Theatre of love and freedom

Huma Safdar, an art teacher in Lahore Grammar School, has put her skills and beliefs into staging fine Punjabi plays with high school girls. She has inculcated a pride for language and literature among the English-speaking elite chips-and-coke generation, says Nirupma Dutt 

A scene from the play Ek Raat Ravi Di

IT was in Lahore a few decades before the Partition of Punjab, that an attempt was made at bringing Punjabi theatre on urban stage even though the land had a long tradition of folk theatre. For the urban stage it was theatre in English or Urdu. Interestingly, contemporary urban theatre with original plays in Punjabi is less than a century old. Modern Punjabi theatre owes its origin to an Irish actress, Norah Richards. Professor Richards came form England to take up the assignment of a professor of English in Dayal Singh College, Lahore, in 1911. His wife, Nora Richards accompanied him. She was an Irish actress connected to Abbey Theatre and a friend of Lady Gregory.

Robustness of Punjabi life and the earthy tones of the Punjabi language charmed Nora. In 1914, she announced a drama competition on the condition that the play be original and written in Punjabi. The prize was a gold guinea. Her student I.C. Nanda won the guinea by writing the first play in Punjabi called Dulhan (The Bride) and staging it. Norah, a source of inspiration for Punjabi theatre, chose to stay on in India and died at Andretta in Himachal Pradesh where she remained active in theatre. Even today she is remembered as the grand dame of Punjabi theatre.

Urban theatre in East Punjab developed with Balwant Gargi. Harcharan Singh, Atamjit and later Neelam Man Singh as well as Kewal Dhaliwal are making significant contributions towards the popularisation of Punjabi theatre. The situation was not so in West Punjab where Punjabi was pushed to the wall. Lahore had and still has its tradition of Punjabi plays but these are of Sapru-House variety which showcases lewd comedies of the Kurhi jawan guvahandi pareshan. Lahore too has a theatre called Tamashbin which is popular for its double entendre plays.

In midst of such a scenario, Lahori women took up the cudgels to do serious theatre in Punjabi. Madiha Gauhr’s Ajoka theatre is well known. Only a few months ago, she took Delhi and Chandigarh by storm with the staging of Bulleh, based on the poetry of Baba Bulle Shah. However, on a recent visit to Lahore, one came across yet another talented woman director, Huma Safdar, who has steadily and surely been enriching the lot of Punabi theatre.

Ask the beautiful and soft-spoken Huma what her theatre is all about and she smiles and says: "My theatre is all about love and freedom." Ah! Love and freedom such simple and beautiful words indicating an ecstatic state of being. Yet, these words are packed with pain if viewed in the context of the troubled history of Punjab."

Freedom of choice and love were the tools employed against the feudal order of warring tribes by the legendary lovers of the land of five rivers as well as the Sufi poets who sang of these legends. Huma got serious notice as director of Heer Damodar. Huma says, "Heer by Damodar is the earliest written version of the Heer-Ranjha epic. Although Heer by Waris Shah is more popular, yet the Heer by Damodar is an equally powerful lyrical dramaliterary merit. The spiritual love that Heer and Ranjha share enables them to defy social and religious sanctions. The system reacts to their union with violence. The public has a constant presence in the play and as it progresses they identify with the couple and the answer is a revolt against the establishment. The end of the play poses the most pertinent question for Heer and Ranjha leave together, never to return. And we find ourselves asking why could they not live among us?"

Huma, a painter by training, graduated with distinction in Fine Arts from the National College for Art, Lahore. As a student in politically repressed times (1984) she became active in theatre and women’s groups formed all over the country. She actively worked for a decade and a half with Punjab Lok Rehas, a group committed towards raising consciousness, rediscovering roots, traditions and folklore. As an art teacher in Lahore Grammar School, she has put her skills and beliefs into staging fine Punjabi plays with high school girls. She has inculcated a pride for language and literature among the English-speaking elite chips-and-coke generation. Her productions include Heer Waris Shah, Sassi Punnu and Ik Raat Ravi Di, a play set in British times and penned by famous poet Najm Syed. Syed is mentor to Huma and other liberals in the country that has all too often fallen prey to the fundamentalism of mullahs and dictators. As a language activist, Huma was responsible for the introduction of Punjabi in the school where she teaches.

Married to painter-poet Akram Varraich, Huma is a mother to 15-year-old Rawal. She is planning a play with professional actors but she says, "My joy is to work with students and I put them through an intense two-month workshop before the play is staged and every student gets a chance to do everything. When asked if she would like to bring a play to the Punjab across the border, Huma says, "My plays so far are just too big involving a large cast. When I do a smaller play I will certainly like to take it there." However, she has visited India a number of times in her capacity as an artist and activist.