Atamjit reading The Red Prophet in Ludhiana
Atamjit Singh
I
had not heard Makhan Singh’s name till 2005, the year I got a chance to visit Ethiopia and Kenya as part of a delegation of college Principals organised by Guru Nanak Dev University. The University wanted to explore the opportunities of attracting students from these countries for its affiliated colleges. On the last day of our stay in Nairobi we were guests of an Afro-Indian Dr. Ramrakha in his palatial house; a number of other members of the Indian community were also there to greet and interact with us over lunch. I was directed towards a lady, Neera Kapila, the writer of Race, Rail & Society: Roots of Modern Kenya (2009). Few other friend-delegates also joined me. In response to my query about distinguished Punjabi contributors to the cause of Kenya, she mentioned the name of
Makhan Singh; I was totally unaware of him.
As she spoke about Makhan Singh and his contribution, I was mesmerised; thrilled to learn more and more about a person who spent 17 years of his life behind bars for a country that was not his place of birth. Finding him a committed non-violent leftist, a rare combination, Makhan Singh’s image started forming in my mind. I do not know of any other important non-violent leftist freedom fighter, to date, who struggled against the British for the independence of a country. It appeared that Neera Kapila was also waiting for people to listen to the tales of Makhan Singh that included matter from book, yet to be released, by Zarina Patel, a close friend of Neera. Neera took us along to her residence to show us the book, leaving even her husband Suresh Kapila behind to manage his day himself.
Unquiet: The Life and Times of Makhan Singh is a big and valuable volume based on a lot of research, published with the help of Ford Foundation. Zarina is a well-known Afro-Indian writer who has contributed significantly to highlighting the sacrifices and struggle of such people who relentlessly fought against colonial rule in East Africa. My colleague-delegates, Jasmeet Kaur, Hipesh Shepherd and Ramnita Sharda had started taking an equal interest in Makhan Singh, making my prolonged stay at her place very comfortable. After having a feel of the volume, it was difficult for me to come back without it; but the book was already signed by the author. I reluctantly made an offer to pay the price if the author would agree to replace it with another copy; I called Zarina and she agreed. Before Neera would accept the money, she offered to connect me with Hindpal Singh, son of Makhan Singh, who lived in the same city. It was like a bolt out of the blue. Hindpal arrived with the same book and some other useful material including a manuscript by Makhan Singh which chronicled the life of his father, Sudh Singh.
I had never imagined, even in my wildest thoughts, that an academic visit to East Africa would suddenly take such an emotional and creative turn and open up an entirely new vista of such almost first-hand revelations. Hindpal Singh took us to his architect son Manmit Singh’s house to get the manuscript copied out for me and then eventually to his own residence where we were not allowed to leave by his wife Joginder Kaur before having our dinner. The photographs of his father with Jomo Kenyatta, the first President of Kenya and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, the first Vice President of the country, displayed in their living room were other strong testimonials of the stature of Makhan Singh.
On the return journey from Kenya all the way to my college at Mukandpur in Punjab, Zarina’s book was in my hands and Makhan Singh on my mind. After reading about him extensively, I was filled with reverence for the man who worked to organise the workers of East Africa and sent shudders down the spines of the rulers at the time, fearful of his charisma.
The seeds of a play were sown. The combination of leftism and nonviolence prompted me to see him as Mungu, a God, as he was called by the locals. It was the most surprising element of his story that the people of Kenya gave him the respect of a Mungu while he was branding himself a communist.
That is how I titled my play as Mungu Comrade in Punjabi but later it was changed in translations.
Hindpal Singh was a great help, promising to provide any information that I required; telephone lines were kept busy on a regular basis. A play always needs some strong conflict; the resultant tension helps the director to hold his audience. I was fully aware that writing a play of this nature in Punjabi, in which the text has to depend upon a body of work performed by the protagonist in a land that is alien to the Punjabi culture and language, was indeed a daunting task. A novel could have been a better choice, which unfortunately I don’t know how to write.
