Partap Sharma's play, A Touch of Brightness, is a theatre piece whose shine and significance will not diminish with time. Even though its roots lie buried under the despair and dashed hopes of the Kamathipura girls Mumbai's prostitutes. Written in 1964, there was an almost epidemic movement to ban and bury the play by the "so-called guardians of public morality," scoffs Sharma. But the tragedy is that they succeeded.Almost as soon as it was written, the play was chosen (out of 150 pieces) to be presented at the First Commonwealth Arts Festival in London in 1965. However, the production troupe sponsored by the Indian National Theatre was stopped by the Indian government from going to England for the festival. In September 1965, ranted a self- righteous editorial: "Do these people honestly believe that the prestige of India will be enhanced by letting drama lovers in London know the heartening facts of the existence of brothels in this country."But that is not what the play is about. Sharma'sstory revolves around Rukmini, a beggar girl sold to a brothel, and her relationship with Pidku, her rakhi-brother who tries desperately to rescue her. Rukmini, daughter of a devdasi in a Mysore temple, is an anti-thesis of the culture of the red light area. Deeply spiritual, her ornate stories of Krishna mesmerise Pidku. "She has a tremendous imagination coupled with an oral, traditional education in myth and legend. Even in a brothel, her extravagant optimism for life never disappears," says the writer. In fact, her spirituality only deepens. And Rukmini eventually pays for being a misfit.To Sharma's credit, he paints a very poignant picture without being explicit or obvious. Though the spine of the play is the bother-sister relationship, the sub-text, running like an invisible vein, sketches a very graphic picture of the harshness of the situation. Something which his detractors failed to see. In 1966, the play was banned in India too.Though this off- stage drama took place more than 30 years ago,Sharma says that the topic still touches a raw nerve. "People didn't want to face the reality of the situation. A dramatic work, based on truth, is often harder to face than the truth itself. A work of art does more than present a casual point of view. It presents an experience of concentrated intensity," he says.And the genesis and the growth of his play are both steeped in actual experience. Written when he was 24, Sharma's story of how the play was born is as interesting as the play itself. "Like every young man, I was then exploring the various avenues of adventure and interest. I happened to run into some Greek sailors and as I was fascinated by their culture, I started hanging around with them. Though that doesn't mean that they were behaving in a very civilised way," he laughs. And at some party with them, he met a group of what he calls the "almost-Colaba whores". Much older than him, they became a part of his group of acquaintances.It was for one of these women that A Touch ofBrightness was written. Worried by her attitude which suggested that she might soon descend into prostitution Sharma wanted to show her a side of that life that would, "shock her and her friends into the realisation of the terror that the future might hold for them".What followed were many research trips to Kamathipura though his first sight of these golden cages was accidental. "I once took a wrong tram, one which went through this area. And some of the girls looked very pretty from a distance. This external glitter is something which the old man points out right in the beginning of the play," he says. The internal horrors of the place were revealed to him on later trips. But even though he had read sociological studies and went as a researcher, Sharma was wary of falling into the trap of stereotyping. "Every night, I would walk across to Leslie's house, a friend who lived opposite my house. Besides the fact that he made excellent coffee, he had the right mind for discussion and debate. And asLeslie was homosexual, I knew I wouldn't receive responses generated by a male chauvinistic approach. These talks also helped me not to be drawn into the mere sexuality of the play. After all, I like women and may have ended up with a woman there," says Sharma candidly. On the cover page of A Touch of Brightness, reads a dedication, `For Leslie who listened to the night'.The play was eventually performed in the Royal Court Theatre, London in March 1967. Since then it has been translated in many languages and performed all over the world. And seven years after it was written, the ban was finally lifted in India in 1971, following a High Court order. But much before that, Sharma read out the play to the group of the almost-Colaba whores. When he finished reading, silence hung heavy in the room for half an hour. And then, one of the girls broke down and started crying.The BBC Radio Production of A Touch of Brightness will be played at the Audio Visual Room, NCPA on July 14, 1998. Time 6.30 pm.Directed by John Powel, the cast includes Judy Dench and William Squire. The music is by Pt Ravi Shankar. It will be followed by a discussion with the playwright.
