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Three Plays
Gurcharan Das is the
author of Three Plays; all of which have been performed many
times over and won critical acclaim. A renowned novelist, playwright
and public intellectual, he is also a columnist for newspapers. He has
authored The Difficulty of Being Good, India Unbound, A Fine Family
and The Elephant Paradigm. Three Plays includes Larins
Sahib, Mira and 9 Jakhoo Hill, which were first
published in 2001 to international appreciation. The introduction is
riveting. Larins Sahib is set in India during 1846, when the
British first arrived in Punjab. A young Dalip is shown trying to come to terms with the loss of power that he feels and his hatred for Sikh traitors because of whom they lost the war to the British. Humour and wit are evident even in the politically charged atmosphere. His sensitivity towards the sensibilities of natives makes him popular among them. Everyone is mesmerised by the Koh-i-noor, which sets in motion a series of events. Lawrence’s obsession with his hero, the one-eyed Lion, begins to tell and have an effect on others around him. A taut telling of a gripping saga, it will hold the reader till the very end. Mira is a contemporary retelling of a well known story. The transformation of Mira from being a princess to a saint is told through a different perspective, making her more human and making her more endearing to the people. Her turbulent relationship with her husband, Rana, is in a way deemed responsible for her pining for Krishna’s love. She is portrayed as just another girl who happens to be a princess but has the same desires and failings of a young girl. There is love, jealousy, sadness and loss in perfect measure to make this play memorable. 9 Jakhoo Hill is about a desperate attempt to hold on to fading glory, the fight between ‘the-have’ and ‘the-have-beens’ and the eternal battle of generations. There is an incestuous relationship, a mother who has failed to release her son from herself decades after the umbilical cord has been cut and a woman who hangs on to shadows of the past. The author brings out the hidden desires of characters without even putting them in words. All three plays have been written with a lot of finesse. When you close the book , you are sure to leave with the characters by your side like feeling, breathing projections.
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W
After the first Sikh war, Henry
Lawrence became the Resident, appointed to oversee and uphold the
Regency Council in Punjab. He was a gregarious fellow who easily
befriended the Sikh nobility and was not imperialistic in his approach
towards the natives. His easy rapport with the locals rattled many in
the British Camp. The play brings to life his insolence and defiance
against what he did not believe in. It brings to fore the interplay of
relations between the various characters.