Images: details from paintings by Kirpal Singh
Film/Stage
Singh Soormey: History On The Stage
TNN
Chandigarh, Punjab
The glory of Sikh history, depicting the sacrifices made by warriors during Mughal rule, radiated
through a light-and-sound show at Punjab Kala Bhawan on Saturday. The
two-and-a-half-hour play, ‘Singh Soormey', produced and directed by
Jarnail Singh Gogi in association with Panj Pani Rang Manch, was composed by
Sharanjit Singh and Satpal Singh Joshila.
Jarnail Singh said he staged the
play to promote Sikh history, especially among youths. Though the era might be
different, the evils prevalent in society have only changed their faces and not
characteristics. So, these have to be dealt with in a tougher way even
today.
The performance begins with the ruler of undivided Lahore,
Zakaria Khan, receiving a dispatch from Nadir Shah, demanding money and other
gifts as signs of accepting the latter's suzerainity. Khan seeks advice
of a dancing girl at his court, Gulu Bai. Acting on her advice, he sends a
message to Sikhs to loot Nadir Shah, assuring them that his Lahore Army would
not interfere.
When returning from Delhi to Iran, Nadir Shah halts in
Punjab, where he is attacked by Sikhs at midnight. The warriors loot his
treasure and also release all girls who were taken captive by Nadir Shah.
Ignorant of Zakaria's role in this incident, Nadir orders him to kill all
Sikhs and fill up the Darbar Sahib ‘sarovar' in
Amritsar.
Nadir Shah dies on the way and Ahmed Shah, who had
accompanied Nadir Shah, feels that it is his responsibility to wipe out Sikhs.
He scouts for a person whom he can crown as ‘Choudhary' of Amritsar
and who would help him to accomplish the task. Again taking Gulu Bai's
suggestion into consideration, Ahmed Shah names Massa Ranggar as his
choice.
Meanwhile, a girl named Jeeto, who was the sister of sevadar
Joga, is raped and killed. Joga reaches Darbar Sahib to find that Massa is descrating the premises of the Darbar Sahib. Massa Ranggar's soldiers assault him and throw him out. Joga brings the body of
his sister home, cremates it by setting his home on fire and sets out in search of Sikhs. He
locates them in Lakhi forest. He describes the desecration of Darbar Sahib to Sukha
Singh and Mehtab Singh. They reach Patti, kill its ‘choudhary' and
snatch the revenue he was carrying to deposit.
Thereafter, when Sukha Singh and Mehtab Singh face resistence from soldiers in entering Darbar Sahib, the duo introduce themselves as ‘Choudharys' of Patti who have come to pay revenue. Upon reaching the shrine, they see a mujra going on. They behead Massa and flee with his head, bringing the curtains down on a valour-coloured script.
Simran Singh enacted the part of Sukha Singh, Sunny Gill that of Mehtab Singh, Nagender Gakhad portrayed Zakoria Khan and Sunny Sandhu played Massa Rangar.
[Courtesy: Times of India]
August 1, 2010