The orphans of Kashmir Valley’s unending insurgency are in the national capital to participate in Jashnebachpan, the ongoing theatre festival organised by the National School of Drama to mark its golden jubilee. Childhood and children’s issues form the theme of the event.

On Sunday, children from the Shehjar Children’s Theatre Group in tension-ridden Srinagar will perform Asi-Te-Karave Yied, a Kashmiri adaptation of Munshi Prem Chand’s story Idgah by director Hakeem Javed. The play narrates the story of a little child whose father has gone missing, and yet who wishes to celebrate Eid in his own way. The cast consists of 17 boys in the age group of 14 to 16 from the Shehjar Orphanage in Srinagar.

“Our attempt is to relate Munshi Prem Chand’s story to the current position of children in Kashmir. Are they happy? What effect have larger developments had on children?” says Hakeem Javed.

Shehjar in Kashmiri means “cool shade”. The orphanage was set up by social activist Nighat Shafi Pandit and offers residential and educational facilities for children orphaned by insurgency. In 2005, Pandit was one of the nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Last year, Asi-Te-Karave-Yied won the top award at a theatre festival in Srinagar. Child theatre troupes from 13 districts of Jammu and Kashmir participated in the event. This is not their first visit to Delhi, but the boys are an

excited lot.

To add to the golden jubilee celebrations, Bal Sangam, a first-of-its-kind festival of folk performances by child folk artistes from all over India, is being held alongside. Plays from Manipur, Assam, Rajasthan, Karnataka , Orissa and Jharkhand among others will be showcased.

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