KARACHI: It was an unusual press briefing on Wednesday evening at the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) to announce a forthcoming production Kavad Katha to be staged from Friday (tomorrow) to Sunday (Jan 14) because instead of the usual setting where artists or directors engage with the journalists, a piece from the play directed by Rao Jamal Singh Rajput was performed for a very low number of media persons. It was done in Haryanvi, Sindhi and Urdu languages, respectively, by Rajput, Zubair Baloch and Hasnain Falak.

After the performance, Mr Rajput answered the questions put to him. He said the word ‘kavad’ is derived from the word ‘kivaad’ meaning door. “[In the production] there are many doors. As the story progresses, the doors open. The form of storytelling originated in Rajasthan. Around 400 years ago, it stopped from being performed. Gradually it resumed but even today only two communities do it in India. What happens [in preproduction] is that first the doors are made with wood, then they’re painted and finally a storyteller known as kavadiya tells the tale.”

He said three stories are going to be told from Friday. First belongs to Haryana. “Although I have written it, it belongs to the oral storytelling tradition (seena ba seena). The story travelled from Rajasthan to Haryana, and when members of the Haryanvi community migrated to Pakistan, it came along with them. I had heard the story from my elders.”

Mr Rajput said the second tale is Karanjhor Jo Qaidi in the Sindhi language written by Ali Baba. It’s about those who had fought against the East India Company. “The reason for doing it is to go back to our roots.”

He said the third story in Urdu focuses on Mirabai. “We had kept it a bit musical with dohas in it. It’s about Mira and Krishna’s love.”

The director said that the play is going to be narrated by the above-mentioned three artists in a dastangoi fashion.

He thanked Napa for providing its students with the opportunities to do new things.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2024