"Nothing is more dangerous than the death of our dreams."
Sometimes death becomes bigger than life. As Mao Tse Tung said, "Some deaths are as light as the Pheonix's feathers whilst some are as high as the mountains." Comrade Safdar Hashmi was murdered on this day by the Congressi goons in the year 1989. Safdar Hashmi- a playwright, director best known for his street theatre works which remains to be the best ever produced in the history of Indian theatre spend his life building up tales of resistance on the streets.
On January 1, 1989 Safdar & his team JANAM were attacked by goons from the Congress Party during their play. The actors were beaten up by iron rods, medical reports found that Safdar's brain stem was broken.
Just 48 hours after his death, Safdar's wife Moloyshree Hashmi along with the team finished their unfinished play on the very same street (the one that was vandalized by the goons) "Halla Bol" and so the death of one Safdar gave birth to a new era, an era of resistance through street plays, on that day in 1989, approximately 30,000 performances took place all over the country. Virtually every active street theatre group performed on that day; many groups which were dormant came to life; hundreds of new groups were formed.
Safdar’s death had truly galvanised street theatre.
"Safdar Lives On".
©️Sayan
