Seema Bhargava Pahwa’s repertoire, Bhishmotsav, was based on Bhisham Sahni’s short stories.Ila Sankrityayan writes about how the play mirrored harsh realities
litterateur Bhisham Sahni(1915-2003), while chronicling the chaos prevalent during and after the Partition in 1947, revealed a wounded soul. His advanced works became stark in portraying the darkness of the human psyche. He can be well considered as the strong voice of Hindi literature. His short stories reflected an inherent sense of human impotency and had a tone of satire bordering on black comedy.
Seema Bhargava Pahwa’s recent presentation, Bhishmotsav, at NCUI Auditorium, based on the short stories of Sahni, mirrored poignantly yet faithfully this troubled man’s spirit. It was a breathtaking performance showing the artistic world created by the writer out of his own imagination, with crisp words and fiery literary images. Kopal Theatre’s production brought together his writings like Oob, Sir Ka Sadka, Dholak, Yaadein and Samadhi Bhai Ram Singh. In order to capture the pulse of his writings, actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Seema Bhargava Pahwa, Manoj Pahwa, Heeba Shah, Mayank Pahwa, Rakesh Chaturvedi and Manukriti Pahwa poured all of their energy. And the packed auditorium, despite the sweltering heat, was proof that the effort put in by the director and actors was fruitful. While watching the play, it seemed as if he never erected walls around his art, hence the doors remained open for the dramatis personae.
If Oob reflected the boredom of professor and in a way tried to question the education system, Sir Ka Sadka showed how a woman’s biggest enemy is woman herself.Dholak talked about the deep influence of Western culture on our society. Yaadein gave a deep meaning to emotions that bind every relationship and especially friendship. Samadhi Bhai Ramsing was a strong satire on certain superstitions present in the society.
It began with the satirical story,Oob, a narrative of a professor dressed in a simple way, wearing a khadi shirt along with cotton jacket and trouser, sitting idle for three hours in a examination hall, doing weird things like counting chairs, number of students, fans, ball pens and making amusing comments on other teachers and staff members. He was so tired of this boredom that he finally decided to quit his job but after meeting the watchman his perspective changed as he came to know that the watchman was facing the same state of mind for about 25 years without making any complaints. In fact, he wanted to push his son into the same job. The story in a very subtle way raised a question about the education system where teachers are being paid meagre salary and still being forced to work for hours. And the condition is so pathetic that an educated person compares himself with the watchman who is not soliterate.
Sir Ka Sadka recreated the era of Partition reflecting the condition of women in a patriarchal society where they are forced to face all the hardships and torture imposed on them. Heeba Shah, clad in sari, brought out the crux of the novella by portraying the pain of a wife whose husband married her sister while she was immersed in her chores.
Another narrative, Dholak, featured few artisans creating a wedding mandap by painting props with two steel trunks lying on the corners, garlands and bandini dupattas. The folk song well complemented the scene. But the irony of the cheer and colour was that the educated bridegroom was reluctant to get married. In a twist of events, a few foreign travellers were shown visiting the village and getting curious about the tradition and rituals of an Indian wedding. It was only then that the young man agreed to take his vows, having seen the virtues of his culture approved and appreciated by the foreign guests.
Yaadein focussed on the long-term friendship of two women that remained unaffected by time and age. Something difficult to see in today’s time but relevant. Veteran actor Seema Pahwa played the bed-ridden old woman with Ratna Pathak Shah being the moral support. They recalled the days of their youthful adventures and fugdi (a spinning activity). Switching between the past and present, the two actorts displayed a gamut of emotions.
The play concluded with Samadhi Bhai Ramsingh, enacted brilliantly by Naseeruddin Shah wearing a chola to depict a sufi saint. It brought out the reality of blind faith. As a medicine man, he was looked down upon but as a wandering monk, he found acceptability. The double personality change was done with a deftness that showed us why Mr Shah is still the best in the business.