Above: Photo of Sardar Sant Singh by Harbhajan Singh Bajwa, 1970. Below, first from bottom: Photo by Niranjan Singh Nakodari, 1970. Both, courtesy: Amarjit Singh Chandan Collection.
History
Sant Singh Sekhon's Seven Plays On Sikh History
A Book Review by ROOPINDER SINGH
SEVEN PLAYS ON SIKH HISTORY, by Sant Singh Sekhon. Compiled & translated by Tejwant Singh Gill. Sahitya Akademi, India, pp 562, Rs 300.
Sant Singh Sekhon [1908-1997] taught English, yet it was his writing in Punjabi that earned him great name and fame.
One of his twelve full-length Punjabi plays, Mittar Piara, won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1972. It is only fitting that India's premier literary body has now published a translation of his plays in English.
It comes as no surprise that the theme of seven of these plays was based on episodes in Sikh history. Sant Singh's mother had Singh Sabha inclinations, thus the child grew up in an environment where even more than normal emphasis must have been placed on heritage and lore of the Sikhs.
The wide canvas of Baba Bohar takes us on a journey from the times of Guru Gobind Singh to the Independence of India. The bohar tree that has withstood the ravages of time and has been witness to history tells it all to young boys.
The writer uses his poetic license, and history is a backdrop to his creativity. The play resonates because it is drawn from the familiar.
Banda Bahadar, however, goes beyond history.
Vadaa Ghallughara, or the Great Holocaust (called the 'Big Holocaust' in the book), was a siege of the Sikhs by the forces of Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1763 between the villages of Raipur and Gujarwal in Punjab, which resulted in thousands of deaths, many women and children among them. Sant Singh weaves in popular narrative in the play, and remarkably enough, ends it on a positive note.
In Waris, we meet Waris Shah, whose Heer has made him immortal for those who know Punjabi, his love Bhagbhari, and the Fauzdar with a glad eye.
The decay in the Lahore court after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh is the focus of Bera Bandh Na Sakio (They could not Anchor the Fleet).
The same theme continues in Moian Sar Na Kai (The Dead were not Aware), in which Sant Singh also makes a powerful plea for unity among Punjabi people.
He fulfilled his desire to write a play "on whatever contacts there might have been between Lenin and Indian patriots". Mittar Piara (The Beloved Friend) came out of this endeavour. Bhai Santokh Singh and Bhai Rattan Singh are "infused with the self-sacrificing spirit of Gurbani. They have come to grasp the theory and practise of Marxism," says Tejwant Singh. These Gaddar leaders participate in the deliberations of the second Comintern, and then interact with their beloved friend.
A translation is expected to remain true to the spirit of the original. This is where the translator, Tejwant Singh Gill, shows both commitment and skill. As one reads the plays, one can feel the Punjabi original even through the English text.
The translator's introduction not only gives us information about the writer, it is also a critical commentary on Sant Singh's work, and a glossary.
The Punjabi plays of Sant Singh Sekhon deserve to be read by those who can't read them in their original language. Now, they will be able to do so.
[Courtesy: The Tribune]
April 11, 2011
Conversation about this article
1: Kuljit (Crawley, United Kingdom), July 31, 2011, 10:13 AM.
Why no comments on this article? Didn't anyone find anything of interest in it or the plays, warranting a comment? I'm just curious.