There were some questions in my mind: (a) How do I portray Makhan Singh’s character, without having any idea of the social and political set up of the society that he worked in/for? (b) Who would be the other important characters of the play and how is an Indian spectator going to relate to them? (c) Though it was clear that Makhan Singh was directly in conflict with the colonial rulers especially on the issues of workers, I didn’t get any idea of this man’s inner conflicts in his personal behaviour as a human being or in his ideas about the polity. His differences with his father at the time of his early youth could not have been blown out of proportion. His faith in nonviolence was so resilient that we cannot find fissures anywhere.
How could I develop a strong dramatic character in the absence of such an inner challenge or an inner struggle? Makhan Singh is already a great character and if I keep on reminding the audience of his unwavering greatness, about his strong resistance against the colonial authorities, the play would simply be an exercise in hero worship and not an exciting experience for the audience or the reader. This is where literature deviates from the history, and a drama from a eulogising narrative.
To add to my woes, the London-based Punjabi poet Amarjit Chandan, also initially discouraged me about writing this play for just about the same reason. In his opinion, the life of Makhan Singh did not offer many dramatic ups and downs; how can dramatic tension be created from such a flat character that is always white and doesn’t have greys in his life?
But something inexplicable kept on happening inside me and I persisted, following my gut feeling to at least give myself a chance. Apart from Zarina’s book I was also greatly helped by Amarjit Chandan after his initial doubts. Before moving to England, Amarjit and his father Gopal Singh and other members of his family lived in and had very strong ties to, Kenya. He continually responded to my queries. In addition to his brilliance and analysing capacities that come from his concentrated reading and capacity to retain the essence, he was also a store-house of information. Whatever questions I sent to him in emails he readily responded to the best of his capacity; in the absence of such discerning information, I would have taken years to understand so many things that he made me aware of within weeks, especially on the various types of Indian/Punjabi players of the period.
Time and again, I was tempted to compare Makhan Singh with Mahatma Gandhi as Singh too was an uncompromising votary of non-violence and, in addition, the lone, leading non-violent leftist who waged a war against colonial rulers for the independence of Kenya. What attracted me the most was his love for the adopted nation and strength to equate the people of Africa irrespective of their race, religion or region. He never faced apartheid personally as Gandhi did, yet unlike him he decided to fight for the cause of Africans. He decided not to come back to India, again unlike Gandhi, and he didn’t waver even when his mother died in Kenya and the British were ready to release him on the condition that he’d leave the country for India after the ceremonies were over.
He relentlessly fought against the wishes of his own people also because he was struggling for equal wages for Europeans, Asians and Africans; it was not in the interest of Punjabi craftsmen and other workers.
I was genuinely looking for an opportunity to highlight this man’s sacrifice. I told Hindpal that I’d visit Kenya again to get the feel of all the places Makhan Singh lived or worked in and also to interact with some people to get a better understanding of the society to which Makhan Singh contributed.
Hindpal offered to reimburse half of the expense of my visit but I could not have accepted it. After all it was not he who had asked me to write about his father; it was my own, very personal decision and I was comfortable with this.
Hindpal Singh organised my tour, took me to places, and arranged meetings with workers, elders, leading personalities and writers that included Zarina Patel, and Dana Seidenberg, the author of Uhuru and Kenyan Indians: The Role Of a Minority Community in Kenyan Politics, 1939-1963 (1983).
The fear with which we entered the old city was enough to explain how, even after decades of independence, Nairobi is not one city; ironically this is what Makhan Singh had declared in a court of law that there were two sets of law and order.
