Recently Collegiate Drama Society presented “Baba Bantoo” at Meghdoot auditorium under the auspices of Sangeet Natak Akademi which evoked nostalgia about its writer, the late Prof. C.D. Sidhu who wrote nearly 40 full-length plays in Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi, bringing alive the rural landscape of Punjab and its exploited landless peasantry. Some of his plays depict the social and economic conflict of the urban middle class. Best known for his celebrated trilogy on freedom fighter Bhagat Singh for which Sidhu received award from Sahitya Akademi, Delhi. As the distinguished multi-lingual writer, he was the recipient of Sahitya Kala Parishad, Delhi award for his contribution to enrich Hindi dramas and Urdu Academy awarded him for his Urdu plays. A Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin, USA on the plays of Bernard Shaw, he taught English at Hans Raj College, Delhi University for more than four decades and decided to write plays in his own mother tongue, staging them with his own hard earned money involving his entire family in the production.
Written in 1981 and premièred in 1982 in Delhi, Prof. Sidhu while writing “Baba Bantoo” was inspired by the legend of Goga Peer who is also known as the God of snakes and fought for justice. Worshipped in Rajasthan and Punjab, every year Hindus and Muslims assemble at Goga shrine, Hanumangarh, Rajasthan to pay obeisance to him, with the belief that the Peer would fulfil their wishes. It is also widely believed that by carrying a snakebite patient to the shrine, the patient is cured. Through the ballad like singing, the godly prowess of the Peer believed to be the disciple of Gorakhnath is eulogised.
Prof. Sidhu focuses on only one aspect of Goga Peer's devotee Baba Bantoo's power to cure snakebite patients in the context of feudal exploitation. Revered by the villagers for his saintly qualities, he treats his patients, who come from far and wide, without accepting any gift from those who are cured. He is poor and works hard on his fields but is unable to pay his debt he owes to the village landlord.
Suffering silently
Threatened by landlord Sarban Singh, Bantoo is forced to send his daughter to work at the house of the landlord, who sexually exploits her. Bantoo silently suffers, never raises his voice against him. The debauch and greedy landlord has now his eye on the buffalo, the only sources of fresh milk for Bantoo’s family. The landlord starts perpetually tormenting Bantoo, demanding the repayment of his debt. One day he takes his buffalo to his house forcibly. Bantoo once again remains silent, meekly surrendering to the injustice. Bantoo, the Baba, the high priest, who prays at the shrine of Goga Peer for others to fulfil their wishes never prays for his own betterment to be free from the clutches of the landlord. Tending poisonous snakes kept in his house in bamboo baskets, leading a pious life, he firmly adheres to the principles expected of a true follower of Goga Peer to desist from revenge, greed and serve people with humility.
Bantoo's young son wants his father to resist to oppressive acts of the landlord, use poisonous snakes to bite the landlord whenever he comes, to the house with impunity and insults family members. The young son demands that his father should rise from his lowly status to liberate the family from the exploitation of the landlord who himself faces contradictions in his personal life. Out of greed for land, his father married him to the only daughter of a landlord of a neighbouring village. The villagers of his father-in-law continue to treat him as outsider. His own wife hates him because he is not faithful to her. In turn, she is in relationship with her servant. Suspecting the conduct of the servant, the landlord throws him out of the village, beating him mercilessly. One day he comes to know that Bantoo's son and his wife have illicit relationship. A furious landlord conspires to kill Bantoo's only son.
Worshipping Goga Peer with religious devotion year after year, praying for sons and milk for others, Bantoo now loses both these precious things — his son is killed and his buffalo is plundered. Now he faces the dilemma of remaining silent or taking revenge. The director has explored this conflict by creating a tense atmosphere.
Ravi Taneja aptly directs the play with action flowing uninterruptedly. The lyrics rendered by chorus led by Veena Sidhu Taneja evoke an atmosphere of pathos, anger, poignancy and retribution. Atul Jasi has imaginatively designed the sets which provide space for shrine where devotees assemble to worship Goga Peer with Baba Bantoo offering his obeisance almost in trance along with enough space for Bantoo’s house where dramatis personae interact with each other. The ritualistic atmosphere is juxtaposed with stark realism.
Ravi Taneja as Baba Bantoo gives a brilliant performance. His transformation from a meek devotee to one taking revenge is convincing. His furious image at the climax stuns the audience. Pramod Kumar as the hated landlord, Shalu Singh as Bantoo's wife and Tushar Bakshi as the rebellious son of Baba Bantoo strike an impressive note.
