LAHORE, May 8: A four-day drama festival celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of Saadat Hasan Manto will be held here from May 14 to 17.

The Ajoka Theatre has once again taken the lead in marking the centenary of a literary giant. It was Ajoka that came up with special productions on Faiz’s 100th birth anniversary last year, as the government-run art institutions looked on.

The festival titled ‘A Tribute to Manto’ (1912-2012) is being organised in collaboration with Lahore Arts Council at Alhamra, The Mall. It will feature adaptations of Manto’s stories. Also, readings from the great writer’s work, with special focus on his less famous stories and essays, will be presented.

“Manto was the most famous as well as the most controversial. His works were banned for a long time. He was demonised by Pakistan’s conservative and authoritarian establishment. Even now his works are not given due importance in the curriculum or the media,” noted playwright and director Shahid Mahmood Nadeem recalled as he shared the details of his group’s planned tribute to the master storyteller.

The objective of the festival will be to bring out Manto’s unwavering commitment to humanism and his abhorrence of war and bigotry. “We also want to celebrate Manto’s courage, his creativity and sensitivity,” Nadeem said.

The first two days (May 14 and 15) will offer three productions ‘Siyah Hashiye’, ‘Toba Tek Singh’ and ‘Khol Do’ adapted by Shahid Nadeem and directed by Madeeha Gauhar. Veteran artiste Naeem Tahir will present a dramatised reading of ‘Akhri Salute’.

The remaining two evenings (May 16-17) will have four dramatised readings and an adaptation of Manto’s famous short story ‘Naya Qanoon’. The dramatised readings of four other short stories, ‘Sawerey Jo Kal Ankh Mairee Khuli’, ‘Pardey ki Baatain’, ‘Dekh Kabira Roya’ and ‘Uncle Sam Ke Khatoot’ will be presented by Naveed Shahzad, Naseem Abbas and Furqan Majeed. — Staff Reporter