes of the Azad Bhagat Singh Virasat Manch on Tuesday. The play was directed by Daljeet Sona and written by Balwant Gargi. The play highlighted the importance of literacy, especially for women, in rural areas where obscurity and social oppression have become a norm for them. The play begins with a protagonist, a woman named Kesaro, for whom begging random strangers and people from the village to read a letter has become a norm. An illiterate, though not by choice, Kesaro becomes fed up with her constant vulnerability and decides to learn to read. She has to face many challenges, taunts and some hilarious situations because of her decision. Eventually, she is able to learn and once she does, it enables her to expose the village chief, who is exploiting the illiteracy of villagers to his benefit.