Lalit Gupta
JAMMU, Jan 8: Shivani Cultural Society’s presentation of ‘Uljhan’, the Hindi translation of Floyd Del’s play ‘Enigma’, in a Restaurant, here today, came out to be an admirable effort to explore alternate theatre spaces in the winter capital.
In the background of inaccessibility of Abhinav Theatre since three years, unaffordable Zorawar Singh and Police Auditoria and city’s theatre groups and cultural organizations having difficulty in holding programs in deficient spaces like K L Saigal Hall and Women College Auditorium. Shivani Cultural Society’s performance at the popular restaurant Chanakya, Green Belt, Gandhi Nagar, therefore not only comes as a departure from the routine ritual of drama in four walls but also speaks of the emergence of a new idiom on the lines of avant garde ‘invisible theatre’.
The 45-minute dramatic presentation of ‘Uljhan’, conceived and translated by Vikram Sharma, based on theme of Live-in Relation between ‘He’ and ‘She’ was marked by impressive acting by Himanshu Darshan and Neha Lahotra. Who seated across a table in the restaurant with a candle lit in between enter into conversation go into a kind of and trance to unfurl the pain, love and enigma of their relation. The relation though not defined, found both the actors delving into complexities of ideologies that seldom leave any couple satisfied with their respective thought process especially the enigma of life. Yogita Singh and Aaditya Bhanu supported the theme as actual couple who start the conversation.
Speaking on the occasion, Balwant Thakur, Director, ICCR, said that the novel concept mooted by Vikram Sharma, is a creative endeavor to explore alternate spaces in Jammu. He said such performances in countries like USA and France had brought theatre amidst the spectators without their being actually aware of it. He also praised the intensity of actors in enacting their roles. Prof Hari Om, former HoD Department of History, Jammu University and Dushyant Sharma Superintendent of Police also joined the debate about Jammu theatre that followed after the show.
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