Hri Institute for Southasian Research and Exchange

Revolutionary playwright, director, and activist, Gursharan Singh passed away in his home in Chandigarh on September 27, 2011.

Gursharan Singh, who became popularly known as “Gursharan Bhaji, and “Bhai Manna Singh,” after a character he created, was born in Multan in 1929. He was trained as an engineer and was employed by the government till his arrest and dismissal in 1975 for his protest against Indira Gandhi’s suspension of the constitution and imposition of Emergency.

Though he was released from prison and reinstated in his job after the fall of the Indira Gandhi government in 1977, he resigned his post when he was rearrested in early 1980s and devoted himself wholly to theatre.

Gursharan Singh started writing plays in the 1950s and created a large body of works, including 13 books, 132 short plays and 6 full-length plays. There have been close to 10,000 performances of his plays across the world. The best loved of these are: “Toya,” “Baba BoldaHai,” “Dhamak Nagare Di,” “ChandnniChowk to Sirhand Tak,” “Kursi Morcha ate HawaVich Latkde Lok,” and “Kamiyanda Wehda.” The plays have been collected in six volumes.

Gursharan Singh produced street theatre in the cities, travelled with his plays to the villages of Punjab, and created a genre that has become known as “rural theatre.” Basing himself on the folk idiom of entertainment and didacticism, GursharanSingh used theatre to tell the truth about an oppressive and corrupt social and political system, speaking for those who had no voice, and encouraging the oppressed and deprived to aspire to change their world. He opened more than thirty-five centres in villages and in Chandigarh, where he trained local artists. Gursharan Singh also published progressive literature and distributed Punjabi books all over Punjab.

Gursharan Singh stood up against the dictatorship of Indira Gandhi at the cost of losing his job and being imprisoned. He also courageously continued his performances through the 1980s, when Punjab was in the grip of religious-separatist violence, despite threats against his life. He took his bold championship of the oppressed beyond theatre to become a prominent defender of democratic rights and civil liberties in India. He supported all who struggled against oppression and fought for social justice while remaining above factions.

He received many awards. At the national level he got the Sangeet Natak Award in 1993, the Kalidas Award in 2003, and the Sangeet Natak Academy Ratna Award in 2006. In Punjab he received the State Language Department Award, Bhagat PuranAward for Service to Humanity (2004), and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Punjab Arts Council (2011). But perhaps the most fitting award for the work of his life was the Revolutionary Commitment Award that he received in Moga in 2006, when more than 10,000 peasants, workers, and students from across Punjab came to honour him.

Gursharan Singh came twice to North America at the invitation of Indian People’s Association in North America (IPANA) and left a profound impression on the South Asian Diaspora. He not only inspired a generation of writers and activists in Punjab, who mourn him today, but many writers and activists in the Diaspora also mourn him as a source of inspiration and a beloved guide.

A meeting to celebrate Gursharan Singh’s legacy was held in Surrey, BC, on Monday, October 10, 2011.

Harinder Mahil

Chinmoy Banerjee

Raj Chouhan

Sadhu Binning

Charan Gill

-Daljit Ami

The late Bha Ji: Gursharan Singh during Bhagat Singh's birth centenary function on September 28, 2007 (photo credit: Daljit Ami)

Finding one of his primary school classmates doing menial jobs, Gursharan Singh got the shock of his life at the age of twelve. Tears rolled out of his eyes for Shingara who, despite having the most beautiful handwriting among the classmates, had to drop out of school. Gursharan could not help himself and tears kept spilling from his eyes throughout life, every time he talked about Shingara. At the age of 82, Gursharan breathed his last on September 27, 2011. He kept his commitment with his childhood friend and fought against all forms of injustice in society. Theatre was his tool to raise the loudest possible voice against any kind of exploitation and inequality. The energy he enthused into his performances remained unparalleled. Dr. Areet, his daughter, shares that he could never talk about Shingara without crying. How could a person maintain such intensity and energy for such a long time?

Born in Multan (now Pakistan) on 16 September 1929, Gursharan Singh was one of the millions forced to migrate during Partition in 1947. As a student activist he protested against communal frenzy and helped the refugees. He always used to say that he could never laugh whole-heartedly after watching the bloodbath in 1947. More than one million people died during that partition and countless were left homeless. Insulted and amputated mass of humanity struggling to cope with rampant hostility haunted Gursharan Singh throughout his life. He remained an ardent opponent of communal politics and he was ready to risk his life to stop a recurrence of Partition in any form. During the first assembly elections in independent India in 1952 he campaigned for Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna, the founder president of the Ghadar Party. After losing to a former bureaucrat, Bhakna consoled Gursharan Singh that British imperialism had ended but the exploitative character of the state was intact, and there remained a need to fight against it for true independence. Gursharan Singh remained true to these words.

