This play brings out the importance of Buddhism in Tibetan resistance

The stage often becomes the medium to voice opinions raise concerns and even protest With bold lines or subtle messaging artistes over the years have used music dance storytelling and theatre to make their point In a similar fashion a Tibetan play called PahLak the term for father in the language aims to narrate the story of modern Tibet and the role Buddhism plays in the lives of its people today The play was first conceptualised by Indian theatre director and playwright Abhishek Majumdar who developed it through rigorous research which included interviews with the Tibetan community in exile mdash monks nuns and His Holiness the 14th Dalai LamaA performer in costumeldquoBefore this play I worked on other productions related to freedom struggles including a trilogy set in Kashmir and another about the role of women in the Sri Lankan freedom movement I was intrigued that all these movements were forced to become violent although they began as nonviolent movements Today nonviolent movements arenrsquot in the limelight The Tibetan movement is a complex longrunning movement It is a Buddhist struggle which is different from having a struggle in the name of religion If one doesnrsquot understand Buddhism it is impossible to understand how one can remain nonviolent inside Tibetrdquo shares Majumdar ldquoHH The Dalai Lama graciously spent an hour with me and read the rough draft of the script Some of my research was critical of his policies about Tibet and he was most welcoming of thatrdquo he reveals The play looks beyond this movement as being Tibetrsquos alone ldquoIt should matter to the world Tibetans have stuck to this for years unlike the models that the rest of us have set up What happens if the nonviolent movement failsrdquoThe play premiered on April 3 2019 at Royal Court Theatre London supported by Reimagine India and Arts Council England The writer and the Royal Court of London faced opposition from the Chinese government and British press but managed to go ahead At the time only South Asian actors not Tibetan performers were cast in the play After this Tibetan director and head of Tibet Theatre Lhakpa Tsering and German theatre director Harry Fuhrmann in collaboration with Majumdar released a production of PahLak translated into the Tibetan language by Lhakpa with the help of Tibetan actors and musiciansAbhishek MajumdarThis amateur contemporary theatre group is the first of its kind within the exile community Traditional Tibetan theatre is in the form of opera The stories are about Buddhism peace scholars and kings mainly from India This play has opera movements music and elements of Tibetan dramaldquoI was with Abhishek when he started writing the play He wanted the story to be told by the community in exilerdquo recalls Tsering who believes that staging the play by Tibetans in the native language has more benefits than meets the eye ldquoIt helps preserve our language culture and identity through theatre Often the audience is not even aware of the fact that Tibet has a language of its own When they watch the play we want them to return home knowing that They understand most of the play through actions and subtitlesrdquoTsering has been an integral part of the nonviolent resistance in Tibet On November 26 2006 he selfimmolated in front of the Gateway Of India when Chinese President Hu Jintao visited India This was in protest against the Communist governmentrsquos oppressive measures in Tibet ldquoThe Dalai Lama says that even if you win after violence itrsquos a loss Mother nature and other people are more important So we hurt ourselves instead of othersrdquoThe production is scheduled to tour Europe in May and June 2023 According to Tsering this is the first Tibetan play by Tibetans on an international stage and will be the largestever Tibetan theatre tourOn On March 25 7 pmAt Experimental Theatre NCPA Nariman PointLog on to inbookmyshowcomCost Rs 500 onwards