By
Vishal Bheeroo
IGCIC Director Shri Balwant Thakur is no stranger to the world of theatre and drama where he has not only gained global recognition and at the same time seen as an icon in his home state Kashmir and also revived the traditional theatre of Dogri and Bhand Pather. A recipient of several awards and the prestigious Padma Shri, the playwright also formed a children’s theatre group called Seven Stars which staged several shows together with the fact that the artist wrote several children’s plays, such as Bhag Beta Bhag and Aap Hamare Hain Kaun where the latter was conducted at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture (IGCIC) recently in four languages, Hindi, English, French and Creole.
It’s no mean feat when one sees how the four mediums merged seamlessly where the children received a rousing welcome, performing effortlessly with voices in echo, the sound of drum and music whooped in the packed hall one Sunday morning.
As echoed by Deputy Indian High Commissioner Excellency Shri Vimarsh Aryan, “As much as we are busy and attuned to one’s profession so to say, we all realize at the end of the day on the role played by arts connecting us in various forms. There is something art has about itself in the various forms being an important aspect in our lives and that of kids, irrespective of age group that must be allowed to touch a particular dimension of human lives.”
“You might be a diplomat, doctor or engineer and the fact is that art keeps us human,” he pursued while observing the play: “I can see a small boy restrained by the school bag and hope it doesn’t happen to us.”
The DHC shared an interesting anecdote about Shri Balwant Thakur and himself with both hailing from the land of Jammu and Kashmir. “I was a kid in the early 90s, growing up when things were not all honky dory and at that time, there was one personality who was making a difference regularly featured in one newspaper The Daily Excelsior by the name of Balwant Thakur connecting children, getting them together to explore that dimension. I would get to meet him for the first time in Mauritius and it’s a matter of great privilege to us that children in Mauritius are getting to learn under him during the workshops.”
The DHC finished his speech quoting the beautiful couplet from Nida Fazli, “bachchon ke chhote haathon ko chaand sitaare chhune do chaar kitaaben padh kar ye bhi hum jaise ho jayenge.”
IGCIC Director and play director Shri Balwant Thakur in his speech shared that it was in the 90s that he started a new concept called ‘Evolving Theater’ and the occasion is set for children to break conventions. “One hour and 45 minutes play translated into 30 minutes taking sequences of the play. It is not something easy to do since there are conventions and we are all governed by One Act theatre theme play with time, space and theme.”
“I traveled with this kind of theatre to some over 100 countries in the world and armed with the vision to work with children across several nationalities such as German, Chinese, Russian, British and now Mauritius children.”
A firm belief in the island’s ability which Shri Thakur defined in those terms: “Mauritius needs serious children’s theatre where a single performance like today will not make a movement here. A small effort on my part echoed in today’s performance where I want to leave some tradition behind and had a big project in mind where I want not only to introduce such kind of theatre but train people to mount production and turn it into a movement The officers at the Ministry of Arts with whom I am working and trained should be given the opportunity to create children theatre.”
The beauty and innocence of the children dancing and singing, ‘Socho Socho (think think) making it an anthem with voices ringing in echo, with catchy phrases, “Only fools think….tap tap tap…busy on mobile.” The new era and alluding to machine guns, AK 47 where only children can send strong signals to grown-ups plaits sincerity. “Think of something new…,” to songs and bringing a smile to faces with “Break ke Baad (after the break),” something we’ve witnessed with TV ads and film intervals. The play was a compelling affair, keeping the audience on its toes and glued to their seats with humor effortlessly injected. Take this sequence of someone knocking on the door to meet the child’s father who in turn asks to tell he is not at home, “My Dad asked me to tell that he is not at home.”
There is not a moment that the play doesn’t entertain with the situations unfurling one after the other, hitting an octane level and the next having the audience in split with a such high energy level of children showing how innocence and confidence go hand in hand. The drama act, interspersed with the song, “Naach naach meri Rani” followed by dialogues merging seamlessly, “Kaunsi culture batao batao (tell tell)…tissue culture, agriculture, aquaculture…hamara kaunsa culture hai…filmy culture (Which culture, tell tell…our culture…filmy culture,” swaying to the beats, flailing with such energetic bubble soaring. Or, “Let me google the name of my parents before I forget.”
The play helmed by Balwant Thakur asks several questions about an education system suffering from several loopholes where perhaps asking questions on the system is perhaps buried. Picture this scene of a teacher entering the classroom and asking ‘boisterous’ students to repeat after the teacher, Yes Ma’am. Finally, the teacher grew exasperated with the children and tells in frustration, “I have to leave the classroom to a resounding, “Yes Ma’am.”
The scene and execution are poignant and profound with meaning as one reflects on a prevailing system where perhaps everything trickles to academics with very less reflection. Truly Aap Hamare Hain Kaun (Who are you to me?) with Balwant Thakur asking the right questions through the lid of innocence where only children who are natural born actors are at ease with themselves without wearing a dint of consciousness unless adults. Only children can give a lesson to grown-ups.
Aap Hamare Hain Kaun (Who are you to us?)is a uniquely crafted masterpiece so much that the voices of innocent children and music during the stage play would keep haunting for days as one watches in awe the stroke of a genius bearing the signature of its playwright and vision behind the master execution of this plot. So much so that at the end, the DHC Excellency Vimarsh Aryan went back to the stage and telling humorously: “What is said in the beginning was meant for the people, not you. When I see your kids here, I see a convert in the right direction and long round of applause for yourself,” to the parents.
