Two Paths Productions hosted a special performance of a new immersive theatrical experience on Friday, June 28 at 7pm in Hopkinton MA. The play depicts the violence unleashed upon Sikhs in Delhi in October 1984, following the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, from the perspective of a group of young Sikh children from one of the poorest and worst affected neighborhoods.

An all white crew of high school students from Hopkinton High presented the play. They play was directed by Mehr Kaur a rising sophomore at Mount Holyoke and alum of  Hopkinton High.  

“The world has largely forgotten the innocent victims of 1984” said Mehr Kaur, the director of Kultar’s Mime. “Art is an essential way of responding to oppression, but because of many complex circumstances the artistic community has largely ignored this tragedy in which thousands of innocents suffered greatly”. Kultar’s Mime is adapted from a poem of the same name by Sarbpreet Singh, a Boston Area writer, commentator and playwright, who in 2012 was selected by the Boston Globe as one of the finalists for ‘Bostonian of The Year’ for his interfaith work. 

For Mehr Kaur, the events of 1984 were something she had often heard of at events held by the Sikh Community.  â€œWe are always asked what are you going to do about it? I decided to share this tale to at least bring awareness."
 

For the students of Hopkinton High, it was the very first time that they had heard of this tragedy.  How did they prepare for the role? “We read a lot about the events and also had Sarbpreet Singh give us a presentation. 

 

The adaptation of Kultar’s Mime for the stage, brings to life the stories of many young children, who were brutalized in the 1984 pogrom. “Their twenty-nine year long quest for justice has largely been futile as the largest democracy in the world refuses to acknowledge the role that elected officials played in orchestrating the massacre” says Mehr. 

 

The play opened with a painting exhibition on stage of some powerful interpretations of the tragedy painted by Evenleigh Davis from Smith college. The audience was first asked to look at the paintings before being seated. The actors presented excerpts of the poem. Their powerful acting allowed the audience to understand the pain and the suffering encountered by the Sikh community. 

 

While 1984 seems like a long time ago, for many in the Sikh Community it is still a raw wound that continues to hurt and they continue to seek justice. The play does a great job in bringing awareness to this tragedy and we hope it will have long lasting impact.

 

The Poem - Kultar's Mime - By Sarbpreet Singh

 

Excerpts 

1 --

He's a little Sikh boy; his name's Kultar

Lives in a place they call `Jamuna Paar'

Smiling cherubic face; he looks so cute

You can hardly tell, he's deaf and mute

Just your average child from a poor home

Is what on first glance I'm wont to say

I see him busy with his friends at play

When the streets of Tilakvihar I roam

What is it here that I do hope to find

In these dusty alleys forbidding unkind

 

                       

                           

47 --

Yes these are the children of Tilakvihar

These are their stories of blood and gore

In the corners of Delhi near and far

Go and ask you're sure to hear many more

Each of these children is a living shell

Each day each lives in his private hell

The ones that did all of this roam free

Live under the leafy shade of the tree

That was planted deep by the Party's Hand

How can they touch their faithful dogs

The Party machine's most valuable cogs

Whose writ does run throughout the land

You may plead for justice till you die

There's none to heed your desperate cry

 

 48 --

Your wounds are your own will never heal

Don't look to them for a soothing balm

They do not can not feel what we feel

No demons in their heads; they're calm

My brothers come here from places far

Lay roses at the shrines of Tilakvihar

Each day remember this gruesome deed

I pray forever may our hearts bleed

Your agony for us is a burning cross

We will gladly bear it upon our back

Our memory will never loosen or slack

You'll shine always in history's dross

We'll never forget your terrible pain

Your martyrdom will not be in vain