LAHORE, Sept 11: Ajoka’s two-day theatre festival titled ‘Playing for Peace’ opened at Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall, on Wednesday.

Madeeha Gauhar, the moving spirit behind Ajoka, told Dawn that the fest was being organised to address the current intolerance and lack of peace in society.

Ms Gauhar said recently the government had announced negotiations with Taliban but nothing would come out of it. She said some 50,000 Pakistanis had been killed in attacks by the Taliban and the government was very much willing to hold negotiations with them.

She said both plays ‘Bullah’ and ‘Hotel Mohenjodaro’ were significant in their approach towards present-day chaos, intolerance and growing violence in society. Gauhar said plays had another significance i e, the 9/11 incident. “If we will not listen to the message spread by Sufi saints such as Baba Bulleh Shah and others the end result would be just extremism.”

She said Ajoka was also going to stage a play ‘Mera Rang Dey Basanti Chola’ at Faisalabad in connection with Bhagat Singh’s birthday falling on Sept 27.

She said presenting Ajoka’s festival on the 12th anniversary of 9/11 was not without any significance. She said 9/11 had become a brand name for irrational hatred, endless violence and senseless destruction. “But this is also an occasion for introspection.”

On the first day of the festival, ‘Bullah’ was staged. It is Ajoka’s most popular play on the life of Hazrat Baba Bulleh Shah (RA). The play is all about the times of the Bulleh Shah when the Mughal Empire was crumbling, religious conflict was rampant and the voices of reason and tolerance were being brutally suppressed.

Bulleh Shah wrote powerful poetry challenging exploitation and bigotry which inspired millions of his admirers even today and offered a meeting ground for followers of all religions and civilisations.

On Thursday (today) Hotel Mohenjodaro will be staged at the same venue.