As he wrote from dawn to dusk, for his upcoming series of plays that will be shown as part of Humsaya, a Pakistani theatre festival, Shahid Nadeem made earnest attempts to discover the true identities of people of Pakistan, and the root of religious intolerance. In the process, he re-discovered forgotten and maligned Muslim heroes such as Dara Shikoh, Manto and Bulleh Shah whose narratives he used in his plays. The research was useful in not just entertaining audiences, but also in asserting that arts is an integral part of Indo-Muslim legacy; a cultural aspect that unites us strongly and should be made more easily accessible to both.
Being presented by Routes2Roots, a nonprofit NGO, which works towards building bridges of peace by promoting contact through art, culture, heritage and education, Humsaya will stage four shows namely Dara, a story of Dara Shikoh who was imprisoned and executed by his younger brother Aurangzeb. Then there is Bullah, wherein the script throws light on how Bulleh Shah was a beacon of hope and humanism. The third in line is Kaun Hai Ye Gustakh, a play that focuses on Hassan Manto’s life.
The last one is called Lo Phir Basant Ayee, a story of a beautiful city where people believed that the walls built around would protect them from invaders for all times. “The four plays vary in style but they’re all related to shared cultural heritage of people in India and Pakistan. Each one celebrates the shared Indo-Pak heritage, common history and destiny that’s now devided by man-made boundries,” says Nadeem, adding, “People in both places want peace and prosperity and the artists only want love and appreciation.” With many forces dividing us, a connection made through arts is always going to stand strong.
September 14 to 17: 7 pm onwards at Kamani auditorium, Copernicus Marg.