Plays showcase social themes like caste, elderly care

Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, July 20

The Theatre of People drama ensemble staged two socially-relevant short plays including ‘Jayein Toh Jayein Kahan’ written by Ashwini Sawan and Sakia Dom, based on a story by Dr Kailash Ahluwalia, under the direction of Geeta Gandhi at Randhawa auditorium here on Friday.

The opening play ‘Jayein Toh Jayein Kahan’ brought into focus the woes of the elderly people whose progeny does not want them to stay with them and get driven to old age homes. The sufferings of panicky inmates of the old age home gets compounded as they learn about the demolition of their old age home as the building owners want to construct a mall on the land. However, an old samartian offers all of them to come to his village where he owns a big piece of land.

The second play ‘Sakia Dom’ depicts the sad tale of woes of a lower caste dom, Saikia, who along with others has been subjugated by high-caste affluent persons. When he took a higher stand to fight for his rights, his dwelling was set on fire, which claimed the lives of his wife and a young son. Saikia Dom is left alone to lament their death who he loved the most. 

Both the plays were dedicated in the memory of late Parvesh Sethi, SNA awardee, and theatre and film artiste of eminence. 

Rich tributes were paid to Sethi by his old associates, including Kamal Arora, Chairman of the Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi, Sudesh Sharma, vice-chairman of the Haryana Kala Parishad, Ninder Ghuganvi from Punjab Arts Council, Ramesh Bhardwaj and Balkar Sidhu, Secretary, Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi, (CSNA). 

About the plays

• The opening play ‘Jayein Toh Jayein Kahan’ brought into focus the woes of the elderly people whose progeny does not want them to stay with them and get driven to old age homes. 
• The second play ‘Sakia Dom’ depicts the sad tale of woes of a lower caste dom, Saikia, who along with others has been subjugated by high-caste affluent persons.