SWAANG- A THEATRICAL-CULTURAL FORM IN PUNJAB: A STUDY OF SOCIO-RELIGIOUS POLITICS IN BLACK IS MY ROBE BY SHAHID NADEEM

Abstract

Swaang is one of the conventional forms of Folk theatre in the sub-continent, specifically in Punjab. The characters, themes, situations and presentation, all assume a celebratory and merry tone in this form of performance. There are songs, music, and dance alongside the dialogues to make the performance livelier. Though this form exists as one among the many as an established form of theatre in India, there are a few writers in Pakistan (Punjab) as well who have attempted to revive this form in the Pakistani theatres. This paper analyses the play Black Is My Robe by Shahid Nadeem to establish that the Folk theatrical form of Swaang uses the traditional / cultural folklore theatre as a form of resistance to highlight some serious socially pertinent issues in Punjab. Such a theatre may be considered a means of “the transformation of consciousness” (Khan 58) in the local communal groups as envisaged by Augusto Boal, a Latin American theatre activist. Instead of breaking away from the traditions of theatre, this play follows the conventional Punjabi form of staging to unfold the fake values and beliefs still followed by the people. The paper focuses upon the ways in which, through this conventional form, the writer is able to highlight the ills of the society being practiced in the name of culture & tradition. The familiar form of presentation i.e. Swaang, very subtly engages the audience to appreciate the resistance against oppression with a purpose of proposing change in the prevalent social systems.