Dara (Shikoh), the stage play
A Modern day play on the struggle between Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb
Dara brings historical crime to stage
- By Jamal Shahid
- Friday, 18 June, 2010
ISLAMABAD, June 17: Ambition, lust for power that led Emperor Aurangzeb to brutally kill Dara Shikoh — and thereby one of the greatest historical crimes was committed.
Inevitably, Aurangzeb Alamgir, the conqueror of the world, captured the Peacock Throne and the forces of bigotry, communalism and destruction prevailed.
The violent and devastating struggle between brothers Dara and Aurangzeb, the decisive role played by the sisters Jahan Ara and Roshan Ara and spiritual challenge posed by the Sufi Sarmad (Dara’s spiritual mentor) to the authority of the muftis and qazis of the Empire and the growing discontent among masses were elements which made Dara a gripping and a powerful play.
Ajoka’s new production Dara that hit stage Thursday night at the National Art Gallery was about the less-known but extremely dramatic and moving story of Dara, eldest son of Emperor Shah Jahan and the the designated crown prince, who was imprisoned and executed by his younger brother Aurangzeb.
A poet, a painter and a Sufi, Dara wanted to build on the policies and philosophy of Akbar and bring the ruling Muslim elite closer to the local religions. His search for God and shared teachings of all major religions was reflected in his scholarly works such as Sakeena-tul-Aulia, Safina-tul-Aulia and Majma-ul-Bahrain. The play explored the conflict between the role of a crown prince and that of a poet and Sufi.
Dara with spirited dances, great looking costumes, and charismatic narrations, was without any lows. Whether it were Furqan Majeed as Dara Shikoh, Sarfraz Ansari as Aurangzeb or Usman Zia who played Sarmad Farsi, the actors created the best, most well-intentioned kind of impressions imaginable as lead characters.
And of course like all Ajoka plays, Dara had a powerful message for the contemporary conflicts and challenges.
It elaborated on the irony that Aurangzeb, the killer of his brothers, nephews, his own offspring, the destroyer of the Mughal Empire, had been projected as a Muslim hero, as a role model by partisan historians and biased scholars, while Dara, was (now) almost non-existant.
Shown as a great scholar, a sensitive artist, a passionate and devoted Sufi, patron of arts, the prince of the people and visionary has almost been wiped out from the history books.
Writer and director of the play, Shahid Nadeem said that he wondered what would have been the course of Indian history had Dara Shikoh become the Emperor instead of Aurangzeb.
“If we want to reverse the retrogressive process of religious extremism and bigotry, we have to revisit that circuital and dramatic turning point in our history,” Nadeem said.
The drama was an attempt to relive the glorious, though tragic period, bringing back Dara into collective historical and cultural consciousness and redress a monstrous historical wrong.
The performances will continue till June 19, 2010
Reprinted from: http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/islamabad/dara-brings-historical-crime-to-stage-860
Dara, a play by Ajoka Theatre
Ajoka’s Dara Shikoh: a story about the disputes between the Salafi and Sufi forms of Islam – by Taha S Siddiqui
Ajoka’s Dara – an ancient story of modern day proportions
People say Lahore is rich with cultural treasures and that if one starts digging into the past, every street, lane and neighbourhood in this city contains in it a whole new chapter of history. And that is exactly what I felt after watching Dara, a play by Ajoka Theatre that has revisited the Lahore Arts Council.
Written and directed by Shahid Nadeem, the play is about the power struggle between Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s two sons, the elder Dara Shikoh – the humble prince who is locked in a battle for the throne of India with his younger brother Aurangzeb – the emperor.
But the play is not just about a power struggle or a family feud; it is also about the religious ideologies that have clashed in the subcontinent over centuries. It looks deeper into the disputes between the Salafi and Sufi forms of Islam, a fight that continues in this region even today. It is about the extremist mullah ideology that, even today, overshadows the religion of peace – Islam.
The play tries to highlight a part of our history long forgotten by current generations. It explores how the course of history may have been altered if Dara Shikoh had ascended to the throne, as per the wishes of Shah Jahan. The play not only has a compelling storyline, but the production is also crisp and uniform. With elements ranging from live musical performances of Amir Khusro’s poetry to beautifully choreographed dances, there is theatrical perfection in every scene. As the scenes change, the audience is treated to a performance by colorfully dressed dancers, and the sounds of qawaalis echoes across the auditorium, mesmerizing the crowd. The main characters of the play include Shah Jahan’s four offspring – Aurangzaib, Dara Shikoh, and their two sisters – one lives with the emperor Aurangzaib, and Badshah Begum, who lives with her father in Agra where he has been sent by Aurangzeb to live out his last days. Finally, there is Hazrat Sarmad, a saint that walks the streets half naked, who is a close associate of Dara.
