Exploring human vulnerability
In Search of Dariya Sagar is a poignant portrayal of a third-generation Sindhi’s search for roots. It’s told through the eyes of Jatin Sadarangani – a tour guide in Mumbai - who seeks to understand his personal history taking him all the way back to the pre-Partition days when his maternal grandmother used to live in Sind (which is now in Pakistan). A telling moment in the play is when he observes that while Sind finds a place in the Indian national anthem (as in “Punjab, Sind, Gujarata, Maratha”) the place itself is not part of India anymore.
It’s the story of any migrant desperately wanting to make sense of the past– distressed by the alienation and the sense of displacement. It also captures the urgency with which migrant groups re-establish themselves in a new geography – in this is case it’s Mumbai. The childhood scenes re-capturing his grandmother’s past are effective. The play is dark and disturbing in parts as it plumbs the depths of Jatin’s mind – replete with angst, hurt and anger. The live music reinforces the varying moods. The backdrop of the Mumbai seashore is a silent reminder of the restlessness of the human soul. It’s a play that stays with you because of its haunting images of human vulnerability and the quest for identity.
Anuradha Raghunathan, Nungambakkam
Identity quest
Akshat Nigam and Gerish Khemani’s In Search of Dariya Sagar is perhaps one of the few pieces of literature that presents the realities of the Sindhi community, and it does so in a profound and moving way. Like the play’s protagonist Jatin Sadarangani, I too belong to that generation of Sindhis who have never known their homeland; who seek a connection with it through the stories of their grandmothers; who have to explain, now and then, that we are Indian and not Pakistani. The play exposed these important struggles with identity, often hidden within stereotypes around the community. Jatin’s existentialist angst and delusions take theatrical shape through compelling dialogues, powerful movements on stage, stirring Sindhi music and exchanges with the audience. Set mostly in Mumbai, I must confess there were moments that felt unfamiliar to me as a Sindhi in Chennai — a stark reminder, perhaps, that the experiences of Sindhis everywhere, much like the community, are in some sense, scattered and separate.
Poonam Ganglani, Egmore
The search for home
In Search of Dariya Sagar, by Gerish Khemani is a very profound play about the hunt of a young man, Jatin, for his true home. The play has been skilfully directed and the energy of the actors bounces off the stage and the ancient walls of the theatre to hit you with waves of self-realisation.
A man in a frightful search of his identity, his head full of stories animatedly narrated by his grandmother; the protagonist is confused and in the brink of ‘realisation’. It takes a childhood friend and the memories of his dead grandmother that still haunt him for the trigger of his quest to be pulled.
One will find themselves in the vibrance of the characters, in the bright colours of the Nanny’s dupattas and the mystic feel of the Sufi songs. And when you lie in bed to sleep that night, in her husky voice, the Nanny’s lullaby, Chanjadunni Chanjadu will put you into a dreamy sleep.
Neetha John, East Tambaram
