Kultar’s Mime is a play that synthesizes the sufferings of innocent victims of organized violence, separated by thousands of miles, numerous years and insurmountable differences of religion, language and culture. The young Hebrew poet, Haim Nahman Bialik wrote one of his most famous poems, ‘In The City Of Slaughter’ in response to the Kishinev pogrom in 1903, using searing, powerful imagery to describe the horror that descended upon the Jewish residents of the city. The poem, ‘Kultar’s Mime’, written by a young Sikh poet, drew upon eyewitness accounts of the 1984 Delhi pogrom to describe the sufferings of the Sikhs of Delhi, through the eyes of a group of young survivors. Drawing upon the raw imagery of both poems, it tells a story of human suffering and courage, reminding us that in the end all innocent victims are the same, regardless of which God they worship and what tongues they speak. This performance will raise awareness about the minority Sikh community on campus and their history. It will also help create solidarity between the different religious and ethnic communities on campus, especially between members of the Jewish and Sikh faith.
This critically acclaimed play has been performed to sold out crowds over 50 times around the world. After premiering at Harvard University in September 2014, Kultar’s Mime has been staged in Boston, New York City, New Jersey, Ottawa, Brampton, Toronto, New Delhi, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Leeds, Birmingham, LA, Westminster, Wolverhampton, The Bay Area, Seattle, Portland, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Bangalore. The play had elicited an emotional response from audiences everywhere and has received very strong reviews. The most recent performance was in October in Salt Lake City, Utah at the Parliament of World Religions, which saw the participation of more than 10,000 attendees from around the world.
Free walk-in entry for UM students/faculty/staff. Others are asked to RSVP to km1984@sikhri.org.
