Background
The idea of adaptation of “the Scottish Play” came to Swastika while she was in school reading Shakespearean works as a part of the school curriculum!! The idea drove her so much that she started to take interest in theatre from a very early age. Coming from a schooling that promoted and supported her quest she nurtured the idea with great care. Life took her into many journeys and one such journey took her to New Zealand with her husband in late 2012. Immediately upon arrival she and Anirban became engaged in amateur theatre productions with Nandan, An Indian Bengali Association in Auckland. A relatively new and vibrant team with young and seasoned actors and crew the team at Nandan took stage for some very diverse type of plays ranging from outright hilarious ones like “Swayambar” to relatively sombre productions like “Aynamahal” which was again the Indian adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations”. Set in Kashmir the story is a modern adaptation which revolves around a couple’s rise to power through love, passion, betrayal, and murder which ultimately leads to the premise of the Kargil Conflict between India and Pakistan in 1999. The story opens with Major Sheoji Rathore introducing the Kargil Conflict between India and Pakistan. He narrates a story that is long forgotten but is very much relevant to the conflict that left more than a 1000 dead in the Kashmir Valley. This is the story of unfathomable love and passion between two individuals and their soaring ambitions and aspirations, which ultimately leads to betrayal and murder. The story narrates the Kashmir insurgency in the 90s and the Ikwan movement supported by Indian Army. The Ikwanis were ex-militants who changed loyalties and have become instrument of anti-insurgency operations in the valley. The story begins with Azar and Basheer, two powerful Ikwani clan leaders and right hand men of Abbaji, the de facto ruler of Poonch distrct of Kashmir and an important figure in the J&K state politics. A recent operation against a militant outfit has resulted in the victory of the Ikwanis. While rejoicing the victory, Azar and Basheer are perplexed with a prophecy by a Fakir/ Djinn who mentions Azar as the future wazir and ultimately leader of Kashmir. Fueled by his wife Yasmin’s ambition and passion the story narrates how Azar fulflls the prophecy but loses everything due to his greed.
