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Having been familiar with Dalit literature for 20 years, Jain was immensely stirred by the book and decided to tailor it to theatre. His solo performance was staged recently at New Delhi’s Lalit Kala Akademi incollaboration with Savi sawarkar’s ar exhibition, Eyes Re-Cast. The gripping portrayal beautifully captured glimpses of Limbale’s tough plight in a Mahar village in Maharashtra. Jain consciously chose to focus on the childhood years, in the process eliciting simple emotions of want and desire. The author’s harrowing experiences are delicately woven into some scenes where his only concern remains the next meal, a meal comprising rotten animal flesh and gruel from animal dung.

Jain says, “In our urban setting, we don’t realise what real hunger and deprivation is. What use are of these flyovers and computers then? I do not understand theatre without life experiences. I do not deliberately focus on so-called ‘issues’, as life itself is such a big issue. Theatre is about making others go through an emotional experience, not just about preaching.The reaction and response is then up to the audience.” Jain worked on the narrative for nine to ten months before presenting it for the first time, five years ago. He claims the play has been popular among school students and children in the bastis.

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