TOBA TEK SINGH Story by Saadat Hassan Manto
PRODUCER: KUMUD MERANI
STAGEPLAY & DIRECTOR: UZMA GILLANI
Cast: 25 actors including Uzma and Kumud
Performance Date: 25th Aug 2007
Venue: Science Theatre, Univ of NSW, Kensington
Toba Tek Singh is a classic short story written by an equally popular writer of undivided India, who was far ahead of his times. It is this avant-gardism that makes Manto’s writing relevant to this day. His writing reeks of the anguish and pathos of India’s partition which he personally endured. The present story has been adapted and staged several times in India as well as Pakistan. In this instance veteran Pakistani actor Uzma Gillani has given the short story an interesting and unique treatment while writing the stage play. With the production reins in the hands of Executive Producer and broadcaster Kumud Merani, the drama will enthral the audience.
Contrary to presumption Toba Tek Singh is not the name of a person but the name of a village in Punjab which fell under the domain of Pakistan during the 1947 partition. The author has conjured up a situation wherein the powers that be, decided to even transfer the inmates of a madhouse on the basis of religion! This news led to tremendous confusion, chaos and misgivings in the already troubled minds of the mentally disturbed. The central character Bishen Singh was a wealthy Sikh landowner from Toba Tek Singh who by cruel destiny had landed up in the mental asylum. On receiving news of being transferred he was besieged by doubts of the location of his village.
The entire play is set in 1948 in a madhouse and all the characters except the security guards of the madhouse are insane. It revolves around the confusion and chaos of newly formed Pakistan and the largest exodus in History. Using the mentally unbalanced as his mouthpiece, Manto gives a strong message of peace and implies the futility of man made and Politico-Religious boundaries. The characters are heavily symbolic of the average man, the innocent victims and the millions of pawns in the game of Political chess.
Toba Tek Singh is basically a satire which makes you laugh and cry in turns but above all it compels you to sit up and think and rethink!