Written by: Farheen Abdullah
Posted on: September 13, 2021 | 
| 中文
Bazelah Mustafa (standing at the back), Fawad Khan, and Samina Ahmed
Watching plays and live performances was an experience that many would enjoy, given the limited public attractions in Karachi. The onset of COVID-19, however, meant that theatres shut down and viewers were deprived of experiencing in-person performances. It was not until last month that the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) hosted a play by Bee Gul, with a limited and invite-only audience. The rest of the Academy’s plays and festivals have been screened online, with the latest being The Bus That Didn’t Stop.
Director Corinne Jaber and Book cover of Anam Zakaria's 'The Footprints of Partition'
Based on Anam Zakaria’s book, The Footprints of Partition, the play premiered on NAPA’s Youtube Channel on 26th August. Directed by Corinne Jaber, a Syrian-German actor, with the collaboration of Anam Zakaria and Haroon Khalid, the adaptation narrates stories of Partition as compiled by Zakaria during her oral history project.
The author of 'The Footprints of Partition' Anam Zakaria
The play is set against a plain black backdrop with a red sofa set in the middle, a rug in front, and a coffee table on the right. The rest of the stage stays empty, with nothing more than a few tea cups serving as props. The performance opens with Corinne Jaber seated to the left of the stage, comparing a woman in exile to a country that has been divided into two, both unsure of their identities.
The focus slowly shifts to Bazelah Mustafa and Fawad Khan sitting on the red sofa. The two play a married couple, Sana and Kamal, who are both historians. Living in Canada, they recall their time at the Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP), where they gathered stories of Partition from various generations. Through Sana and Kamal’s interactions, the team takes us through the process of gathering oral history and the challenges that come with it. They discuss how the two of them would notice different things during an interview, reflecting on how interpretations of a story always vary. There is no one right narrative, not even the one in our textbooks.
Bazelah Mustafa as Sana and Fawad Khan as Kamal
Sana and Kamal also discuss the way they complement each other when they work together, with Sana being able to access more domestic spaces where Kamal might not be welcome. Both the actors, Bazelah Mustafa and Fawad Khan, also beautifully complement each other as each holds their space in the play, yet syncs perfectly with the other person. The two actors transition smoothly between scenes, as they step into the past and out of the present.
The couple highlights the pain that listening to hundreds of stories of Partition brought to them, especially those of women, who never really got to share their stories in the past, in fear of invoking shame. Samina Ahmed becomes the voice of women who witnessed Partition. She emphasizes how women were silenced because their stories always led to questions about honor. Not surprisingly, the actor delivers a very good performance on stage, just the way she does on TV.
Bazelah Mustafa and Samina Ahmed
Another issue that the play brings into focus is when Sana recalls how there is gender discrimination in her profession. Being a woman, Sana is always undermined for the work she does. Her success is credited to Kamal by people who love to praise men for being supportive of their wives’ careers. Our society only imagines domestic settings as natural for women.
The Bus That Didn’t Stop questions why there exists one dominant narrative about Partition, and anything that does not conform is obliterated. Why must geographical boundaries also become social boundaries? The boundary drawn between Pakistan and India separates the two countries as if the two were never one. Sana recalls her grandmother having Hindu friends but labelling India as a ‘no-go area’. Corinne Jaber describes the performance at Wagah Border by Pakistani and Indian soldiers as one that is perfectly synchronized. Surely, the two countries must have rehearsed together in order for their performance to be so well-coordinated at the border.
The play raises important questions about identity, and reminds us to read between the lines when it comes to accounts of Partition in history books. It tells us that those who suffered will always carry the burden of these memories. Just like a bus going at full speed, time never stopped for those who experienced the realities of Partition.
(L to R) Corinne Jaber, Fawad Khan, Samina Ahmed, and Bazelah Mustafa
Watching a theatrical performance on Youtube might not have engaged viewers as much as a live performance does, since a laptop screen does not do justice to a theatre stage. However, minor shortcomings in filming helped convey the true essence of a theatrical performance, where there is no room for retakes and all errors are a natural part of the process of storytelling. The cast of The Bus That Didn’t Stop beautifully brings Anam Zakaria’s book to life.
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