Chandigarh, Punjab: “Blessed are those whose spell of ignorance is broken, truth has revealed itself in their soul, their illusion is over and knowledge absolute shines within,” this divine utterance of Guru Nanak Dev, elucidating the ultimate achievement for a mortal being forms the basic concept of the theatrical production. ‘Guru Manyo Granth’ staged at the Tagore theatre in Chandigarh to a packed house.
The play produced by the London-based Punjabi Theatre Academy and Guru Nanak Sikh School was enacted at the Tagore Theatre here on Monday evening by five British and ten Indian artistes.
"We had received an overwhelming response in Britain and the response was equally encouraging here. We consider theatre a non-political and non-profit medium to maintain a link with our roots," Sukhdev Singh Komal, president of the Punjabi Theatre Academy, told IANS.
The dialogues in the play were in both Hindi and English, and there was extensive use of PowerPoint slides to show the Sikh Gurus and various religious places. The production followed Guru Gobind Singh's historic journey from Talwandi Sabu to Nanded Sahib during 1705-08.
“We cannot play the characters of Sikh Gurus that is why we have chosen the medium of slides to portray them. We also showcased the original place of action in the backdrop of the scene like Golden Temple and Jama Masjid to make our play dynamic," said assistant director Gaurav Sharma.
"We have seen many Indian production houses coming to Britian and performing there but this is probably the first time that some Britain-based theatre group has brought a production to Punjab. This is our endeavour to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Guru Granth Sahib,” said Komal.
The young actors from Britain were also very enthusiastic about performing in India.
“It was a great feeling and a proud moment for me to perform before the Punjabi audience here. I was thrilled to see the huge crowd and am really looking forward to more such opportunities to perform in India,” said Camilla Sidhu, a member of the troupe.
The historical play hailed as the British bilingual theatrical bonanza of religious and socio-cultural relevance is a joint production of the Guru Nanak Sikh School UK and the Punjabi Theatre Academy UK.
The serenity and tranquil environment pervaded the venue even as art lovers thronged the theatre waiting in reverence to see a rare spectacle.
The audio-visual effects and soulful gurbani recital in the background with chiaroscuro effects augmented the presentation level though the production design apparently suited to the foreign milieu and needs improvement.
The actors from Chandigarh city scored over those hailing from UK but nevertheless a bold effort by SS Chhokar and Sindras to propound the ethical values of Gurus to the West through the vibrant medium of theatre.
