The artistic credo of Yatrik, a leading theatre group that has been producing plays for over more than fifty years uninterruptedly, is to create artistically brilliant and socially relevant plays, contributing immensely to the Delhi theatre scene. Its latest production of “9:45 Ki Express Ki Seeti”, which was staged recently at the Stein auditorium in India Habitat Centre was a finely-tuned production – provocative and disturbing.
The play is written by seasoned theatre practitioner Avijit Dutt, who is these days making news more for his acting skills. As a playwright, he deals with highly sensitive issues that are often not music to establishment’s ears. In the play under review, he implicitly deals with child sexual abuse within the four walls of family. Structurally, the play is well-knit with economy of dialogue. In a way, the play adheres to three unities – time, place and action – and the action of the play is single. One of the survivors of the sexual abuse, the perpetrators of the heinous crime and other members of the family have assembled to mourn the death of the family patriarch and relatives have joined the family. Very slowly, the narrative moves towards denouement that is startling, shocking and tragic. The director’s emphasis is to evoke an atmosphere of suspense, fear and angst. He has used silence which has an ominous ring about it. The family secret, which is expressed through whispers, gradually reaches to the bursting point.
Avijit Dutt
Discordant note
The play opens on a sombre tone with family members making necessary arrangement to complete the rites of the patriarch of the joint family. Ram, the younger brother, has arrived with his wife Bani who leaves to resume her official work leaving behind her husband. As he interacts with other members of the family, he is treated with subdued hatred and hostility. Krishen, the elder brother, and Tai are trying meticulously to make the arrangements for the peace of the departed soul. Jyoti is the sister of Krishen and Ram. Rani, who is the daughter of Jyoti, is another member of the joint family. Kartik, who was brought from the railway station by the patriarch, is a kind of foster son of the family. Bittoo is an outsider, who is assigned the work to make necessary arrangement befitting the sad occasion. While the members of the family are trying to reconcile with their irreparable loss, Ram is striking a discordant note, suggesting that the patriarch was a man of great heart, his death should be celebrated rather than mourn.
Conversations between the characters are taking place in almost undertones. We perceive young Rani looks at Ram with hatred and rarely talks to him. When family members are inside the house, Kartik and Bitto talk about family secrets. Ram seems to be at loggerheads with the opinions of Tai and elder brother.
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Patriarch’s will
As the narrative reaches the climax, the elder brother discloses the will of the patriarch, declaring the share in property of the family members, including Jyoti. Ram becomes furious at the provision to giving share in property to Jyoti. At this point, Rani expresses her suppressed anger and the sense of revenge against Ram, revealing that Ram has abused her when she was a little girl and ruined her life. To escape from his misdeeds of savagery, two young girls of the family ran away from home. Kartik exposes the abuser who has been witness to his crimes. It is also revealed that the family patriarch has thrown him out of house and he left home. Humiliated, insulted and damned, Ram leaves the house.
The title of the play “9:45 Ki Express Ki Seeti” is intrinsically linked to the narrative. Director-playwright has used it as metaphor to suggest the place of the train in the life of the people of a small town in which the action is set. Its whistle signals the arrival and departure of the train at 9:45. It is this train in which two girls disappeared; it is this train in which Ram was forced to leave home and again it is the track of this train on which Ram ends his life. The set, visuals and lighting effect reinforce the atmosphere of repressed anger and hatred. The play opens with the cacophony of a train reaching its destination in full speed and ends with the same sound. The director's presentational style is realistic and down to earth.
The members of the cast act in a restraint manner. Pavleen Gujral as Rani, the survivor; Ajay Lamba as Krishen, the elder brother; Shekhar Murugan as Kartik and Abhay Manas as Bittoo give creditable performances. Manu Sikander Dhingra as the child abuser, who is subjected to hatred,brings alive his character, making his portrait despicable.
