BENGALURU: Two plays recently directed by Ashish Sen throw light on gender issues. While 9 Jakhoo Hill deals with the interaction of two families in Shimla during the Indo-China war, the Flypaper Trap delves into the ‘demonising of a young mind’.
His experience and the insights he gained while he was the President of AMARC Asia-Pacific, an NGO that serves the world community radio movement, till 2014 inspire him. “The development indicators show that India is not a safe place for women,” he says.
A survey was conducted by AMARC Asia Pacific in 2012-2013 to study the role women played in community radios across the region. “The findings showed that women were always given less challenging jobs than men, and were left out of tough jobs such as engineering,” says Sen.
In 9 Jakhoo Hill, he was struck by the silence on the issues of gender. When he read the script of Flypaper Trap, how it addressed patriarchy and fundamentalism appealed to him. The two productions came together the same year.
9 Jakhoo Hill, written by well-known author-dramatist Gurcharan Das, was published in 2001. It is set in 1962, and revolves around the relationship of six characters over four days of Diwali.
“It deals with several taboo subjects, including an incestuous relationship between an uncle and a niece,” he says. The play deals with these issues in a sensitive manner, he says.
9 Jakhoo Hill was part of an important media house festival this year, which concluded earlier this month in Chowdaiah Memorial Hall.
His next play Flypaper Trap, written by Swati Simha, will be staged at the Writers Bloc Festival, a collaboration between Rage Productions and Royal Court Theatre, in Mumbai on April 8. It is about 13-year-old Puttani, who is brainwashed into becoming a fundamentalist by her father.
“You will see the demonisation of a young mind, an innocent girl being transformed and distorted by patriarchy. Underlying this are critical issues related to masculinity, patriarchy and fundamentalism,” he says.