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| Presenting my paper. |
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| Jury award, Day 2. |
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| Jury with PG students, Day 1 |
Pah-Lak [Father] is a drama that was written in English by Abishek Majumdar in Tibet during 2013-2019. It premiered in London in 2019. The play was translated into Tibetan by director Lhakpa Tsering featuring Tibetan actors in 2022-2023 with the collaboration of the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA).
The play throws the spotlight on the relevance of non-violence in the Tibetan struggle in the face of Chinese occupation. The textual transformation from the first production to the second showcases some of the imperatives which besiege theatre – and Tibet – today.
Drawing
on a shared memory, Pah-Lak rallies Tibetans in exile, and conscientizes
the world to the violation of human rights in Tibet. It establishes theatre as
a powerful medium to campaign for freedom. Its focus on the struggle of a woman
(Deshar) to personify the liberation movement, accentuates her political
helplessness, while also exploring the personal dynamic of defying her father.
The supplanting of Tibetan by Mandarin is a cause to fight for the Tibetan
language. The spiritual moorings to Buddhism are also articulated in the play.
Pah-Lak is a play for our times. In an increasingly violent world how does one resist -- but with dignity? This paper will attempt to address some of these issues.
Keywords: Pah-Lak, Tibet, Deshar, Buddhism, China
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