Play shows non-communal aspects of ’84 riots

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 22

The four-day theatre festival being held by the North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala, in collaboration with the Indian Academy of Fine Arts(IAFA) culminated on Thursday at the art gallery. The last play, ‘Sanjhi Peer’, was staged by Lokai Kala Kendra, Gurdaspur. The play was written by Rajinder Bhogal and directed by Dr Amandeep Bhogal. 

Depicting the incidents of violence against Sikh community in 1984, the play stressed on non-communal aspects of the 1984 riots.  The play highlighted that the murder of innocents, whenever it happens in course of history, does not impact only one community or religion. Amandeep Bhogal, in his address before the play’s presentation, said that in today’s time where everyone seems to be talking about religious polarisation, such subjects need to be highlighted through any medium. 

The play has a woman protagonist, who wants one of her children to become a Hindu and the other to become a Sikh. Contrary to their mother’s reasons for such a drastic religious identification, the children, both sons, argue that this is not the right way of dealing with the incidents of hate crimes. The play was largely sensitive in its portrayal of riot victims and their stories. 

Arvinder Chamak, general secretray, IAFA, honoured all the guest theatre groups and artistes who participated in the four-day festival at art gallery at the end of closing ceremony.