The Cultural Wing of Student Life Committee (SLC) organized  a play – Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya O Janmya Hi Nai…. by Habib Tanvir’s Naya Theater under the ageis of SPIC MACAY- (Society for promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Among Youths) at Taragani Amphitheatre on 23 November.

Breaking away from the stereotypical theme of violence and hatred relating to India’s partition, the play explores and celebrates inspiring stories of compassion, magnanimity, and universal brotherhood among people from different communities in those trying times. The play highlights the triumph of the humanistic message of religions over religious fanaticism.

The play is about a Muslim family that migrates from Lucknow to Lahore during partition and enters the Haveli allotted to it in Lahore. The family is taken aback by the presence of an elderly Hindu woman who stayed back in the Haveli. However, as time passes, the animosity between the old Hindu woman and the Muslim family is transformed into a friendly bond, despite the deliberate attempts by many anti-social elements to sabotage the Hindu-Muslim unity.

The play, written by Asghar Wajahat, recipient of Sangeet Natak Academy Award, was first performed by Naya Theatre under the direction of Padma Bhushan Sri Habib Tanvir in 1989, who subsequently took it to Sydney, New York, Dubai, Karachi, Lahore, and all over India. Habib Tanvir’s Naya theater was founded in 1959 comprising of folk artists from the remote tribes and villages of Chhattisgarh, Tanveer’s home region. Habib Tanveer was awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan in 2002 for his efforts in the promotion of folk theater in the global platform. A few other famous plays are Charan Das Chor, Ponga Pandit, Raj Rakt, Sadak, etc.

The “Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth” (SPIC MACAY) is a non-profit, voluntary,  non-political and participatory youth movement, dedicated to enriching education, by presenting a holistic vision of Indian culture, its priceless heritage of classical, folk and community traditions. This movement emphasizes the need to make students in various educational institutions throughout India and abroad, aware of the multifaceted and rich cultural heritage of India. Thousands of programmes are organized every year across the globe.