‘Jamun Ka Ped’ satirised red tape
Prayagraj: Sometimes words were born on stage, sometimes history took the form of dialogues and sometimes a jamun tree raised questions on the entire government system. The occasion was the ‘Bal Rang Utsav’ organised by the North Central Zone Cultural Centre, Prayagraj, Ministry of Culture, Government of India under the ‘Theatre in Education’ programme, where on Tuesday, child artistes enlivened the auditorium with their powerful performances. The festival, held at the Cultural Centre auditorium, was inaugurated by lighting the lamp by the chief guest, Prof. Abha Tripathi, Kulbhaskar Ashram PG College, Prayagraj and Provincial Vice President, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, special guest Manish Kumar Tripathi, KVAFS Air Force, Manauri, Prayagraj, Anil Kumar, Basic Education Officer, Prayagraj, Centre Director Sudesh Sharma, Deputy Director Dr. Mukesh Upadhyay and Programme Advisor Kalpana Sahay.
In the first presentation, students of classes 6 to 12 of Chacha Nehru Girls Inter College, Barra, Kanpur presented ‘Yugdhara’ under the direction of theatre director Neeraj Kushwaha.
As the presentation began, the centuries-old journey of Indian literature came alive on stage. From ancient times to modern times, four major literary eras—the ancient period, the Bhakti period, the Riti period, and the modern period—were presented to the audience, presenting their thoughts, sensibilities, and cultural consciousness.
The works of timeless literary figures like Surdas, Tulsidas, and Raskhan filled the stage with literary colors. The beautiful combination of music, dance, and acting, along with dialogue, took the audience on a literary journey where each era had its own voice, its own spirit, and its own story.
The inclusion of Savaiya, Chaupai, Doha, Alha style songs and folk songs made the presentation even more impressive. The most poignant aspect of the presentation was highlighting the current plight of Mother Ganga. The child artists sensitively portrayed the pain of Ganga, hurt by pollution and human neglect. Through the play, a passionate message was given to make collective efforts for the revival of Ganga. The presentation also raised the question that if today’s generation does not fulfill the responsibility of keeping the flow of Ganga clean and uninterrupted, then what kind of Ganga will we hand over to the future generations. ‘Jamun ka Ped’ – one tree, one man and a forest of files!
Then came “Jamun Ka Ped,” and a story began that blended humor, satire, and serious questions about the system. Under the direction of theatre director Shivendra Shukla, 15 child actors from L.S. Memorial School, Bagauta, District Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh), staged this play based on Krishna Chander’s famous story. This story is included in the seventh chapter of the NCERT’s Class 11 Hindi book “Aroh.”
The story begins with a fallen jamun tree in the Secretariat complex, leaving a man buried beneath it. The gardener alerts officials. The question arises: should the tree be cut down? And then the file moves from the Forest Department to the Agriculture Department, from Agriculture to the Horticulture Department, and then to other departments.
The man, pinned beneath the tree, struggled for life and death, while the government file continued to move at its own pace. By the time all the formalities were completed and the file was signed, it was too late.
The play, in a simple yet poignant manner, satirized red tape, departmental complexities, and the insensitive administrative system. The child actors’ dialogue, expressions, and stage performance tickled the audience, but the question hidden behind the laughter echoed in the auditorium: “Is a file more important than a human being?” Samar Singh Yadav, Pragnendra Kushwaha, Shanky Yadav, Raj Pathak, and Lavesh Ahirwar captivated the audience with their brilliant performances. At the end of the program, the chief guest and center director honored the theater directors with robes, plants, and mementos, and the children with certificates. Awards were also presented for outstanding acting and music in the theatrical presentation. The program was hosted by Akash Agarwal.
