From Dubai, comes an Urdu play to revive letter-writing

A Dubai-made original Urdu play, which seeks to revive the spirit and tradition of letter- writing that is rapidly disappearing under the onslaught of communication technology, will be staged in Delhi this weekend, as part of its maiden international tour.
"Mian, Biwi aur Wagah", its makers say, is based on a series of letters, narrating a mixed bag of events and slice- of-life stories.
"Mian (husband) and Biwi (wife) are the South Asian husband-wife duo, while Wagah a border crossing between India and Pakistan takes a human form to become the narrator and a central viewpoint in the play. Just like a sutradhaar (thread-holder), Wagah symbolically dovetails through the cascade of letters," Goonj Productions said in a statement.

"These letters encapsulate human experiences and frailties and are a menagerie of tales wrapped in nostalgic exchanges," it said.
All letters staged are originally written and inspired by true stories and experiences that remain rooted in history and are yet contemporary in nature.
The 120-minute play is light-hearted, jocular, at times poignant but thought-provoking, its makers said.

According to its director, Dhruti Shah D'souza, the play has the potential to appeal to avid Urdu-language enthusiasts and frequent theatre aficionados as well as those who enjoy a good wave of storytelling, in a rather simple and easygoing format with the language at its forefront.

"Handwritten letters carry a sense of quaint longing and hold the innate power of seamlessly merging into evocative storytelling," she said, adding that the boundary between fact and fiction blurs as a result of narration of these letters.
D'souza is a Dubai-based theatre artist, storyteller, writer and playwright, and has written and directed several experimental plays, challenging the ways in which stage is approached from an audience-actor perspective.
"Mian, Biwi aur Wagah", co-directed by Sheherzad Kaleem and co-written by Ehtesham Shahid, will be staged at the Stein Auditorium of the India Habitat Centre on January 27 and 28.