We received several humbling and overwhelming responses from the audience of our latest production Daagh Daagh Ujala. Many Partition survivors who saw the performance appreciated the sensitivity with which the play was put together, and commended Theatre Wallay on taking initiative to tell first-hand accounts of Partition survivors. One such audience member commented that the performance was so moving that it made her revisit her own experiences.
We were also honored to have Urvashi Butalia (author of ‘The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India’) in the audience for one of our shows. Ms. Butalia praised the effort made by Theatre Wallay in collecting and rendering first-hand accounts of Partition into a performance. She commended the team on its contribution to the discourse on the process of Partition and its effects on ordinary lives.
Here are few remarks by audience members:
“This Stained Dawn recreates vivid scenes of the chaos and disorder of 1947 through moving performances and brilliant storytelling. It brings forth the loss and pain suffered by millions in a sensitive and unforgettable manner. A marvelous effort!”
-Anam Zakaria, author of the upcoming book ‘The Footprints of Partition: Narratives of Four Generations of Pakistanis and Indians” (Harper Collins Publishers)
“Thought provoking & heart felt performances in Daagh Daagh Ujala (This stained Dawn) narrating stories of Partition. Each story told was a lived experience, a people who until then had lived in peace turned suspicious and cynical. As the lands were divided so were the people.”
-Marziyeh Khaleeli
“Moving stories of what we lost and then gained back and are now losing. Very poignant. And did I say, amazingly depicted with excellent production and beautiful acting. Brought tears to the eyes repeatedly.”
-Adnan Khan
“This play changed the narrative of Partition stories for me. I have heard so many stories about Partition from my grandparents but this play made me realize how every single experience had so many other stories connected to it.”
-Saha Khan
“Daagh Daagh Ujala- a brilliant way to comment about the present situation in Pakistan without actually talking about the present situation.”
-Alizeh Khaleeli