Gursharan Singh was a multifaceted personality who became famous for activism through theatre. Formally educated as an engineer in cement technology, Gursharan Singh was one of those who built the Bhakra Dam, described as ‘New Temple of Resurgent India’ by the first Prime Minister of India, Jawahar Lal Nehru. While working on Bhakra Dam, Gursharan Singh realized the strength of human potential that can change the course of rivers. And a very important question came to his mind — why can the course of lives of people not be changed? He engaged with this question and fought for social change till his last breath at the age of 82 years. He was in charge of the cultural program staged on the inauguration of Bhakra Dam, attended by Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru and Soviet Union’s Premier Nikita Khrushchev. Workers were not allowed to attend the function as it was thought to be beyond their comprehension. Gursharan Singh requested artists to stay for another day and perform for the workers. Artists agreed and the audience response remained always fresh in Gursharan Singh’s memory. He recognized the potential of theatre to reach out to masses and for the rest of his life his name became synonymous with theatre.

Shingara, Partition, Baba Bhakna and Bhakra Dam were the stories Gursharan Singh shared with relentless passion with any audience or visitor on any occasion. With a Marxist understanding he connected these stories and he fearlessly addressed all kind of hegemonies. He opposed the imposition of emergency powers in 1975 by the Government of Indira Gandhi, and he staged Takht Lahore, a play written by Nazam Hussain Sayyad to expose the dictatorship of Ayub Khan in Pakistan. He was suspended and arrested. As for many of his fellow enlightened countrymen, the period of emergency made Gursharan realize the importance of human rights. From then onwards he remained committed as a human rights activist. His ties to the Association for Democratic Rights (AFDR), People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR), People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and activists like Jaswant Singh Khalra kept him engaged with these issues.

When Sikh militancy grew in Punjab and a supposed HITLIST designed by its leader Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawala was chilling everyone’s spine, Gursharan published a story called Hit list in his literary cultural magazine Samta (equality). It declared that the leader using HITLIST to terrorise people is himself on people’s hit list. He became the loud and conscientious voice of the troubled times. He opposed communal violence and state terrorism in the same breath. In an obituary article on him, Navjit Singh Johal, a Professor in the department of Journalism at Punjab University shared an experience from 1989 when he had the chance to travel with Gursharan Singh in a state transport bus. In that last bus from Jalandhar to Chandigarh, during a stop at the town of Nawa Shahr, Johal asked Gursharan about his activities. He started explaining the complexity of the situation in the darkness of night and during the mindlessness of prevailing terror. His voice grew from loud to louder. The number of listeners increased from a select few to their many others fellow passengers, including the tea stall workers and police guards. Another bus stopped, and its passengers also became Gursharan’s listeners. He spoke for an hour. Johal comments that it was the best possible example of people’s theatre and fearless commitment. Gursharan’s listeners could not remain unchanged after this chance meeting. The Revolutionary Unity Centre under his leadership raised two slogans to state terror and Sikh-militancy: Gobind, Babbar, Bhagat, Sarabha; sabhacharak virsa sada (Gobind, Babbar, Bhagat, Sarabha; they are our cultural legacy) and na hindu raj na khalistan; raj kare mazdoor kisan (Neither Hindu state nor Khalistan; workers and peasants will rule). When his comrades, including Baldev Mann, Jaimal Padda, Passh and Gian Singh Sangha, were gunned down Gursharan took his wife and two daughters to perform in militancy dominated areas. He invoked Sikh history and the Punjabi tradition of resistance to present people with an alternative.

Gursharan Singh’s theatre started on the proscenium and soon flowed to the street. He further declassed theatre to what he used to call thara (platform). He could perform from any makeshift place with a minimum number of artists. He addressed his audience directly. As he simplified his form, his content became focused on specific issues. He picked his lines straight from the newspaper headlines and he commented on them. He could enact any ongoing political scandal of public interest on stage and tell how many Bhakra Dams became cases of resource embezzlement. With the passage of time his focus became sharper as he tried to address the voiceless standing at the edge of deprivation. He went on to raise the issues of rural landless communities, caste discrimination and the dignity of poor women. He was doing a theatre of non-fiction and ‘telling the truth about the state and to the state.’ His theatre was criticized for consisting of statements alone, or for lacking in aesthetic quality. Ignoring such critique he did his best to reach out to the intended audience with clear messages. Harjinder Singh (Laltu), a well known scientist and a creative writer, has shared his experiences in an obituary article. As a Science and Technology Awareness Group (STAG), Laltu and his colleagues took a slideshow on nuclear weapons to Gursharan Singh. The slideshow, designed by several Indian scientists after the Pokhran nuclear explosions in 1998, shared experiences of nuclear holocaust and talked about its potential dangers in Southasia. Gursharan Singh adapted this slideshow into a street play and, without changing anything, rendered its complexity in simple Punjabi. Here was a theatre activist working in tandem with scientists in the field of non-fiction.

