Tukdey – 1947: Picking Up the Pieces — A Heart-Rending Tribute to Partition-Era Punjab

a historical rupture that tore apart families, hearts, and hopes. This emotionally-charged play transports audiences to the heart of Punjab during 1947, capturing the shattered lives and indomitable spirits of those caught in the greatest mass migration and sectarian trauma of South Asia’s modern history.

🕰️ Setting the Stage: Punjab in 1947
The narrative unfolds in Punjab, the epicenter of the Partition’s wrath. Once united by language, culture, and kinship, the region was split overnight into East Punjab (India) and West Punjab (Pakistan). Communal violence surged. Trains arrived full of corpses. Neighbors became enemies. Families disappeared into shadows. Millions were forced to flee, leaving behind everything—except memories.

The play viscerally evokes this rupture: children torn from parents, friends betrayed by borders, lovers left staring across new lines etched in blood. These “tukdey”—or fragments—are not just of geography, but of identity, humanity, and hope.

🎭 Artistry in Action
Directed with emotional precision by Jyotsna Jyoti and assisted by Saurabh Datar, the production weaves personal vignettes with historical fact. Live music by Sadiq Rehmani deepens the melancholy, while Neha Jyoti’s background score carries both heartbreak and resilience. Makeup by Sandhya Bose and lighting by Sagar Agashe transform each performer into living embodiments of trauma and courage.

The cast delivers performances steeped in raw emotion:

• Mehul Somaiya, Neena Sinha, Dinsha Palkhiwala, Namita Matani, Divya Behl, and Sarwat Zahra portray the many shades of Punjabi anguish and spirit.
• Sudhanshu Vachaspati, Deep Sharma, Tanvi Sharma, Ravi Channa, and Nisar Sirguroh bring stories of familial disintegration, survival, and painful rebirth.

• Ruchita Dhiman, Mani Thakur, Ajay Kumar, Viren Vather, Rishi Khanna, Vikas Randev, and Anil George offer haunting portrayals of ordinary people drawn into extraordinary horror.
• Stage managers Limcy Sunil and Meenakshi Khanna ensure seamless transitions that carry the audience through time and emotion.
• RJ Manish emcees the production with a reflective grace that honors history while engaging today’s generation.

🌿 Why It Matters
Tukdey is not just theatre—it is memory, confrontation, and healing. It forces us to ask: What happens when borders slice through humanity? How do we mend the fragments of lost lives and stolen dreams? And can art resurrect empathy where history buried it?

This production serves as both a tribute and a warning. At a time when divisions still echo around the globe, Tukdey – 1947 reminds us that the past must be faced to shape a compassionate future.

📣 Final Curtain
By illuminating the shattered stories of 1947 Punjab, A Vividha Arts Productions does more than reenact the past—it challenges audiences to reflect, remember, and rise above. It’s not just a performance—it’s a solemn conversation with the soul of a divided land.

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