Humanity is above every religion

Sushmita.Jha @timesgroup.com

Play:

Jis Lahore Nai Dekhya O Jamya Nai

Duration: Two hours
Director: Abhijeet Choudhury
Writer: Asghar Wajahat
Cast:

Dhanashree

Heblikar, Gamak, Chezan lawyer, Suraaj Nikumbh, Arnav Chandel, Anjum Ahmed, Utkarsh Mankhumbre, Karan Sahai , Krushan Doshi, Bunty More, Subhankar, Shahrukh Shaikh, Subham Daifode and many more.
Rating: 4/5

This play is set in

Lahore

during the time of the Partition of India, when millions of Indians were displaced from their homes, and the large-scale violence that ensued, led to the loss of millions of lives.
Jis Lahore Nai Dekhya O Jamya Nai portrays this tragic history of the two nations through the story of a Muslim family, who are forced to migrate from Lucknow to Lahore during this time. After reaching the city, they are reduced to living the lives of refugees in camps, before finally getting a house.
The play opens with the excited Mirzas in their new haveli, who are relieved to finally find a roof over their heads. However, the euphoria is short-lived, since soon after, they find out that there’s someone already living in the house.
They learn that the house once belonged to a Hindu family – all the members of which lost their lives to the brutal killings in Lahore in the name of religion, save for an old woman. Now, the old lady refuses to leaves the haveli, despite the family trying every trick in the book to get rid of her.
The play explores the slow transition in their relationship. With time, the two sides start growing used to each other and become a family. The old lady, who the family initially refer to as ‘kaafir’ (anti-Islamic), becomes their ‘maayi’ (mother).
It isn’t just the Mirzas who grow to love the selfless and loving maayi, but the entire Muslim neighbourhood. They even celebrate Diwali with her in the same house.
However, a bunch of goons in the area can’t stomach the fact that a Hindu woman is still residing in a country meant only for Muslims. They try many ways to get her to leave – going as far as threatening to kill her – but the Mirzas shield maayi, and stand beside her as her rock. The play gives out a beautiful message – that no religion teaches hatred. It questions how we can take away someone’s home or force them to follow a particular religion against their will.
It was easy to see the effect the deeply-moving play had on the audience. Every actor had great command over the languages – be it

Hindi

, Urdu or Punjabi – which made the production more powerful. The beautiful shayari voiced by the characters deserves special mention. The story is especially relevant today, with communal tensions flaring in the nation, and brings a fresh perspective to the issue. Swantantrata

Theatre

, where the show was staged, dedicated the play to renowned playwright, director and scholar Girish Karnad, who passed away recently.