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I love watching, working, reading, in a nutshell, I love
anything that has to do with theater. It brings me close to stories,
characters, perceptions and ideas that are dared to be lived/relived.
Storytelling is an art, mastered by many, but felt by few. I’m no judge or
critic but, the writer/ director of Kultar’s Mime knows how to feel the unfelt.
You would not know till the end, how the details are related, and how the
director’s vision in characters would grow. The told/untold stories of 1984
Delhi Riots are gravely horrifying. And for someone like me who have just read
about this mind bending political massacre, would not even have a slightest of
idea what the people, particularly the Sikh Community, went through during
those madman’s days. Hence, came Kultar’s Mime, the plot just said, based on
1984 riots.
With no expectation I came to see the performance. We were
introduced to the artistic depiction of story, or shall I say the poem on which
the play is based on, with a backdrop of 8 penetrating paintings. And then was
mesmerized by the soulful performances of such poignant performers. The riots,
though were politically triggered but, were against one religious group in
particular. And hence to reach a wider audience the director has skillfully
endured the human element from every performer. The poem Kultar’s Mime, drew
upon eyewitness accounts of Delhi massacre, is a true story of four children
who faced the 1984 riots head on, and till now faces its aftermath. The
portrayal of each character was fumingly heartfelt. I sincerely thank the
writer of the poem, and of course the writer - director of this play Sarbpreet
Singh for bringing such painfully violent event, in such a creative way.
The prologue and one of the scenes of the play was drawn
from Hayim Nahman Bialik’s poem ‘In the City of Slaughter’. Which fore played a
similar account of barbaric eruption against the Jewish population is the small
city of Kishinev (Russia) in 1906.
These are just four stories that melted our hearts, and
stunned our core. There are countless back then, and there are millions now. I
don’t know who has to come down from heaven to fix us, but I know if I do one
thing right a day I make a difference. And hence can everybody.
As an audience, I’m grateful to Sikh Research Institute for
promoting Kultar’s Mime, which has been performed in 3 continents and various
countries. And Enacte Arts www.enacte.org for bringing fabulous Theater to
life and to us. Kultar’s Mime is on the road, for their upcoming shows go to
https://sikhri.org/ and mark your calender.
