In the wake of the Partition, thousands of innocent people became victims of communal riots unleashing mass exodus uprooting people forever from the land which once they called their own. This spectre of bloodshed deeply wounded the collective conscience of creative people, manifesting in works that capture cataclysmic chapter of Indian history in the form of poems, films, fiction and dramatic art. Recently we watched “Dhrabi 1947”, presented by the Department of Theatre and Television, Punjabi University, Patiala under the auspices of Punjabi Academy, Delhi and Sarbat Da Bhala Charitable Trust at the Kamani auditorium, which illustrates the power of human compassion and brotherhood to face such calamity in history.
Written and directed by Dr. Gurpreet Singh Ratol, the production is based on Dr. Sarabijinder Singh’s book “Deejey Budh Bibeka”. It opens in a village called Dhrabi of undivided Punjab. We watch villagers performing their routine work. We meet Teja Singh, moneylender, sitting in his office, interacting with his clients, trying to help them out of their financial problems. He is very much part of village social life and is respected. Teja Singh's wife is a kind-hearted woman. Teja Singh's son and his daughter-in-law are hard working farmers. There is no conflict between Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims. The playwright depicts vivid vignettes of rural society.
A scene from the play
Teja Singh and his family are leading a contended life but he is worried about his grandson Preetam who spends much of his time in the company of Mohna, the son of a Jat of the village and Chirag, the son of Muslim blacksmith. The friendship of these young men is deep and it has not affected by their differences of class and religion. Teja Singh wants his grandson to go to city for studies or he should get married and join family's work of farming. Living a carefree life, these friends spend their time roaming around the village or killing birds with catapult. After lot of persuasion Preetam agrees to go to town to study.
Nation’s split
Till the first half of the play, there is hardly any conflict. Of course, the much loved moneylender has to face tragedy in the death of his young daughter-in-law. The villagers seem to be living far away from stormy national debate about the Partition. However, one day the villagers receive the dreaded message of the division of the country on the basis of religion. It is declared that the village will become part of Pakistan and Sikhs and Hindus have to migrate to Hindustan. However, most of the people think that the announcement is a joke. But events move fast with deafening cries of communal frenzy engulfing village after village, targeting the Sikhs and Hindus. Muslims from outside the village attack non-Muslims with attempts to murder and rape. However, the Muslim community of the village rise like one man to defend their Sikhs and Hindus brothers. They fight bravely to protect the honour of a non-Muslim woman and to protect their neighbours’ lives and property. Finally, military arrives on the scene and Sikhs and Hindus have to leave for India, the villagers give them farewell with a heavy heart. The philosophical kernel of the play is that simple people rise to the deeds of nobility, sacrificing their own lives to protect their dear villagers at the hour of crisis.
In the midst of chaos and violence, the play continues to reflect on the friendship of three youths. Preetam's life is saved by Mohna and Chirag, providing him safety to go to India to join his family which has already left for India. A shocked Mohna, unable to bear the separation from his friend Chirag and his beloved jumps from a truck transporting Sikhs and Hindus to the station to be sent to India, ready to face death.
Writer-director and lyricist Dr. Ratol's effort is laudable but his production needs fine-tuning. The mass scenes tend to be loud. The members of the chorus, who occupy left downstage, could have enhanced the emotional appeal of the production if the members have rendered lyrics in a variety of tunes. Their voices are invariably loud. The set designed by Kewal Dhaliwal with raised platform upstage connecting to the acting space aptly provide smooth movements for the performers. A huge painting is projected upstage that imparts certain intricacy to the production and provides backdrop for the action.
In the large cast, Jarnail Singh as Mohna, Kasha Ram as Chirag and Baljinder Singh as Preetam bring youthful energy and unrestrained freedom to their portraits but when they face social upheaval and bloody riots, they turn out to be brave fighters to protect the honour of a village girl from rapists and fight back blood thirsty attackers from outside the village. Avtar Singh as Rahima is admired by the audience for his human qualities and bravery.
