A play set in the era of nawabs in the early 20th century takes an empathetic look at homosexuality
Scenes from the play, which deals with the relationship of a teenage boy and his male domestic help of the same age
There is a short story called Chhuti that Rabindranath Tagore had written in 1892, which captures the existential travails of adolescent boys in a heartbreaking manner. In it, the Bengali literary icon writes about how Phatik — the 14-year-old protagonist — is caught in that awkward age when he is not a baby anymore that his childishness will be laughed away, and nor is he an adult yet whose opinions will be taken seriously. All he needs in this in-between phase is to be loved, but his foster parents deny him that reassurance. The story ends in tragedy. But the inherent sadness that lies at its core emanates from society's unwillingness to empathise with adolescents like Phatik, leaving them starved of a sense of acceptance, and a gaping hole in their conscience.
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Around 50 years after Tagore penned Chhuti, Pakistani scholar Muhammad Hassan Ansari explored the same theme of conflict through an Urdu lens, with a story called Phislan. Except that Ansari explored another crisis that teenage boys face — coming to grips with hitherto unexplored feelings of sexuality. That story has now been adapted for the stage, with the group Afsana Theatre retaining its essential elements. Pre-recorded versions of the physical play will be screened online this week, and director Jitender Singh tells us that the plot is set in the era of nawabs, in the early 20th century.
The premise revolves around a teenager named Jameel, a nawab's son who is effeminate by nature. His friends thus poke regular fun at him, but Jameel doesn't resent that since he secretly enjoys the resultant attention he gets. Remember that this was a time when boys and girls weren't allowed to mingle. It was almost as if the elders built a brick wall between the two genders. So, though Ansari didn't say it outright, it's construable that the attention that Jameel enjoyed from his bullying peers came from an unfulfilled sexual desire that — given his post-puberty age — the youngster had started craving.
Matters then come to a head when a male domestic help his age joins the household. This character is called Nazru, and he is a playful youngster who is an absolute joy to be around. Jameel's friends thus start gravitating towards him, meaning he has to give up on his share of their attention. The teenager starts resenting Nazru as a consequence, till one day, he realises that this resentment is starting to turn into a feeling of love. Is this love sexual in nature? It could be, but the plot leaves that bit open-ended. It's up to the audience to gauge if there are indeed any homosexual overtones in the way Jameel feels.
Jitender Singh
The point is that adolescents — even to this day — find it incredibly difficult to explain the inner turmoil they feel because of the hormonal changes taking place within. Their physical appearances often start turning gangly or obese. Their voice develops a gruffness that's unpleasant to the ears. They are usually too shy to talk about any sexual desires, because an adult who will lend them an empathetic ear is as rare as a girl who's allowed into an all-boys school. Singh says, "The story is about the relationship between a newly assigned help and his teenage master, but it depicts the rawness of teenagers and their unexplored sexuality." This denial of desire sometimes leads to boys — and indeed girls as well — to explore each other's bodies. But does that necessarily mean that they are gay or lesbian? Or is it that an indifferent society leaves them with no other avenue to find the answers they seek, possibly leaving them with an irreparable sense of guilt later in life?
That's the question that Phislan explores. It's an age-old subject that Tagore laid the foundations for with Chhuti. But Ansari explored it a step further. And as people who can make a difference in the real world, we should also take a leaf out their books, trying to understand the existential travails of adolescent youngsters instead of brushing them off, be it a Phatik or a Jameel.
On November 5, 7 and 8, 7 pm
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