04-25-2008, 12:04 AM
Play review in Asian Age. Read till the end to see how it pertains to this thread!
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Khurshid plays a new role
Meanwhile | Sarju Kaul
London: Itâs a snapshot of Mughal history with Bahadur Shah Zafar acting as a guide.
Former Union minister and Congress leader Salman Khurshid, has returned to writing fiction with his play Sons of Babur, which is named Babur Ki Aulad in Hindi and Urdu versions.
Khurshid, who in his college days in St Stephenâs, Delhi, had written what he described as a "small novel" about an Indian Air Force pilot called Answer At Dawn, said he was keen to write a novel for a long time now. However, due to time constraints, he decided to write a play instead.
The title of the two-and-a-half-hour play was based on the jibe that many Muslims face, Khurshid said, adding that despite some of his politician colleagues being worried about the title, he went ahead with it.
Mr Khurshid, who started writing the play seven years ago, said it was hard to juggle writing with being a full-time politician, especially as he had two stints as the president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee during the period.
However, the actual writing time was not more than six months, he said. "I would keep losing those little bit of writings I used to manage. However, the 150th anniversary of the first war of Independence in 1857 inspired me to wrap up the play," he said. "I took some time off and finally finished the play," he added.
The play, said the lawyer-turned-politician, attempts to rediscover the term "nationhood" and explores the reasons for communal conflict in the country.
Bahadur Shah Zafar, who was deposed by the British after the 1857 uprising, is one of the main characters in the play along with a young university student, Rudra.
The young student travels back in time to visit the first Mughal emperor Babur and a snapshot of the Mughal history unfolds.
<b>Zafar takes Rudra "through the bloodstained and eventful passages of the Mughal history to unravel its workings and intrigues; sacrifices and disappointments."</b>
The story is old, itâs history, but the freshness is in its presentation, Khurshid said. He said he consulted his historian friends to ensure that the historical events he was referring to in his play were correct.
Khurshid said he sent the play to actor-director Naseeruddin Shah before it was published.
"He has shown interest in staging the play. There are no concrete plans as yet, he said, but added that there would be play reading next month in Mumbai.
Khurshid is keen on staging the play and said once the play is staged only then would he consider a TV series or a film.
The play, which has already been translated in Urdu and Hindi, will be staged by the Urdu Academy of Delhi at the Old Fort in a huge, lavish presentation. The author said his play will be translated into other regional languages and also in French.
Khurshid said politicians need to make contributions in fields apart from politics. "I had always desired to remain connected to literature even though I did not pursue it as my career after that first novel," he said.
Reactions to his play have been mostly positive, he said, adding that the toughest part was that others could not differentiate between a writer and a politician. "Mostly people see it as a political statement," he said.
<b>Khurshid also defended his decision to dedicate the play to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.</b>
<b>"It is not sycophancy," he said, adding that it just acknowledged work and sacrifices of the Congress leader, who faced the identity issue.</b>
As he has taken to writing fiction, Khurshid said in no way should his fellow politicians think that he was slowing his pace or even thinking of retiring from politics.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I had mentioned to one of our members that a body of the INC thinks its time for a Christian dynasty to rule India. Here Salman Khurshid invokes Babur to shore up Sonia Gandhi's identity and addresses the average Hindu student "Rudra".
I think its very important to call this Sonia Gandhi dynasty and not Nehru-Gandhi dynasty for there is a significant change in the charcter and makeup of this coterie.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Khurshid plays a new role
Meanwhile | Sarju Kaul
London: Itâs a snapshot of Mughal history with Bahadur Shah Zafar acting as a guide.
Former Union minister and Congress leader Salman Khurshid, has returned to writing fiction with his play Sons of Babur, which is named Babur Ki Aulad in Hindi and Urdu versions.
Khurshid, who in his college days in St Stephenâs, Delhi, had written what he described as a "small novel" about an Indian Air Force pilot called Answer At Dawn, said he was keen to write a novel for a long time now. However, due to time constraints, he decided to write a play instead.
The title of the two-and-a-half-hour play was based on the jibe that many Muslims face, Khurshid said, adding that despite some of his politician colleagues being worried about the title, he went ahead with it.
Mr Khurshid, who started writing the play seven years ago, said it was hard to juggle writing with being a full-time politician, especially as he had two stints as the president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee during the period.
However, the actual writing time was not more than six months, he said. "I would keep losing those little bit of writings I used to manage. However, the 150th anniversary of the first war of Independence in 1857 inspired me to wrap up the play," he said. "I took some time off and finally finished the play," he added.
The play, said the lawyer-turned-politician, attempts to rediscover the term "nationhood" and explores the reasons for communal conflict in the country.
Bahadur Shah Zafar, who was deposed by the British after the 1857 uprising, is one of the main characters in the play along with a young university student, Rudra.
The young student travels back in time to visit the first Mughal emperor Babur and a snapshot of the Mughal history unfolds.
<b>Zafar takes Rudra "through the bloodstained and eventful passages of the Mughal history to unravel its workings and intrigues; sacrifices and disappointments."</b>
The story is old, itâs history, but the freshness is in its presentation, Khurshid said. He said he consulted his historian friends to ensure that the historical events he was referring to in his play were correct.
Khurshid said he sent the play to actor-director Naseeruddin Shah before it was published.
"He has shown interest in staging the play. There are no concrete plans as yet, he said, but added that there would be play reading next month in Mumbai.
Khurshid is keen on staging the play and said once the play is staged only then would he consider a TV series or a film.
The play, which has already been translated in Urdu and Hindi, will be staged by the Urdu Academy of Delhi at the Old Fort in a huge, lavish presentation. The author said his play will be translated into other regional languages and also in French.
Khurshid said politicians need to make contributions in fields apart from politics. "I had always desired to remain connected to literature even though I did not pursue it as my career after that first novel," he said.
Reactions to his play have been mostly positive, he said, adding that the toughest part was that others could not differentiate between a writer and a politician. "Mostly people see it as a political statement," he said.
<b>Khurshid also defended his decision to dedicate the play to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.</b>
<b>"It is not sycophancy," he said, adding that it just acknowledged work and sacrifices of the Congress leader, who faced the identity issue.</b>
As he has taken to writing fiction, Khurshid said in no way should his fellow politicians think that he was slowing his pace or even thinking of retiring from politics.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I had mentioned to one of our members that a body of the INC thinks its time for a Christian dynasty to rule India. Here Salman Khurshid invokes Babur to shore up Sonia Gandhi's identity and addresses the average Hindu student "Rudra".
I think its very important to call this Sonia Gandhi dynasty and not Nehru-Gandhi dynasty for there is a significant change in the charcter and makeup of this coterie.