People
Punjabi Newsmakers
SUKANT DEEPAK
I THE STAGE IS SET
Kewal Singh Dhaliwal (50), Theatre Director
He is working tirelessly to keep epic Punjabi literature alive through the medium of theatre.
This Amritsar-based theatre director, who has to his credit more than 200 productions across the world including USA, England, Canada and Pakistan, has dramatised the works of some of Punjab's most well-known poets including Pash, Shiv Kumar Batalvi and Surjit Singh Patar, all staged by his group, Manch Rangmanch.
He is also doing his bit to build cultural ties across the Pakistani border. Not only does this Sangeet Natak Award winner (2013) hold a theatre workshop in collaboration with the National School of Drama in Amritsar every year in the month of July, he also invites young theatre enthusiasts from across the border to be part of it.
The students are not charged anything, not even for boarding and food. Kewal says, "The aim is to introduce them to the finer nuances of this art form, which they can take home with them and also educate others. In 2007, we also did a production Yatra - 1947 that showcased the works of 40 Indian and Pakistani poets in 40 poems. The response was phenomenal," he says.
Street Wise
Believing in the power of street theatre, he still makes it a point to visit the interior-most part of the state with his troupe.
"There are so many issues such as rampant drug abuse and female foeticide that can be addressed best through the intimate medium of street theatre. We choose the most far-flung areas and educate the people there about different vices. This is our way of fulfilling our social responsibilities," he says.
Refuting that not many original Punjabi scripts are seeing the light of the day, Kewal, who has to his credit several major productions including Luna, Heer Ranjha, Dharamguru and Pul Si Raat, says, "On the contrary, we are witnessing a renaissance of sorts. Writers are experimenting with styles and exploring newer themes," he says.
II THE ACTING BUG
Simran Kaur Mundi (27), Actor
After being crowned Femina Miss India Universe in 2008, she wanted to prove her acting skills not only in Hindi, but also Telugu and Punjabi films. She has always been willing to learn new languages and adapt herself to working styles of different regional film industries.
Debuting with the Hindi film Jo Hum Chahein in 2011, she went on to prove herself as a crowd puller in one of the top-grossing Punjabi films of all times, Best of Luck, which released in 2013.
Because she does not want to stereotype Punjabi film industry by only taking up rom-com roles. She wants to work with young directors making realistic cinema, who are ready to experiment and can offer her a chance to prove her acting skills.
"They bring an energy to the sets and give ample space to actors to experiment. They always lend an ear to your suggestions," she says.
Because working in Punjabi cinema is something she has always wanted to do.
"It is a wonderful experience working in Punjabi cinema. Working in a regional film in this part of the country is always a homecoming for me," says this young actor from Hoshiarpur.
Southern Connection
The actor, who has also worked in a Telugu film Potugadu, is impressed with the high professional standards of South India's film industry.
"The state governments there go out of their way to encourage regional cinema. I wish this happens in Punjab too," she says.
III CAUSE & EFFECT
Bittu Kaur Sandhu (50), Founder, Rani Breast Cancer Trust
Because after she lost her sister to breast cancer, she dared to single-handedly launch an NGO to raise awareness about the disease with a focus on remote corners of Punjab.
Bittu also encourages women to undergo early detection tests.
"Early detection is the only protection. There is no pain or visible symptoms of this disease at an early stage. By the time you discover something is wrong, the disease is already in its late stages," Bittu says.
She opened The Rani Breast Cancer Trust in 2007.
She has not let paucity of funds come in the way of her work. Working with only five dedicated employees, she travels far and wide in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir to hold awareness camps and conducts mammography tests.
"Our aim has always been to cater to as many women as possible and maximise our reach. We also take along a mammography van to some of the remotest parts of the region," she says.
Men, Be Responsible
Bittu also makes sure male students and teachers are always present when she holds lectures on breast cancer at educational institutes. She strongly believes they need to understand their responsibility and encourage their wives or partners to conduct self-examination and go in for mammography.
"Men often boast about their contribution to a woman's success in most fields, why should they not be ready to do their due to ensure that she does not ignore her health?" she asks.
She does not take any help from the government and conducts an yearly fund-raiser that sails the NGO through.
"We are witnessing a noticeable increase in the number of queries regarding this disease from women across sections, which means that we are on the right path" she says.
IV DIGITALLY YOURS
Davinder Pal Singh (43), Executive Director, Panjab Digital Library
In 2003, he started a mega project to digitally preserve rare Punjabi manuscripts from across the region on a budget of just Rs.10,000. For two years, Davinder travelled far and wide on a bus, carrying a desktop computer and basic camera in search of manuscripts, that concluded in digitalisation of 6,500 manuscripts, 18,000 books, 50,000 issues of newspapers, 4,500 magazines and 28,000 photographs.
His library happens to be Asia's first online digital library offering free access on one platform, panjabdigilib.org.
"After training people in-house, we are digitising 10,000 pages everyday and there is a pending request of more than 90 million pages," Davinder says.
Impressed with Panjab Digital Library’s (“PDL”) efforts, many people from around the world have started donating rare manuscripts to the library for preservation.
"We will soon make a museum to display them," Davinder says.
A scanning machine that would have cost Rs.400,000 from Germany has been made in-house by PDL for Rs.67,000.
"Ours employs a jack used to change car tyres," he adds with a grin.
V WORD WISE
Surjit Singh Patar (70), Writer
He is one of the most celebrated authors of Punjab who has been honoured with Padma Shri 2012, Saraswati Samman 2009, and Akademi Award 1993.
He is considered one of the most important living poets of the region. His exhaustive work has touched upon diverse subjects including politics, love and alienation. He has even written the dialogues for the Punjabi version of Deepa Mehta's film Heaven on Earth.
Processing Poetry
For Surjit, it is never planned, it’s instantaneous.
"You live, you read, you see. And suddenly something strikes. What emerges is a compound of the past and present," he says.
Excited that the present times are witnessing poetry on diverse subjects and not just on ideology, Surjit says, "We are seeing an interesting collage of thoughts. Youngsters are exploring newer themes are addressing issues that were seldom probed earlier."
He blames publishing houses, however, for lowering the quality of the printed work by publishing mediocre literature in the pursuit of profit.
"How can we let money rule everything? What about genuinely talented people who cannot pay publishers?" he asks.
His biggest gripe, though, is: "What kind of a society do we live in where school children are fined for speaking in their mother tongue? Can there be a greater tragedy for a language?" he asks.
He is currently working on a book on the origin of language.
However, he’s not just a writer and poet par excellence, he is an excellent singer too.
[Courtesy: India Today. Edited for sikhchic.com]
July 11, 2014