Ravinder Kaul
JAMMU, Dec 2: The play ‘Jasma’, presented by the Department of Performing Arts, Cluster University of Jammu, in collaboration with J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, is an adaptation of the Gujarati play ‘Jasma Odan’ written by Shanta Gandhi in the year 1967 and first performed in 1968 by the National School of Drama Repertory Company. Kavi Rattan Sharma, the legendary theatre personality of Jammu, who was a student of NSD (1966 to 1969) saw the performance and decided to translate the play into Dogri. He performed the play in Jammu sometime in the 1970s which many old-timers still remember. It is this translation which has been recreated as the first ever performance of the Department at Abhinav Theatre here on Tuesday.
‘Jasma Odan’ is based on a popular Gujarati folk tale. The story comes from the Bhavai folk theatre of Gujarat, telling the beloved legend of Jasma. She is a woman from the Odan community, known for her unwavering commitment to marital fidelity and personal dignity. Over the years, the play has been translated into multiple languages and staged across India. It is appreciated for its rich cultural narrative, poetic storytelling and strong moral themes.
In the current performance, the play has been completely transformed into Dogra landscape using folk tradition of Haran, replacing Bhavai, and incorporating the rich cultural and religious symbols of Dograland, thus completely metamorphosing the play into Dogra ethos.
The play begins with the Lambardar and Choukidar, played by Akash Katoch and Rohit Kumar respectively with energy and verve, setting the tone for the play. Both these characters kept the pace of the play taut, seamlessly connecting the different threads, through the entire duration of the play.
There are mythological roots in the storyline and it moves forward as these mythological characters are reborn as Baishno and her husband Basant. Though the marriage is mismatched as the beauty of Baishno is well-known beyond her village, and Basant is a physically challenged person, she is totally devoted to him.
Stories of Baishno’s beauty and grace attract the attention of King Bhairo, who becomes determined to meet her. His curiosity quickly turns into obsession. He offers to take Baishno to his palace, promising her a life filled with wealth and prestige. Baishno refuses, stating her devotion to her husband and her womanly honor. Frustrated by her refusal, King Bhairo kills Basant. Baishno rises in the Avatar of Devi and destroys the tyrant king. The tragic ending shows that no power can overcome the truth upheld by love, purity, and self-respect.
The strength of the play lies in its rich thematic depth: it’s not just a simple folk tale or a mere tragedy, but a nuanced exploration of gender, social hierarchy, justice, and cultural identity. One of the play’s key themes is the question of female agency. While Baishno’s loyalty is rooted in the patriarchal ideal of ‘pativrata’, the narrative frames her choice as an act of self-respect rather than mere wifely obedience. In contrast to many folk heroines, Biashno is anything but passive. She confronts power head-on, rejects coercion, and makes her refusal unmistakably clear. From a modern feminist viewpoint, her resistance is a powerful assertion of bodily autonomy. More significantly Biashno takes charge of her own fate. At its core the play also critiques the abuse of royal authority.
Diksha Pandita as Baishno, Karan as Basant and Ravinder Sharma as King Bhairo enacted their respective characters with deep understanding and finesse. In fact, for all the actors portraying various characters, barring very few, it was their first performance on stage. Yet they all acted with the confidence of longtime performers. This says a lot about the rigorous training and rehearsals that must have gone before coming to stage.
The finest feature of the performance was its music. The lyrics penned by Karan and soulful music composed by Vishal Pandita gave the play its unique character rooted to the land. Nitish Kumar on Tabla and Ankush on Dholak were thorough professionals. The entire music score and the chorus was very melodious.
Dr. Abhishek Bharti and Aparna Kapoor, the Directors of the play, have done admirably well to conceive this play as a grand folk spectacle. The pace of the play slackened somewhere in the middle which could have been avoided with some taut editing. The play could have been named ‘Baishno’ instead of ‘Jasma’ as there is no character by that name in the play.
This performance, coordinated by Dr. Kuldeep Raina and supported by the entire faculty of the Cluster University of Jammu, evokes confidence and faith in the future of the Department of Performing.
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