Bhagat Singh, the revolutionary who the British executed at 23. He was loathed by the colonists for his audacity during India’s Freedom Struggle. But perhaps his sacrifices went in vain, according to theatre veteran Piyush Mishra, who will demonstrate this thought in his upcoming musical, Gagan Damama Bajyo. Here, he will bring to fore the life and times of the gallant Sardar Bhagat Singh and how he was misrepresented.
Presented by Q&A events, Mishra has written, composed and directed this presentation. He wanted to keep the reigns of the narration entirely in his hands. “There has been enough one-sided representation of facts. Look at what NCERT has done. Calling him a terrorist is sacrilegious. It has portrayed him as a fundamentalist which he was not. If anything he was a nationalist who loved his country,” he says.
Born in 1907 to a Sikh family, Bhagat Singh discontinued school at age 13 to work towards India’s Independence. Such was his involvement that he refused to get married. “Everybody talks about his aggression, about his bombing the Central Assembly. But it wasn’t done to cause injury, but to oppose two repressive bills. The Public Safety Bill and the Trade Dispute Bill,” says the director.
Mishra is surprised at how disproportionately we treat our leaders. If Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Mahatma Gandhi, Lala Lajpat Rai, Jawaharlal Nehru and others can be given deference, then why not this lad who gave up his life in a heartbeat? “I am sure many don’t even know his full name. It was Bhagat Singh Sandhu. Maybe we don’t deserve him at all. Terrorists flea. Bhagat Singh stayed. His contributions should be commemorated and that’s what I am doing through this play.”
While Mishra hopes people will enjoy the musical, he also wishes the administration to recognise his credence. “The play will be staged, applauded and then forgotten. That’s not what I am aiming for. I want the audience to be shaken enough to acknowledge that people like Bhagat Singh are not born every day.”