Telling the Diaspora Story

If all the world is a stage, then who better to tell the story of the ongoing drama of Indian immigration and Diaspora tales than playwrights? For years insightful writers from Africa to the UK to Canada have been documenting the stories of those who left the homeland for uncharted territories, and now some of them gathered in New York to share their experiences.

The occasion was the launch of the first anthology of their voices in ‘Beyond Bollywood and Broadway: Plays from the South Asian Diaspora’, which is edited by Neilesh Bose. This includes 11 classic plays by South Asian Diaspora writers from the US, Canada, the UK and South Africa.

At the two day fest at The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center of The Graduate Center, CUNY, which was synchronized by Geeta Citygirl, Director of SALAAM Theater, all aspects of the Diaspora experience were explored through discussions and staged readings by New York actors. Ronnie Govender, who is regarded as the doyen of South African theater, was there along with Rukhsana Ahmad from the UK, Canada-based theater artists Rana Bose and Rahul Varma, and from New York, Aasif Mandvi, Anuvab Pal, Shishir Kurup and Bina Sharif.

Throughout the Diaspora there are varying degrees of separation from the home country and the stories will reflect that. Ronnie Govender suggests embracing the factors that point to our common humanity: “We must challenge entrenched stereotypes, that’s what the arts are all about.”

What is particularly noteworthy is the wealth of resources that has accumulated over the years. Rather than being a lone voice in the wilderness, there are many nurturing organizations such as SALAAM Theater, the Indo-American Arts Council, The Lark Play Development Center, and SATAM , the South Asian Theatre Movement. The ongoing saga of the Indian Diaspora seems to be in good hands!