PARAKH THEATRE GROUP

Main Hindu Hoon

Justice Syed Hyder Abbas Raza discusses the story’s relevance
Richa Nagar opening the play ‘Main Hindu Hoon’

In June and July 2013, Tarun Kumar and Richa Nagar co-organized and co-led a workshop on “Rangmanch Rachnatmak Chintan” (Creative Reflection through Theatre) with 16 amateur and beginning actors in Lucknow. The group explored the politics of communalism, riots, terrorism, and masculinity through Asghar Wajahat’s story, Main Hindu Hoon (I am Hindu). The members of the group worked for 7 hours every day for two weeks and staged the story on 6 July 2013 in Lucknow’s Rai Umanath Bali Auditorium.

A play created by Tarun Kumar with Richa Nagar and workshop participants as part of a 12-day long community theatre workshop at Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Academy Lucknow. The 20 participants (aged 17-45) came from both rural and urban areas from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds and most had no prior training in theatre.

For a PDF of a theatrical adaptation of ‘Main Hindu Hoon’ in Hindi, click here.

Amma (Hema Sharma), Abba (Naseem Shaikh) and Safia (Shalini Pandey) in the opening scene
The look-outs (Ankesh Katiyar, Samaksh Saksena, Amritpal Singh, Subrato Rai, Akhilesh Kasaudhan)
Saifu (Amritpal) cleans Safia’s (Shalini’) shoes
Saifu (Amritpal) is teased by the look-outs
Sajju (Gaurav) and Akram (Akhilesh) ask Saifu to
come home as Saifu declares “Main Hindu Hoon”
Abba (Naseem) expresses concern to the elderly folks
that the boys are traumatizing Saifu
The look-outs discuss the politics of riots and elections
Saifu (Amritpal) surrounded by the rest of the cast in the closing scene
Cast of ‘Main Hindu Hoon’ with director, Tarun Kumar
Justice Syed Hyder Abbas Raza