Talismaati Tota: Of princes, genies and fairies

How to get rid of the ‘saviour’ is the problem

LAHORE: Princes, genies, fairies and magicians: all of them together with a parrot in the lead. These characters from fairy tales came to life at Alhamra in a new play staged by Ajoka Theatre.

The two-hour play titled Talismati Tota (Magical Parrot) was staged at the Alhamra Arts Centre on October 18 and 19.

The play with archetypal actors delivering rhymed dialogues used a parrot – a regular feature in ancient Indian mythology, Persian tales and Urdu stories. The storyline revolves around a parrot being referred to as a saviour for three princes from far-off lands, seeking remedies from their troubles. The parrot relieves of them their troubles but in the process also usurps their power and sends them into exile. How to get rid of the ‘saviour’ then becomes the problem the princes face ironically.

Talismati Tota has been written in the ancient tradition of ‘Daastan-goi’ or allegorical fairy tales, the writer Shahid Nadeem says. “It is a story of princes, genies fairies and magicians but at the same time, it is a story of our present day political and social system,” he said.

The play has lots of music and dance, but at the same time – like all Ajoka plays – it has addressed some social issues as well.

“The play offers a very pertinent commentary on mindset of society, where rote memorisation and mind control and rigid dogmatism is seen as way of life,” Shahid said while speaking to The Express Tribune.

He shared a review written by the late writer Intizar Hussain, according to which, the tradition of Urdu dastaan (stories) was rejected in the wake of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan’s newfound rationalism. However, once Jungian psychology became a popular discourse in Urdu literature, some critics revisited the tradition and discovered a whole world of meaning in the rich symbolism of dastaan.

Shahid said Ajoka had done a few performances of the play some 15 years ago, but Talismaati Tota was a brand new production for the public.

Speaking about the play as his directorial debut, Nirvaan Nadeem said the play might simply appear an entertainment-based venture as many people also misunderstood it as a story for children. “It is an attempt to revive Daastan-goi (storytelling) and addresses serious issues regarding politics, education and extremism,” he said. Madeeha Gauhar said the play was one of the favourites of Intizar, and he considered it as an attempt to bring forth an ancient tale into a contemporary story.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2016.