LAHORE, April 18: The fourth six-day Panj Pani Indo-Pakistan festival titled Reinterpreting History opened at Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall, on Wednesday. Governor Khalid Maqbool inaugurated the festival. Indian Deputy High Commissioner Maan Preet Vohra was also present.

The festival opened to the beats of drums with drummers wearing yellow turbans and colourful dresses.

The hall was thinly occupied due to the tight security arrangements.

Before the performance, speeches were made and a short documentary featuring the achievements of Ajoka was screened.

Later, Shahid Mahmood Nadeem of Ajoka said the main objective of the theatre was to reach masses with a strong message.

Throwing light on the background of Panj Pani festival, he said All Punjab Performing Artistes Network (APPAN) and Ajoka founded Panj Pani theatre in 2004.

Mr Nadeem said to see the theatre of a people who have a common heritage was something which made the bond stronger on the cultural front.

Mr Vohra said last year the theme of the festival was Beyond Borders. He appreciated Ajoka for choosing subtle titles for festivals. “It is very important for us to discover the old bonds of our culture.”

On Wednesday, two performances were staged – the Indian was Kahan Kabir and Ajoka’s BurqaVaganza.

Kahan Kabir was directed by one of the leading Indian stage directors Bansi Kaul. The play drew its force from Kabir’s verses which pictured the times he lived in. An attempt was made in this production to render on stage the expanses of space. In the play, Kabir had not been treated as a saint but a revolutionary. His birth, the times he lived in, the conflict between social and religious segments, his own intervention during the fight of his followers over his body were depicted in a strong manner.

The play was staged by Rang Vidushak group. The group was launched in 1984. In 1986, it became an independent group. It has over the years attracted actors, dancers, choreographers, playwrights and people from diverse disciplines, emerging as vibrant group of artistes. It has conducted more than 100 workshops in the smaller districts, towns and villages in Hindi in India.

The director, Bansi Kaul, is the founder of Rang Vidushak and known for revitalising the silenced laughter through clown-performances.

Ajoka’s BurqaVaganza talked about the current fixation with naqab and burqa and labelled that as a product of Pan-Islamic fundamentalist political movement supported by tyrannical Muslim rulers and western powers. In Pakistan, Zia regime actively pursued this policy as a part of west-supported plan to promote religious militancy. Other issues were also highlighted in the play such as the obsession with covering everything beautiful and hiding all horrible things.