Sindhi theatre going global…

With the Orange City being its most active hub in Central India, Sindhi theatre that has produced actors, writers and directors of international repute, presents a promising scenario


SINDHI Theatre activity in Nagpur can truly be termed as a silent movement. For it is going and growing, uninterruptedly, since the first Sindhi play was staged in the city way back in 1958. With many amateur artists, writers and technicians from the Orange City making their name on national and international Sindhi theatre, Sindhi plays by Nagpur-based groups are recognised for their entertainment value in Sindhi community all over India.
Nagpur annually produces three to four amateur plays and hosts jam-packed shows of two-three plays from commercial groups. This could be achieved only due with sincere effort by dedicated people, who have worked without much pomp and display. Tulsi Setia, the coordinator of entire Sindhi theatre activity in Nagpur, has been working with same passion since last two decades.

“Sindhi Theatre has a rich tradition of over 125 years. In Nagpur, stalwarts like Daryanumal Jani started theatre activity in 1950s while veterans like Dwarkadas Kalyani, Sunder Butani, and Ashok Senani continued activity during 70s and 80s. In 1994, a group of young theatre artists started ‘Sindhudi Natya Santha’ and picked richly from modern theatre practices,” Setia, himself an award-winning actor, recalls.
“We started with a one-act play event ‘Ekanki Shaam’, and gradually adopted full length plays. In 1995, we celebrated 100 years of Sindhi Theatre by hosting a national-level Sindhi Theatre Festival in Nagpur. In 2004, a similar festival saw around 100 artists from across the sub-continent gather in city. Festival takes place every year, and plays from Nagpur are much in-demand,” Setia adds proudly.

In fact, Nagpur has produced some great Sindhi dramas considered as milestone. Celebrated Sindhi writer Kishore Lalwani is a proud Nagpurian and who enjoys writing scripts for Nagpur’s artists. “During my four-year stay in Mumbai, I was associated with commercial Sindhi theatre groups, which are very few in number. We used to present Sindhi versions of popular Marathi plays,” says Lalwani who’s ‘Diwan Gordhandas Goplani’, adopted from Bharat Jadhav’s hilarious ‘Shrimant Damodarpant’ broke all records of Sindhi theatre. Presently, he writes specialised Sindhi scripts on various subjects.

“Sindhis are basically creative people. Mostly our movies and television portray a Sindhi character in a comic way. However, we have many serious themes with us, too,” Lalwani says while explaining that Sindhi theatre in Nagpur is not only about comedies, but also about serious dramas highlighting socially relevant issues of the community and some about its history.

Nagpur’s theatre is fortunate to have a team of young enthusiasts with good understanding of Sindhi language. “It is because we strictly speak Sindhi in our homes,” says Tulsi Setia. ‘Sindhudi Youth Wing’ and ‘Sindhudi Saheli Manch’, the youth and women wings of the ‘Sindhudi Natya Santha’ are also active in theatre.

“For this year, I have scripted a women-centric drama. Shobha Bhagia and her ‘Saheli Manch’ team are planning to present it this season,” adds Lalwani.

“Entertainment is not the only reason for running theatre activity. We do it to make youngsters aware of our language, culture and traditions,” Setia reveals the motive behind the painstaking effort. “We neither charge tickets for the plays nor demand government aid. We raise money through donations only,” he says.
All other states of India have Sahitya Akademis that sponsor a major amount if someone publishes literature in Sindhi language. Unfortunately, there is no such provision in Maharashtra. “If our plays get published, they might reach a global platform,” Setia says.

However, with regular shows being held in Dubai, Canada and United States, Sindhi theatre is already going global, with a significant contribution of Nagpurians into it.