At a time when Dal Lake – the flagship of Kashmir’s tourism and a post card of its natural beauty – is dying a slow death, the government apathy and public ignorance towards this shrinking lake has become the theme for a play.

‘April Fool’ – an hour long play by Kashmir’s top playwright and theatre director Mohammad Amin Bhat has brought this environmental debacle in the heart of Srinagar city to the stage. Bhat has used black humour to tell the story of greed that is not only killing a marvel of the nature but the identity of a city too.

The story begins with a text message joke about government plans to shift the waters of lake to a valley in neighbouring Ganderbal district because the pollution and encroachment has made its recovery impossible. “Instead, the government will plan a residential colony after filling the dried up Dal,” – the joke text on April Fool days announces. Soon the people start taking the joke seriously. A land broker chips in to get prospective buyers interested in the new plan.

In the process, everyone starts joining in. The government officials entrusted with the job of saving Dal too want their share of the pie. The Dal dwellers come with their own complaints: their demand is not to save Dal but ensure they get their due too. In a way, every player responsible for Dal’s well being, in fact, wants safeguards for their respective interests but not the Dal Lake.

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