Theatre diplomacy can improve ties: Pak playwright

Annie Samson
New Delhi, Jan 26 (PTI) Theatre can convey the message
of peace without ruffling the administration, says Pakistani
playwright Shaheed Nadim who favours use of this medium to
strengthen the Indo-Pak diplomatic ties.

"Theatre diplomacy may not work officially but
unofficially we have been working towards it for more than a
decade now," Nadim told PTI in an interview.

Nadim's Ajoka theatre group was in the India's
national capital recently with the play "Hotel Mohenjadaro"
which staged its show to a packed hall at the National School
of Drama's annual theatre festival Bharat Rang Mahotsav.

"Theatre is live interaction with audiences and the
kind of influence it exercises on the people, I think, must be
allowed," says Nadim.

He was responding to the query about whether theatre
and other performing arts can play an important part in
improving diplomatic ties between the two neighbouring
countries.

"In Pakistan, we have faced all kinds of problems with
our plays. I think in a democratic set up it is much more
difficult for theatre. Unlike in a dictatorship where you
attack a personality of the dictator, in democracy you have to
attack a system of values. That is not so easy in theatre
because people have other avenues to voice their dissent like
the media," he says.

The group, whose director is Maheeda Gauhar, had first
performed in India in 1989.

"We came without informing either the Indian or the
Pakistani authorities. 'The Brick' was a play on bonded labour
which was at that time important for both India and Pakistan
and since then we have been participating in the NDS festival.
It is our 5th consecutive year," says Nadim.

The group had staged performances from Kashmir in
India's north to Kanyakumari in the south. "We performed in
Jammu in 2007 and capital of India's northern state Jammu and
Kashmir, Srinagar in 2008 and received tremendous response,"
says Nadim.

Reacting to the Mumbai terror attacks Nadim says,
"Apart from the past few weeks where there is a visible
concern among the people, I feel, there has also been a
consistent degree of improvement in the attitude."

"There has been unfortunate incidents in Mumbai. I
hope this is a temporary phase and we have been having
interactions too. This may be a political overreaction but
knowing India and its secular nature I think it is just a
passing phase."

A three time political prisoner himself, Nadim has
over a three decade-old career and explored various themes in
theatre like human rights, issues of peace, fundamentalism and
gender rights.

Ajoka, the 20-member Lahore-based group had courted
controversy earlier with the choice of its themes. "Burqavaza"
written in 2007 was banned in Pakistan because it made fun of
Pakistani society.

Just after the November terrorist attacks in Mumbai,
Ajoka, had performed 'Bullah' at the Sangeet Natak Theatre
Festival in India's southern state of Kerala.

"Hotel Mohenjadaro," adapted from the short story by
Ghulam Abbas in the 1960s is about detailed imaginary chain of
events triggered after a Pakistani citizen lands on the moon
leading to religious fundamentalists taking over the state and
ends with the threat of war.

Nadim says currently he is working on a play "Dara
Sikoh", the elder son of Indian history's Mughal emperor Shah
Jahan.

"Aurangazeb had an impact on the future course of
history and I feel that Dara Sikoh needs to be intrepreted as
a play." PTI