The play captures the essence of the power struggle between the two brothers on an ideological basis. Aurangzaib is shown as the fanatic Islamist who wants to impose his strict interpretation of Shariah on the subcontinent, whereas Dara is the benevolent prince who wants to dwell in the hearts of public by bringing about inter-faith harmony.
The play focuses on how the mullahs of Aurangzeb’s court were schemers, just like the mullahs of today. There is an ironic similarity between them and the Zia regime where we saw Pakistan being forced once again into an abyss of extremism, the consequences of which still reverberate though our society today. Even 400 years ago, the mullahs succeeded in silencing a man who wanted to spread Islam through peaceful means. Dara Shikoh is beheaded, and his scholaship on the subject of inter-faith harmony is twisted by the mullahs to make him look like someone who advocated blasphemy. Perhaps the best-produced part of the play, this scene features angels flying around the stage with blood-red sheets symbolising what is happening as the prince is beheaded.
After the beheading, Shah Jahan receives a gift from Aurangzeb – it is the head of Dara Shikoh. He screams upon looking at it, and cries to God to take away his eyesight. Suddenly, the Taj Mahal, which is projected onto the background in all of Shah Jahan’s scenes, disappears, declaring his blindness to the audience. The projected images, in fact, lend an extra element of ‘place’ to each scene, and are used to beautiful effect throughout the play.
Sarmad’s character is also very thought-provoking. His conversations with the people, his poetic interjections, his conversation with the emperor Aurangzeb all have an admirable depth. The striking thing about his character is his half-naked appearance, which is also the cause of his execution. In a discussion with Aurangzeb, Sarmad is asked to justify his clothing and there is a debate about liberation and nudity, which is scripted masterfully. Concise yet hard-hitting, Sarmad defends his appearance and the king, frustrated by his defeat, orders his execution.
Source: Daily Times (Pakistan), 19 Apr 2010
Reprinted from: http://criticalppp.org/lubp/archives/9740
Ajoka Theatre
Ajoka Theatre was found in 1983 when Zia ul Haq’a martial law was as its peak. Since then Ajoka has been popularizing theatre, producing TV/ video plays promoting human rights and social change. Cultural activity is far from free in Pakistan. It is viewed as subversive and the governments have been antagonistic of any form of expression of art and popular culture.
Ajoka pioneered the theatre movement in Pakistan, it was set up by a group of young people led by Madeeha Gauhar, a TV actress and theatre director. Ajoka's first play, Badal Sarkar's "Jaloos", was performed in Lahore in 1984, in a house lawn in defiance of the strict censorship laws. Since then Ajoka has been continuously performing socially-meaningful plays within Pakistan and abroad. It has now over two dozen original plays and several adaptations in its repertoire.
"Burqavaganza" banned
Pakistan, April 27 (UPI) – The head of a Pakistani theater group says its banned play "Burqavaganza" about concealing cloaks worn by Muslim women does not offend Islam, the BBC reported. Madeeha Gauhar with the Ajoka Theatre group was commenting on the government's ban of the play, reportedly because it made "unacceptable fun" on Pakistani culture, the BBC said.
The ban was issued immediately after the satirical play opened this month in Lahore.
Gauhar told the BBC the play is not designed to offend Islam or any other religion. She said she heard about the ban from the media as the government had not yet contacted the theater group.
"We are trying to end the evils from society, we are against forcing women to wear the burka. I condemn the ban," she told the BBC. Some Islamist lawmakers in parliament reportedly felt the play is against "Koranic injunctions on the veil."
Ajoka Theater site: http://www.ajoka.org.pk/ajoka/index2.asp
Guru Gobind Singh's Zafarnama
Read Guru Gobind Singh's Zafarnama, concerning the the forces of bigotry, communalism and destruction that prevailed under Aurangzeb's rule. The stories of Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Tegh Bahadur's execution, the story of Anandpur Sahib's destruction and the Battle of Chamkaur if heard of at all, are told in a different light across Pakistan (the Muslim world?), where Aurangzeb is lauded as a great hero. The Play: Dara, by Ajoka Theater seeks to expose the extremist mullah ideology that, even today, overshadows the religion of peace – Islam.
