Border Stories: a US-India-Bangladesh collaborative adventure

     Performance in the No-Man's-Land between the India and Bangladesh borders.

"The harshest borders are created in the mind. If they didn't exist in the mind first, they wouldn't manifest on the ground." – a participant from India

Bond Street Theatre has a long history of working in areas in conflict, most of which are caused by perceived differences in ethnicity, religion or lifestyle… “otherness”.  Through theatre performance, we seek to break through the borders of the mind to create harmony on our beleaguered planet.  This belief in the power of theatre has brought us to work with Rohingya refugees dispelled from Myanmar, migrant workers in Russia and Malaysia, and with youth striving for peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Now we have returned from India where our dramatic performances created with Bangladeshi and Indian actors, musicians and dancers illuminated the tragedy of borders.  Tears streamed down the faces of those in our audiences old enough to remember the 1947 partitioning of India and Bangladesh, which tore apart families and friends. As Arts Envoys through the US Embassy, and with our longtime friends and collaborators, Banglanatak, we learned so much more than the history books reveal. 

Bangladesh and India share the fifth longest border in the world, dividing towns, farms, rivers, and even homes.  But where is the “otherness” here?  The people are the same on both sides, having lived side by side for years, eaten the same food, enjoyed the same livelihoods.  Our play illuminates such a situation: two families, one Hindu and one Muslim, close friends for years with youngsters growing up together, suddenly split apart and cast to different misfortunes.  In the end of the play, the women are the heroines, finding ways to keep their families intact despite the disruptions, although only able to visit each other through layers of barbed wire barriers. 

In our post-show discussions, I recall stating how ironic I felt it is that religion was the basis for tearing people apart when virtually every religion preaches love, compassion and generosity toward one’s neighbor.

We brought our show to border towns, including Petrapole, a major border checkpoint.  Through the play, we reminded audiences that people suffer on both sides of the divide. 

"A border is not just a physical fence.  These shared communities, shared experiences, shared families, shared food... the border is in our heads." – participant from Bangladesh

The process of creating the production was a joy.  We began with a series of exercises to bring the group together into a cohesive team, and explore the full range of issues attached to the partitioning.  What was truly inspiring to us was the diversity of skills in the group: filmmakers, journalists, actors, dancers, athletes, visual artists, and media experts. With such a talented team, I knew we would create a dynamic play with a message of value.

Over the first three days, we created a selection of short stories or vignettes that covered, not only the major issue of separation, but the nuances of family life, occupations, economics, religious rituals, local foods, politics, and the like. On day four, we put our stories together and created the outline of our play, and day five was our first run-through.  Now the exciting part: the musicians, singers, dancers, puppeteers, mask-makers and set designers embellished every moment of the play with the flavor and dynamics of the Bengali people, all borders aside.

The final play was rich with dance and music, visual excitement, and the tragedy and drama that brought the audiences to tears in some parts and to laughter in others.  When presenting a tragic theme, a comedic balance is essential.  Most important, our presentations brought home the idea that, although hate and fear makes mending borders so difficult, theatre breaks down the borders of the mind and reminds us that we are all the same.

"This theatre work has helped me really understand the feeling of a refugee... now I know the pain of refugees and I will count them as humans, not just refugees. Refugee is just a name."

- participant from Bangladesh

     "Border Stories" performance at the Kolkata College of Music