During the ongoing 6-day long grand theatre festival ‘INDRADHANUSH—RANG MAHOTSAV 2022’ conducted by and at Riddhima—A Centre of Performing and Fine Arts, affiliated to Indira Kala Sangit Vishwavidyalaya, Khairagarh (Chhattisgarh), the third play being showcased on November 03, 2022 is ‘Ek Awaz Mohabbat Ki…Lalleshwari’ (a musical play), written, designed and directed by Kajal Suri.
The play is based on Kashmiri Sufi Poetess, Laleshwari, who is also locally known as Lal Ded (1320-1392). Basically, she was the creator of the style of mystic poetry called Vatsun or Vakhs, which literally means ‘speech’ that, has been derived from Sanskrit vaak. Known as Lal Vakhs, her verses are known to be the earliest compositions in the Kashmiri language, and are an important part in the history of modern Kashmiri literature.
A BRIEF HISTORY: Lal Ded’s poems represent some of the earliest known works of Kashmiri literature, and were written as Kashmiri that began to emerge as a distinct language from Apabhramsa-prakrit, which was spoken in North India. A total of 285 poems, known as vakhs, are attributed to Lal Ded. Lal Ded’s vakhs drew influences and languages that made contact with the Indian sub-continent in her life, drawing from Sanskritik, Islamic, Sufi, and Sikh cultures. However, she continued the mystic tradition of Shaivism in Kashmir, which was known as Trika before 1900.
