LAHORE: The Ajoka Theatre’s plays have been a source of socially relevant and meaningful entertainment for the audience in India too and a book of the plays written by its executive director and writer Shahid Nadeem has been published there.

The collection of 15 plays, titled Shahid Nadeem De Natak, transliterated into Gurumukhi by Dr Arvinder Dhaliwal, has been published by Chetna Parkashan Publishers of Ludhiana.

The plays transliterated into Gurmukhi include Dara, Bulha, Lo Phir Basant Aae, Teesri Dastak, Jhalli Kithay Javay, Barri, Dukh Darya, Mera Rang De Basanti Chola, Kaun Hai Yeh Gustakh, Anhi Maai Da Sufna and Aik Thi Nani.

Another book that has a play by Nadeem is an English-language anthology Plays from a Fractured Land, edited by Atamjit Singh, and published by Sahitya Akademy, New Delhi. The anthology includes Shahid’s Dukh Darya (River of Sorrow). It is the story of Shehnaz and her daughter, skillfully interwoven with stories of the suffering of women, based on historical events and mythology to create a powerful and tragic narrative.

Atamjit Singh in his forward says, “Shahid, in experiencing the pain of the Partition, transcends the geographical and religious barriers of both the countries. The River of Sorrow is a quintessential Punjabi play, which talks of the oppression as well as magnanimity of the Punjabis; it is history as well as myth; and, it represents real politics as well as cultural realities. Nadeem’s composition is not linear, it is a very intricate inter-text, multi-layered and polyphonous.

This is how it operates at multiple levels; it is about the Partition, trauma, suffering and women. The hegemony of feudal and patriarchal cultural mores in both Punjabs is responsible for the plight of women… Shahid Nadeem’s River of Sorrow is a unique text.”

The Plays from a Fractured Land is a collection of plays highlighting the traumatic incidents of the Partition of Punjab in 1947. It also includes the writings of eminent playwrights like Gursharan Singh Suarajbir, Atamjit Singh, Ajmer Singh Aulakh and Pali Bhupender Singh.

Shahid Nadeem acknowledged the collaboration with Indian theatre and literary community, stressing that cultural exchanges and partnerships were very important in normalising the tensions. He hoped that Ajoka’s plays would provide a clear understanding of the major social issues and the shared cultural heritage between the two countries.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2021