Hum Deewane Hum Parwane
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HUM DEEWANE HUM PARWANE
(Hindustani, 1hr 40min with interval)
Writer: Sagar Sarhadi
Music: Kuldip Singh
Design: M S Sathyu
Direction: Ramesh Talwar
Synopsis
On the occasion of the 150th year of the 1857-War of Independence, the centenary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and the 60th year of India's independence, IPTA Mumbai presents 'Hum Deewane Hum Parwane' , a staging of 2 short plays, which deal with the idea of nationhood, of identity and of India as a secular democracy.
The plays take inspiration from fictional characters as well as historical characters like Ashfaqullah Khan and Ram Prasad Bismil.
India's freedom may have ultimately been a result of Gandhi's non-violent movement, but the armed struggle is also an important part of our history. From the heroes of 1857 to Bhagat Singh to Subhash Chandra Bose, there are many to whom we owe our freedom.
After sixty years of Independence, we are still plagued by the growth of fundamentalism/communalism. The history of India and its freedom struggle is witness to the secular fabric of our society, centering around the composite unity and identity of our people. Ashfaqullah Khan, one of the martyrs of the socialist revolutionary movement, believed that nationhood is not constituted by religious identity. His life and martyrdom is an inspiring example in our modern history of heroic patriotism and a burning sense of national unity.
By looting Government money from a train at Kakori in U.P. Ashfaqullah Khan and his young revolutionary colleagues challenged the sovereignty of the King Emperor of India. For this 'crime' Ashfaqullah Khan, Ram Prasad Bismil, Thakur Roshan Singh, and Rajendra Lahiri were tried and sentenced to death by hanging in 1927.
All other armed actions launched before the Kakori case were deeply inspired by religious ideology and served to encourage a revivalist tendency. After the martyrdom of Ashfaqullah Khan and his comrades and the subsequent formation of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, the entire outlook on armed revolutionary movements started changing. Ashfaqullah Khan's ideology made a strong impact on his comrades including Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Jatin Das and many others.
This is the first in a series of plays celebrating our freedom struggle and looking at its relevance to the very essence of India's identity.
Cast
Rakesh Bedi / Aanjjan Srivastav, Aasif Sheikh, Masood Akhtar / Javed Khan, Avtar Gill, Manju Sharma, Sunil Shinde.