Ajoka Theatre presented three plays on as many consecutive days at the Arts Council auditorium this week. All three reflected the social problems of our times. The first play, Burqavaganza, was performed on Monday. It was originally banned by the authorities for presenting hidden agendas behind the burqa. The second play, a story of a Sufi poet set in a time of unrest and religious strife, Bullha, also reflects the existing dismal state of our affairs. Written by Shahid Nadeem and directed by Madeeha Gohar, it is an extremely moving and thought-provoking play, and definitely one of the best presentations of Ajoka.

The unusual thing that was noticeable during the performance was the wholehearted involvement of the audience, with many reciting the kafis alongwith the main character. This speaks volumes for the power of Bulleh Shah’s poetry and the acting prowess of Sarfraz Ansari who played the role of the great Sufi poet. His control over his voice as he sang Bulleh Shah’s kafis was impressive. And though there were many in the audience who did not fully understand Punjabi, the play still had a powerful impact.

In the words of the organizers, the play is a “tribute to the great mystic poet,” who lived in the declining years of the Mughal empire which was riddled with political, social and religious problems as all empires are prone to in the time of their downfall. Bulleh Shah’s life is full of interesting episodes. His search for the truth took him to Shah Inayat, a famous saint who became his mentor and who he was totally devoted to. He preached against intolerance and violence and his devotion to music and dance did not conflict with his mystic beliefs. His open condemnation of corrupt rulers and the clergy and his respect for the beliefs of others resulted in ‘fatwas’ against him.

It is a play very rich in content and acting, interspersed with songs by the performers and a qawwal group. The one liberty that the playwright Shahid Nadeem has taken is the meeting of Banda Singh Bahadur, a Sikh leader, and Bulleh Shah, when historically they didn’t meet. Both were fighting tyranny but in different ways.

The third play, Hotel Mohenjodaro, performed on Wednesday at the Arts Council is an adaptation by Shahid Nadeem, of the play, Dhanak, written by Ghulam Abbas in 1968. Forty years later, the events written by the short story writer seem as if Abbas had written them in the present times, portraying the intolerance and bigotry of religious groups. During his time, people were enraged with the views of the writer saying a Muslim would never kill another Muslim. A furore was created and the story was forgotten.

Brought back to life once again through Hotel Moenjodaro, the play shows Pakistan as a progressive and westernised nation sending its first man to the moon. Religious groups take over the country subsequently and are ruling it according to their views. There is strife between the religious groups soon afterwards, and they start fighting amongst themselves, destroying themselves and the whole country in the process due to their prejudices and intolerance.

It was disturbing for the audience to watch stark reality at such close hand. And thus the element of entertainment, so obvious in the first two plays, although they also reflected the problems of society, went missing in a play that showed an extremely ugly and scary mirror of the present times and near future. Said one visitor “I wish they had shown this play yesterday and Bullha today, so that we could have left with a light heart.

At the end of the play, the Karachi Naib Nazim, Nasreen Jalil, said she was extremely perturbed by what she had seen in the play and said that the country was becoming another Afghanistan. Ghulam Abbas’ wife, Chris Abbas, present on the occasion, spoke about the family and the play.