Gursharan Singh’s critics often confined him to the spheres of to theatre, Punjab and progressive politics. During his life, however, he often worked outside the boundaries of these areas. He was a publisher who introduced young writers through Balraj Sahni Parkashan. This publication is the best effort in the history of Punjabi literature to reach out to masses. The low priced mobile bookstall of Balraj Sahni Parkashan remained an integral part of Gursharan Singh’s performances. After the publication was closed down, the character of Punjabi language publication changed. Opportunities for new writers are no longer seen; neither are efforts to reach out to poor readers. Now Punjabi language publications revolve around established writers, universities and writers, who can pay to get their books published. Gursharan Singh edited two literary cultural magazines, Samta and Sardal, where creative writing and criticism were given liberal space. He was able to engage with the different shades of left politics and literary-cultural trends of the time. While aspiring for a revolutionary change Gursharan Singh never lost sight of reforms. He campaigned against the neglect of mothers when talking about children. This campaign resulted in the decision of Punjab School Education Board to include the mother’s name on educational certificates. Gursharan was always proud of this intervention and counted it among his achievements. He campaigned against foul language targeting women. He was very sensitive towards women, an awareness reflected in his theatre, speeches and writings. Gursharan Singh was puritanical in more ways than one. He used to claim that he had never tasted any drug, indulged in any dishonesty, or flirted. These claims have had not been contested even by his rivals and political opponents.

Gursharan Singh grew up with the Indian People Theatre Association (IPTA) and kept its mission alive through different theatre groups. He was founder-president of PALAS Manch (Punjab people’s cultural platform) which patronized cultural groups and different performing arts. Its activity has an important space in the cultural calendar of Punjab. He was a regular invitee to cultural programs all over India. His associations with the All India League for Revolutionary Culture (ALCRC), Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT), Jan Sanskriti Manch and Desh Bhagat Yadgari Hall establish him as a truly revolutionary personality far beyond the boundaries of Punjab. He played the lead role in one of Jalandhar Doordarshan’s (state owned Punjabi television station) most popular serials, Bhai Manna Singh. Many people still remember him as Bhai Manna Singh, exposing corruption in the system and making bureaucracy accountable.

Gursharan Singh received many awards for his work, including the Sahit Academy Award, Kaidas Samman and Sangeet Natak Rattan. The best moment of his life may have been in 2006 when more than ten thousand people gathered, with a single point agenda, to honor him in the village of Kussa in Moga district for his lifetime of contributions. Prominent Punjabi short story writer Waryam Singh Sandhu spoke on that occasion: “Gursharan Singh has always walked with his face towards Sangat (people), and today the people have gathered to respond with these words – Gursharan Singh asin tere han te tun sada hain (you belong to us and we belong to you).” The gathering responded with thunderous slogans: Gursharan Bha Ji Yug Yug Jive (Long live Gursharn Bha ji). Bha Ji (elder brother) became synonymous with Gursharan Singh’s name. People from all ages called him Bha Ji. In Punjab the message ‘Bha Ji is no more’ needed no explanation.

After the events of 9/11, many things changed. The Gujrat carnage and the attack on Indian Parliament placed Indian citizenry against fundamentalism, and irrational responses from the state became a commonplace. Gursharan Singh opposed communal politics and campaigned for the Right to Fair Trial. He was one of the most vocal supporters of the All India Defence Committee for SAR Geelani, an accused in the parliament attack case. Once SAR Geelani was acquitted by the Delhi High Court he raised the question of political prisoners languishing in sub-human conditions in Indian jails. The Society for the Protection of Detainees and Prisoners Rights (SPDPR) was formed and Gursharan Singh became its founder president. Realizing the diversity of political movements and state repression it was decided to expand the scope of struggle for prisoners’ rights. The Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP) was formed with participants from different streams of political movements from all over India, again with Gursharan Singh as its founder president. In this context SAR Geelani, acting president of CRPP says, “Gursharan Singh cannot be confined to geographical boundaries or merely to the role of a theatre artist as he had a large heart to empathize with victims of state repression from all other parts of the world. He will be remembered for his humanistic approach and revolutionary zeal.” Gursharan was a strong proponent of autonomy for Kashmir. Geelani adds, “Kashmir has lost a great supporter in Gursharan Singh.” He was the convener of the Democratic Front against Operation Green Hunt, Punjab’ and vocally opposed the mobilization of paramilitary forces against Maoist movement in central India. Gursharan had the courage to confront his opponents as well as his comrades, when necessary. He never hesitated to point out the shortcomings of revolutionary movements, often inviting scathing criticism upon himself. While being outspoken he remained open to criticism and always strove for the unity of progressive forces.