Play on Shiv Kumar Batalvi’s life staged

Play on Shiv Kumar Batalvi’s life staged
Neeraj Bagga
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 1
Memories of renowned Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi were revived by the presentation of a play on his biography by artistes of city-based theatre group Dastak.

The Punjabi play, “Mando”, was staged at Virsa Vihar yesterday. Playwright Ravi Nandan provided the complete biography from the childhood to the death of the noted poet besides offering space for airing views of critics and society.

Director Rajinder Singh, alumnus of the National School of Drama, equally justified his job as he effectively conveyed the larger than life scenes, despite the stage’s restrictions.

For the purpose, he liberally used symbolism. To show breaking out of communal riots in the 1947 during the childhood days of Shiv symbols of kite flying and waving of unsheathed swords were shown.

Similarly, receptive viewers gave electric response.

Audience mood was somber at the deteriorating health of Shiv and falling financial condition of the family. They burst in laughter at the comical dialogues and scenes, which provided escapes from a story which has a tragic end in the demise of Shiv Kumar Batalvi.

It was a compact and close-knit play in which compulsions and needs of the stage were not allowed to become obstacle in properly conveying the message.

Umpteen writers have penned down the biography of the 20th century Punjabi poet, Shiv Kumar Batalvi. Some of the noted writers of his biographies are Jeet Singh Sheetal, Mohan Kahlon, Safi Rammah, Manu Sharma and Meharbban, son of Shiv.

Meharbaan wrote an essay, “Geetan Da Sachha Vanjara Shiv Kumar Batalvi” on the life of his father, which also became the playwright’s formative choice.

Other vital things interested the playwright were significant events of his life and their fallouts. He laboured to know these things from the contemporaries and friends of Shiv, who died in 1973. Shiv was known for his romantic poetry marked with pathos, separation and agony of lovers. His style of poetry had come under criticism during his lifetime, which was similarly portrayed in the play.