Drawing of May tree in blossom is by Anne Mieke Lumsden. sof 70 March 2005 Mayday Notes Under the Greenwood Tree sof 70 March 2005 20 It was my intention to review the Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s production of Behzti but the run of the play was cancelled following violent protest by angered members of the Sikh community. At the time of writing discussions are in progress to find an alternative venue.
Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti is a Sikh playwright whose first stage play Behsharam (Shameless) broke box office records when it was staged in 2001. Her TV work includes the writing of several episodes of East Enders. She has a rich talent for comedy and a powerful sense of what will work in a theatre. She also has something important to say about the abuse that so often occurs when people in a position of trust (most often men) have authority over vulnerable members of society. Evidence of widespread betrayal of that trust within religious establishments has been brought to light with the recent disclosure of institutionalised abuse of young people in the Catholic Church. Human beings, alas, are not always able to live up to great ideals and it is in its exposure of the way those ideals can sometimes become corrupted that the staging of Behzti has caused an uproar in the Sikh community.
Like many people in Britain I have shamefully little knowledge of the Sikh religion and if no other good comes from the current debate, at least, by trying to understand the distress caused to Sikhs by this play we will have learned something. Sikhism is a comparatively new and progressive religion founded by the mystic Guru Nanak, born in 1469, who believed that God is found within oneself. Sikhs reject the adherence to rituals such as fasting and idolatry and believe in the finest of human qualities – compassion, honesty, generosity and patience. A good family life is the bedrock of Sikh belief. There are Gurus but no priests in Sikhism and people of all religious faiths are welcomed to the Gurdwara, the holy temple, where there is always a communal kitchen providing food for any visitor of whatever belief, thus underlining the Sikh principles of service and equality.
The important question of whether a stage setting that represents the Holy Temple can be described as holy if it does not contain the spirit of the holy book Guru Granth Sahib, was raised in the letters page of the Guardian (18/1/05). The script of the play is prefaced by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti’s foreword which avers: ‘Truth is everything in Sikhism, the truth of action, the truth of an individual, God’s truth.’ One can therefore assume that the controversial plot – that of a dissolute Elder in charge of the restoration of the temple, who sexually abuses women and who had a relationship with a married man driven by shame to commit suicide after their affair was uncovered – must be a version of the truth as she finds it. Behzti is a brave play, one which was always likely to cause cries of outrage within a devout community, and as such it deserves to be seen. The suggestion that the setting of the main action should be changed from the Gurdwara to a community centre is to miss the point entirely and was rightly rejected by the author and the production team. It should also be pointed out that the most controversial aspects of the play, (off-stage scenes of rape and murder), do not take place in the setting of the sacred area of the temple but in the administrative rooms – an office and the kitchen.
The theatre is a powerful medium and this is an important moment in its history for anyone who cares about it. (The furore caused by the televising of the National Theatre’s production of Jerry Springer – the Opera provides another example of the strength of feeling such matters still arouse.) Censorship is rarely, if ever, acceptable in our society and a young woman’s life is now under threat. The Commission for Racial Equality has issued a statement:
We support the right to protest about a work of art or a play that may offend. In this case we fully understand the hurt that may have been caused to some Sikhs by the production. However, it is unacceptable to demand that the author or playwright should edit their work or that the play should be banned. This playwright – a Sikh herself – has a story to tell. She should be heard, and anyone who chooses to see the play should be free to form their own judgements... The CRE will be holding a summit in the new year for all stakeholders. All faith groups including Sikhs, Christians and Muslims etc., will be invited, along with theatre-goers, artists, playwrights, and authors to give them an opportunity to discuss these issues and how they should deal with religious differences.
Behzti is published by Oberon Modern Plays (www.oberonbooks.com) Behzti (Dishonour) Cicely Herbert discusses the Sikh playwright Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti’s play Behzti, whose production at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre was cancelled following violent protests.
Cicely Herbert discusses Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti's play Behzti (Dishonour), cancelled at Birmingham Rep after protests.