Train to Pain

Staged at Sangeet Natak Academy as part of Rang Sangam on Wednesday,the play is based on lives of immigrants who leave Indian shores for greener pastures. It was based on four well-known Punjabi stories—Baldev Singh Bhindsa’s Sukh Di Ghari,Jaswinder Singh’s Palian Paunds Sap,Harpal Sikha’s Ram Gau,Veena Verma’s Galat Aurat and Surjit Patar’s poetry. The presentation portrayed effectively the problems faced by workers who leave home with a dream and find their life turned into a nightmare.

The sub plot,taking audience back home and highlighting the pangs of broken parents who took loans to pay the agents and of young wives who are abandoned in favour of foreign women,makes the presentation heart-rending.

From among the stories,Galat Aurat projects travails of Mandeep Kaur,wife of a Germany-based NRI,including her journey to Germany,meeting her husband and the refusal—“She is not my wife but someone else’s”. Mandeep Kaur portrayed the role and the predicament of the woman scorned with touching sensitivity.

Equally remarkable was performance of the actor who plays the role of a man who has migrated to Canada to live with his children in the story,Ram Gau. All artistes deserve accolade as most of them play three-four different roles and each with élan. Overall,Dhaliwal’s play was a treat to watch both for content and presentation.