10 MARCH 2019 | PLAY

It is a devised experimental play inspired by the works of Sa’adat Hasan Manto. Texts by Shubha, Mahasweta Devi and Amrita Pritam have been weaved in the narrative. The play tries to explore the notions of sanity and insanity, through multiple narratives weaved in a non-linear structure, by critiquing the madness of aggressive nationalism. It looks at how this kind of nationalism breeds fascist ideology and how it regulates women’s bodies to assert power, making it a site of nationalist politics. From the vantage point of partition, it brings into focus some of the contemporary issues – Babri Masjid Demolition, Muzaffarnagar riots, Jaat reservation riots and violence in Kashmir and Manipur. The madness that led to the division of the country in 1947, which Manto has critiqued in his works, continues even today through divisive and communal politics. The play tries to bring forth the danger which is lurking around us in the form of an upsurge of blind patriotism and nationalistic fervour; and the urgency with which we need to resist it.

Performed By: Aakanksha, Abhi, Anand, Anshu, Ashish, Hiba, Rajina, Vijay, Vishwas

Directed By: Rashi Mishra, Sukriti Khurana

IMAGES BY: SHRISHTI SHARMA
SOURCE: CONFLICTORIUM ARCHIVES