Avner Pariat on the play Tied organized by the Jingiaseng Samla Nongthymmai Presbyterian Church
THE EVENING of July 10 began with a torrent, and though heavy, it did not deter the people who thronged the U Soso Tham Auditorium, perhaps because it was a church event. It was something new for the Nongthymmai Church youth.
The music that led to the evening’s main event – the play titled Tied – was in sync. Tied was conceived a few months ago and had undergone several changes before its final form.
Tied was about the age in which we live in. It tried to be contextual and edgy and perhaps accomplished this. It was about power and hope, lunacy and heroism, about fear and laws. Tied means ‘to knock’ and the creators wanted to imply the knocking down of oppression and gates, anything that impinged the freedom of the people. Perhaps other people in the audience saw it differently.
The play was an attempt to narrate the toughness of our times, the bleakness of reality as well as the persistence of hope. The actors managed to show us how consumerism, the break-up of the family and the breakdown of society were connected to the loss of hope, to corruption and the abuse of power. The parts were played quite well by the Seng Samla youth.
Perhaps the cleverest part was the introduction of the narrator ‘fool’ who served as the guide throughout. Played quite brilliantly by Wisecyrlyne Kharkongor, it became the pivotal role of the play. Kharkongor is more of a ‘reactor’ than an actor. He was able to react to the audience and having witnessed the play in the making, I noticed the bits he improvised upon at the last moment, on the stage itself.
However, at times he got lost in trying to be the cynosure and did not ‘hold back’ the audience (from laughter and amusement) at certain crucial parts of the play. Kharkongor has the potential of doing well with formal training. Like many talented young people at various plays and skits in and around Shillong, he also needs competition to challenge and push him.
The way the rest of the cast pulled through on the stage that evening was also very impressive. They showed no sign of stage fright and some of them could do a veteran dramatist proud. They need polishing, though.
Tied has underscored the need to revamp our tribal culture of ‘sawangka’ or drama. It has so many possibilities and the Nongthymmai Church needs to be complimented for reviving the secular tradition of that art form. Hopefully, others will follow suit and challenge them in terms of production, story and, of course, performance.
The most disappointing part of the play – the whole evening rather – was the sound and lighting. Many were annoyed by the terrible audio system; it threatened to reduce the play to a SBUK comedy! But the novelty of the play and the sincere effort of the actors made it tolerable, particularly the scenes where policemen and protestors clash and ‘terrorists’ meet to take up arms.
Tied was created by Rev Nathan Diengdoh and Rev Kyrsoibor Pyrtuh.