Patiala News:Harpal Tiwana’s Legacy Revived During Staging of ‘Jis Lahore Nahin Vekhya, Oh Jammya Nahin’
Scene featuring ‘Mai’ (Nirmal Rishi) leaving Lahore with her belongings moves audience emotionally
Patiala, September 28: The legacy of late theatre personality Harpal Tiwana was brought alive once again during the staging of the play “Jis Lahore Nahin Vekhya, Oh Jammya Nahin” at the Harpal Tiwana Centre of Performing Arts in Patiala, as the third generation of the family carried forward this responsibility.On this occasion, Nabha constituency MLA Gurdev Singh Dev Mann honored Padma Shri Nirmal Rishi and other artists.
The play revolves around the story of a Hindu woman who remains in Lahore after the Partition of 1947. A Muslim family that comes from Lucknow and begins living in her house is initially hesitant to keep her there and wants her to leave. However, gradually, she becomes a part of the family, and they celebrate all festivals together, including Diwali. The play also depicts how certain extremist elements are unable to accept this harmony and ultimately attempt to silence the positive voice by killing the Maulvi.
The play left the audience emotional during the scene in which ‘Mai’ (Nirmal Rishi) prepares to leave Lahore with her belongings. The residents of Lahore’s Johrian Mohalla stop her from leaving and stand by her until her final moments.
Two grandsons of late Harpal Tiwana, Angad Tiwana and Yash Harpal Tiwana, played significant roles in the production. Their father and the play’s director, Manpal Tiwana, also essayed an important role. Padma Shri awardee Nirmal Rishi played the lead female character.
Following in the footsteps of his grandparents, Neena and Harpal Tiwana, who were among the pioneers associated with the National School of Drama, Yash Harpal Tiwana is also pursuing training to further hone his acting skills.
The play has several other distinctive features. Recently, a film titled “Batwara 1947” was made by Aamir Khan Productions based on the script of the play’s writer, Asghar Wajahat.
The play has been technically designed by Vikas Juneja, featuring modern lighting and LED projection. The rest of the cast included several ‘Old Yadavindrians’, particularly Fateh Inder Garg, Devna Mangla, Gunwant Kaur and Sohrab Sidhu. They were joined by professional artistes Sukhwinder Sohi and Vakila Mann, as well as Sukhpal Singh, Head of the Punjabi Department of the school.