New Delhi:
In the tiny green room, the actors are busy touching up their make up. Outside, the eager crowd is entering Akshara Theatre's auditorium. The seating is limited and many have to leave, disappointed there's no more room to even accommodate those willing to stand.
The lights dim, Jalabala Vaidya of Akshara Theatre introduces the group from across the border. "They've come to India on our invitation. They were to perform today and they are!"
'Kaun Hai Yeh Gustakh' is about to begin. The performance that was almost over even before the actors took to the stage, is now finally underway.
As the song "kaun sune fariyaad humaari" plays in the background, this limited audience knows all their prayers are answered.
Pakistani theatre group Ajoka's play on the life and times of famous Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto was cancelled at the last minute, first in Jaipur on January 16 and then in Delhi, where the play was scheduled for January 19.
The National School of Drama (NSD), under the Ministry of Culture, that had invited the troupe to be part of its annual Bharat Rang Mahotsav, cited security concerns -- following the heightened tension between India and Pakistan after the killing of two Indian soldiers along the Line of Control - for the cancellation.
The play's director, Madeeha Gauhar, was told over the phone about the cancellation. "We were very disappointed. What is surprising is that we have also performed in India in the immediate aftermath of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai to a packed audience. The situation then was much worse. What happened on the border is most unfortunate. But we felt the response this time was out of proportion."
The irony is that the play almost became the casualty of a festival that was meant to celebrate Manto's centenary. Throughout his life, Manto fought fundamentalism of all kind, his words prescient in many ways. Best known for his short stories on the impact of Partition, Manto is a shared heritage of both India and Pakistan -- he stayed in erstwhile Bombay, moving to Lahore after Partition.
Naseem Abbas, the actor who plays Manto in 'Kaun Hai Yeh Gustakh', told NDTV, "Manto is universally understood. He belongs as much to India as he does to Pakistan. You can't divide him. Then, how can you attempt to divide his work? If we can watch other Manto plays at NSD, then why can't we perform? If there was no security risk for us to watch the plays, what risk was there in performing them?"
Following the cancellation, a small group of theatre lovers took it upon themselves to ensure that Manto's voice was not just heard but resonated aloud. Gopal Sharma, owner of Akshara, who gave the venue for the performance literally overnight said, "I had tears in my eyes. I saw so many people with tears in their eyes."
The auditorium was small and the seating limited, but the play left everyone in the audience overwhelmed. The actors and the audience both fought back tears as the performance came to a close.
Ms Gauhar said, "This is an extremely tiny space, but that doesn't matter. What matters is the spirit and the symbolism and I personally believe that nothing should derail the peace process. And I feel it's so unfortunate that we are the people who are targeted because we are the harbingers of peace. We felt that with Manto, both countries had a sharing of a common literature, culture, heritage, I think that is the most important thing -- to bring people together."
A viewer, whose parents were born in what is now Pakistan said, "This very small space suddenly became a very potent space. Potent because of the way it charged people."
The show must go on, and it did. The thundering applause was a flattering witness to the bonds of art and culture that go beyond the borders. And just like Manto and his friend Shyam would say, we too say 'hiptoolah' to that!