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10019
Khachar Pakhi
Sat Nov 8, 8:00 PM
Dr. Surendra Singh Negi
Khachar Pakhi
(a play in Hindi)
"Khachar Pakhi" engages with the intricate intersections of trauma, memory, and identity through the story of an anonymous woman whose unexpected encounter with her former perpetrator reopens the psychic wounds of a decade-old experience. Set within the seemingly mundane context of a job interview, the play destabilises temporal linearity by collapsing past and present into a disorienting continuum, thereby staging the enduring effects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Through fragmented recollections and blurred boundaries between truth and illusion, the narrative underscores how trauma disrupts perception and resists coherent representation. The protagonist’s confrontation with her suppressed memories reveals both the fragility of human subjectivity and the arduous process of healing. In this regard, the play situates itself within contemporary discourses on trauma studies, particularly those that examine how individual suffering is mediated through cultural and performative expression. Written and directed by Dr. Surendra Singh Negi, the play derives its title from Rabindranath Tagore’s allegorical "Khachar Pakhi", a poem-song (or kobita–gaan in Bangla) in which a caged bird and a free bird articulate competing visions of freedom, confinement, and contentment. This intertextual reference enriches the central metaphor of captivity and liberation, resonating with the protagonist’s struggle to reclaim agency from the constraints of memory. By weaving raw emotional intensity with nuanced dialogue, "Khachar Pakhi" emerges through psychological realism as a poignant meditation on resilience, trauma, and the enduring possibilities of renewal.
(a play in Hindi)
"Khachar Pakhi" engages with the intricate intersections of trauma, memory, and identity through the story of an anonymous woman whose unexpected encounter with her former perpetrator reopens the psychic wounds of a decade-old experience. Set within the seemingly mundane context of a job interview, the play destabilises temporal linearity by collapsing past and present into a disorienting continuum, thereby staging the enduring effects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Through fragmented recollections and blurred boundaries between truth and illusion, the narrative underscores how trauma disrupts perception and resists coherent representation. The protagonist’s confrontation with her suppressed memories reveals both the fragility of human subjectivity and the arduous process of healing. In this regard, the play situates itself within contemporary discourses on trauma studies, particularly those that examine how individual suffering is mediated through cultural and performative expression. Written and directed by Dr. Surendra Singh Negi, the play derives its title from Rabindranath Tagore’s allegorical "Khachar Pakhi", a poem-song (or kobita–gaan in Bangla) in which a caged bird and a free bird articulate competing visions of freedom, confinement, and contentment. This intertextual reference enriches the central metaphor of captivity and liberation, resonating with the protagonist’s struggle to reclaim agency from the constraints of memory. By weaving raw emotional intensity with nuanced dialogue, "Khachar Pakhi" emerges through psychological realism as a poignant meditation on resilience, trauma, and the enduring possibilities of renewal.