Rendezvous with Manto ends

SD Sharma 

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Chandigarh, August 20

The five-day long ‘Rangmanch Utsav yatra-1947’ organised by the Punjab Sangeet Natak Akademi and dedicated to the humanity uprooted and massacred in the1947 holocaust and  cherished memory of legendary Lahore-based thespian, Madeeha Gauhar, with the theatrical spectacle ‘Dark Borders’ providing a grand finale to the festival at Randhawa auditorium here on Monday.

Epitomizing the aesthetic excellence maintained by all theme-based plays which eventually could drive home injustice, cruelty, destruction and absolute futility of the forced partition, the Dark Borders, too, depicted the soul stirring account of the excesses committed on the masses by scoundrels at the behest of their community leadership. 

Written by Saadat Hasan Manto, regarded as the literary exponent of the downtrodden, distressed, tormented and tyrannised people, the play translated the wounded soul of Manto on stage by play director Dr Neelam Man Singh. 

The play based on some stories of Manto. She maintained that Manto was a storyteller, narrator, and his work was not dated, it was relevant to all times, and yes, it required a different sensibility to transform the text into performance and dramatise it. Driven by the urge to justify the heartfelt emotions of the writer, Neelam offered a bold description by bringing into the hard realities and debating the related issues as a parliament of the sorts.

The meticulously chosen cast did full justice to the adequately rehearsed play. The use of folk music with genres of mirza, jugni besides thumri by classical vocalist Pamela Singh and Mehar Chand remained lifeline of the project.

The family of Madeeha Gauhar, including thespian husband Shahid Nadeem and Irwaan Gauhar from Lahore graced the programme.

Dr Surjeet Patar, chairman of the Punjab Arts Council, and Kewal Dhaliwal, president, PSNA, expressed gratitude.  

The talking tabla 

With a view to recognise and promote the young talented tabla virtuosos, regarded as the legends of tomorrow, the Pracheen Kala Kendra organised  a four-day All-India Yuva Tabla Mahotsav, which opened  with a scintillating performance by Master Nishit Gangani, a  disciple of  renowned tabla guru Pt Fateh Gangani at the ML Koser auditorium here on Monday. 

After Nishit Gangani, Master Zargham Khan, a disciple of tabla virtuoso Ustad Hashmat Ali Khan, took the centre stage. Kolkata-based Master Aarchik Banerjee, son and disciple of renowned tabla player Pandit Shubhankar Banerjee, handled tabla and got repeated applause.