The national theatre festival Alfaaz-2017 marked its beginning on the evening of 29^th November with Nadira Babbar’s play ‘Ji, Jaisi Aapki Marzi’ directed by Dr. Vikas Kapoor and presented by Akanksha Sansthan, Jodhpur. This play consists of four monologues, one from each stage of a woman’s life viz., childhood, adolescence, womanhood, and middle age. Interestingly, the play explores each stage of women’s life through their relationship with men in their lives. And that shifts the focus from a woman being an ‘individual’ to being a ‘daughter’, a ‘sister’, a ‘wife’ or a ‘mother’. Thus, regardless of the differences in age, social standing, religion or even education, the four characters in the play share the same predicament. They are treated like property, without an individuality of their own. Thus, it essentially emerges as a tragic-comic collage of sufferings of four women characters hailing from dissimilar backgrounds, who do not suffer their predicament ungrudgingly. The play beautifully shows that if a woman wants to live a peaceful life, she has to obey the man in her life and say ‘Ji, Jaisi Aapki Marzi’ (Okay, As You Desire).

The second day of Alfaaz-2017, 30^th Nov., witnessed play ‘Purush’, directed by Nisha Verma and presented by artists of Anukruti Rangmandal, Kanpur. This celebrated play written by famous Marathi playwright Jaywant Dalvi years ago still holds relevance in today’s scenario. Translated to Hindi by Mr. Sudhakar Karkare play is based on the story of a young woman, Ambika, who choose to stand for justice then to keep silence. She goes to court but the person on high level influence and manipulates the law and gets released. But she does not remain silence; she makes a strategic plan and takes revenge for the injustice done to her. This play justifies the name of the play and its protagonist.

The first day of December and the last evening of Alfaaz-2017, play ‘Lashkar Chowk’ was performed in the direction of Amit Shrimali and the production of Natyansh Society of Dramatic and Performing Arts. This play is based on the story ‘Khudaram’ of Pandey Bechan Sharma Ugra scripted by Dr. Kusum Kumar and further modified by young theatre artists Amit Shrimali and Abdul Mubin Khan. The play portrayed the scenario of pre-Independence India and showed how fanatic political leaders spoiled the peaceful atmosphere of society. The play shows a dilemma of a family who were exiled from their religion because unknowingly that gave shelter to a woman belonging from a different community and on knowing the truth, the head of the village asked them to leave the current religion and adopt any other religion. People of new religion easily accept the family and marry their daughter to that family. But even after many years in new religion, the family members did not get comfortable and post independence they decides to change their religion and get back to the previous one. A question arises here, what would be the religion of new bride? Whether she will continue her parental religion or will she adopts the new one. The play beautifully showed the dilemma of new bride and ends with a positive note to create communal harmony.