Jaipur’s Jawahar Kala Kendra (JKK) cultural centre has cancelled a queer play following an objection by Sanskar Bharti, affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The play ‘Samaaj’, which depicts the story of two men in a relationship, was scheduled for April 26 evening at JKK’s central auditorium.
However, in a letter to the play’s director Jainil Mehta, JKK’s Additional Director General (Administration), Alka Meena, said that “short clips and other information related to your play were seen on social media handles by various organisations/individuals, after which a complaint letter has been submitted to JKK, expressing objection to the staging of the play and terming it against the dignity of the prestigious institution of art and culture.”
“The complaints received were evaluated by JKK’s Programme Coordinating Committee. The committee found the content of your programme to be unsuitable for public staging in the JKK premises,” says the letter by Meena, which cited certain rules to cancel the programme.
On bookmyshow.com, a ticket booking app, the play is described as: “In an idealistic society that is open minded, two men must confront their deepest insecurities and the hidden truths of their relationship. As their love grows, so do the tensions between who they are and who they are becoming. Can they overcome their pasts and find balance, or will the weight of their own doubts tear them apart? ‘Samaaj’ is a gripping journey of self-discovery, love, and the fragile line between acceptance and rejection.”
In its letter dated April 24 to JKK, Sandeep Lele, associated with Sanskar Bharti, had termed the staging of the play “a matter of serious objection and concern,” and that “it is not only against Indian culture and social values” but “also seems to be an attempt to mislead the young generation.”
Lele listed several reasons for the objections: “That it encourages a rebellious attitude towards Indian traditional beliefs and social system; at many places in the dialogues of the play, vulgar and double meaning language has been used, which is against the standards of public performance; the story that promotes homosexual relationships has been made the basic premise, which does not match the general sensibilities of the people.”
Other reasons cited by Sanskar Bharti include that “the play rejects the family value system and promotes highly individualistic and disorderly ideas in the name of freedom; in the name of experimentalism, indecent and infected language and expression have been employed; and that, in the name of love, the entire presentation gives a message to the young generation of indiscipline and turning away from social norms.”
The play was then staged elsewhere in Jaipur the same day.
