In the city of Ahmedabad, riots have sadly become a frequent feature. Not to be affected by them is not only impossible but also irresponsible. A play is one of the many ways in which an individual can voice his or her protest. It is also a way of thanking and saluting the frequencies sparks of unbelievable courage and unselfishness in the midst of absolute cruelty, chaos and corruption   

The play attempts to trace the subtle but deeply ingrained prejudices in a generation, which has the advantage of both education and distance in time from the terrible events of partition. It also talks of one's own responsibility.

A UK based Tamasha Group in collaboration   with Greenwitch  Repertory Company Performed more than 300 Shows of "A Shaft Of Sun Light".  This has been adapted in Gujarati as "Marmbhed" and atg has performed more than 50 shows in Gujarat and Mumbai.

atg has social concerns and provides inputs to social context through its performing art, in partnership with various human Rights Organizations, such as Utthan.

Now atg brings "Marmbhed" in Hindi to US....

SYNOPSIS
 
At the outskirt of the city, a wall is found. What could have been an object of mildinterest for the historians suddenly shoots into limelight as it becomes the focalpoint of a terrible conflict-Hindus think it is the remains of a holy temple,Muslims think it is the remnant of a mosque. There are riots over the issue.
 
If the wall has created a major storm in the city, it has also created a minor storm in a small family in which the husband (Bimal) is a Hindu, the wife (Safeena) is a Muslim and her mother-in-law (Shanta) is a Brahmin widow.
 
The mental tension of Safeena and Shanta, the personal contradictions of their lives and the resulting internal struggles come out in their verbal outpourings. Due to their different religions many complications have surfaced in their interactions,for which they blame each other.

Each is suffering under the burden of her own predicament, but along with this also the burden of her own people who curse them callously. The two wail about their grievances against their own people.
 
When they meet face to face after hating each other for twelve months, their pent-up feelings burst forth in a torrent of complaints, accusations and rebukes.
 
One of the protagonists is going through the agony of social ostracisation for marrying a man of a different religion. The other is being forced to forgo all pleasures of life for having lost her husband to death at a young age.

 The plot thickens as a young man, Altaf, fed up with violence in the city, decides to demolish the root cause of all the troubles. and  takes refuge in this family and as a result many walls break down of prejudices, of miscommunication, of guilt. etc. The play depicts the six turbulent days that the man spends in the family and what happens at the end of those six days.
 

Writer:     Abhijat Joshi

Director:  Rajoo Barot

Contact:   Surabhi Shah      surabhi_shah@bellsouth.net, info@projectmastana.com
                                           contact No. (001) 919 623 1482
                Sherebanu          sherebanu.a.frosh@exxonmobil.com
 
                Nafisa Barot        nafisa@icenet.net