Since aeons, theatre has always been a strong medium of entertaining people while confronting them with reality. And reality can sometimes leave you amidst a cyclone of thoughts. One such burning truth was raised in the play “Court Martial” which was beautifully written by Swadesh Deepak and executed by a team of young and talented artists under the able direction of Shivraj Sonwal. Occasion was of World Theatre Day and the stage was of Sukhadia Rangmanch at Town Hall. With a very noble cause of ailing a very senior theatre artist Mr. Rizwan Zahir Usman, who is suffering from a severe kidney disease, this play was dedicated to him who had been a source of inspiration for many.
The play takes you to an army court where a case has been presented for trial. Accused is Jawan Ramchandar who has been accused of killing one officer and grievously hurting the other. The court is presided by Colonel Sooraj Singh, a brave army personnel who has confronted death many a times in battle field. The trial at the court puts him in a confusing situation where he has to decide between moral judgment and legal judgment. At the end, despite of getting death sentence, the accused wins over the victim.
The play forces us to put a question on the society in which we live; a society that proudly tags itself as ‘modern’. But a bitter truth is that some narrow-minded people form a part of it or rather I should say the most respected part of this society. These so-called ‘High Class People’ forcefully take away the pride and esteem of people merely on the basis of caste. Yes, crimes were committed, are committed and will continue to be committed by them against low caste people and against the whole society and humanity when tried at a larger scale. And the ‘point to be noted’ is that this prevails even in The Indian Army which does not hold any system of reservation at any of its ranks and positions. Sounds shocking but true!!
Photos by : Yash Sharma