British play on Sikh religion showcased in Chandigarh

Chandigarh, Jan 20 (IANS) 'Guru Manyo Granth', a British play based on the history of the Sikh religion and highlighting its ideologies, was performed here 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 Monday evening by five British and 10 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.

Copyright  IANS

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