Plays remind audience of lost art of letter-writing

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Three heart-warming theatre presentations in two different parts of the city regaled audiences in Jalandhar on Saturday and Sunday.

Yuvaa Theatre’s ongoing Rang Utsav dedicated this week to letters with the plays “Tumhari Shehnaaz” and “Letters to the unborn Children of Fatima” which were staged at the KL Saigal Memorial Hall in Jalandhar on Friday and Saturday.

Additionally, the play “Zafarnama” was also staged at Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall on Friday. Zafarnama too talk about Guru Gobing Singh’s letter to Aurangzeb.

For the staging of Yuvaa’s twin plays, a painstakingly acquired letter box was lodged both on the stage and at the venue – to revive the lost art of letter writing. A pile of letters and postcards were kept on a table and audience encouraged to respond to the plays through their reviews written on these letters.

On Saturday, Yuvaa Theatre presented its latest offering “Tumhari Shehnaaz” as part of its ongoing annual theatre festival, the tenth edition of Yuvaa Rang Utsav, being held at KL Saigal Memorial Hall in association with the KL Saigal Memorial Trust.

The play, a Hindi adaptation and translation of AR Gurney's popular play “Love Letters”, reminded one of the now almost lost art of letter-writing through a heartwarming story of two friends, young people who write to each other as they explore the paths of their lives.

The play, directed by Ankur Sharma of Yuvaa Theatre, explores the intricacies of a life – explores through 45 years of written letters. Shehnaaz, a rich girl from a broken home, and her friend Avinash, a middle class boy - both of them friends since school days. The play, directed by Ankur Sharma, was about the now aged Shehnaaz and Avinash sitting on the stage and reading out their letters to each other written over the past 45 years. Ankur as Avinash and Dolly Ohri as Shehnaaz were convincing on stage.

On Sunday, the utsav presented the play “Letters to the unborn children of Fatima Jahan”, which was developed and conceived as an ode to all women who have gone through the unbearable pain of child loss.

Conceived and directed by Gaurav Das and Niti Phool, the play was brought from the Kolkata-based group – Santoshpur Anuchintan.

The play was developed through a series of interviews with women who have experienced miscarriage, irrespective of their social class. The play chronicles the tumultuous journey of an adolescent girl called Fatima who hails from a small village in Punjab who gets pregnant out of wedlock. Next week Yuvaa Rang Utsav will host plays 'Shradhaa Suman' on December 12, 'Dad’s Girlfriend' on December 13 and 'Panchlight' on December 14, followed by 'The overcoat' on December 15.

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Zafarnama

Punjab Lok Rang, California, the USA’s play “Zafarnama” written and directed by Surinder Singh Dhanoa was staged at the Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall by prominent actors - Sonu Rana, Ramneet Chaudhury, Mukesh Sharma, Parampal, Mukand Lumba and others on Saturday.

The play set in the time period of Guru Gubind Singh and Aurangzeb, then ruler of Hindustan, explores the Guru’s letter (Zafarnama) to Aurangzeb about his behaviour and agony. The play explores the adamant ruler’s whims and how Hindus of that period suffered. It also talks of how the entry of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur in Northern India changed the course of history in Punjab. It explores the journey of the Punjabis dating back to the 18th century Punjab.