I was heavily relying on Zarina’s book for basic information but with a clear idea that I was not writing a book of History, it was a play. While staying at Hindpal’s place I tried to learn about the relationship that Hindpal’s mother had with her mother-in-law which certainly was problematic. Makhan Singh didn’t spend any time with them. I also purchased certain books from Kenya, which included publications on the freedom struggle, society and the politicians. I read plays by Ngugi-wa- Thiong’o. Though I could not travel as much as I would have liked to, the stay took me closer to my play. But the vital information that I got from Amarjit Chandan was that his father Gopal Singh, who was sympathetic to the violent leaders of the era, tried to persuade Makhan Singh also to get training from Moscow. But Makhan Singh refused to accept his friend’s plea.
It was enough for me to get into writing mode and I decided to have Gopal Singh Chandan as one of the characters. Similarly when Amarjit told me that he didn’t know much about Khushki, another historical character, I took the liberty to create him in whatever manner I required him to play prt in the unfolding drama. I created an independent character just using his name which actually means an unexciting and a boring man. But in the play, he is portrayed as someone who is least serious and is always cracking jokes, generally about elephants and rats. Gradually the elephant becomes a metaphor for the British and the public is equated with the mice. Khushki’s realisation, later, that this was the meanest way of establishing his identity gives a certain dignity to the action.
Another dramatic technique employed in the play was the usage of Mount Kenya (the most towering peak of mountains in Kenya) not merely as a narrator, but also as a common persona that interacts with other actual characters of the play. Chorus is providing relief and also takes the action forward. The most striking technical aspect of the play is the introduction of a member of the audience who interrupts the action repeatedly, to reveal certain vital information about Makhan Singh. Initially he creates a dramatic effect but gradually starts annoying on-stage actors. The highlight of his character comes when the audience gets to know that he is none else than Hindpal Singh, the eldest son of Makhan Singh.
Read here : The Red Prophet: A Play by Atamjit Singh
The most critical character of Aetino posed a number of problems. When I did the first reading of this play in New Delhi, Hindpal Singh was present. The recording of the first draft was shared with the family members and I was told that Makhan Singh’s encounters with Aetino were not liked by the family. He was never involved in any meeting or relationship with any woman whatsoever; and I had shown a Mau Mau movement woman getting significantly close to him. The request of the family was to delete this portion. I certainly could not have afforded to annoy a family that was helping me immensely and I had absolutely no intention to insinuate wicked feelings. But it appeared as if they were looking at this text merely as a historical document. It took some time to convince them that the introduction of this character gives us three benefits. (1) The interaction between the two creates some emotive action, which is always required in a play like this. (2) Introduction of a violent Mau Mau movement sympathiser gives the reader/viewer a better chance to understand the struggle of Kenyan people against colonial rule and underlines the contrast with the ideology of non-violence that Makhan Singh contributed to. We must remember that when the Mau Mau movement was at its peak, Makhan Singh was under detention. I could not have ignored such a big part of Kenyan history and it was achieved through Aetino, who meets Makhan Singh in the play when he is under detention. It also created the ground to introduce Jaswant Singh, a Mau Mau supporter. Lastly, although Aetino is offering herself for a relationship, Makhan Singh remains dignified and yet very caring in his response thus raising the bar of principled behaviour that he is setting. I am happy that eventually the family could appreciate my point of view.
The character of Satwant Kaur, Makhan Singh’s wife posed yet another problem; the family however doesn’t know anything about this development. She was actually dropped from the play at one time and was reintroduced with increased vigour and significance later. After the first reading of the play at Delhi I continued reading sessions at Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Chandigarh. The text got a good response but I was not very happy with Satwant’s character.
After my readings in London and Nottingham where Makhan Singh’s family members organised the sessions, I chose to fly to Edinburgh where my friend Sneh Lata Jaswal, a Professor in Meerut University, at the time researching for her doctoral degree in Psychology. I am used to sharing my scripts with her to help analyse my characterisation. She also pointed out that Satwant Kaur of my earlier draft was not a developed character and didn’t stand on firm ground as such. Either I drop her or think of developing her substantively.
By now I had learnt a little more about Satwant Kaur. During his visit to India, Hindpal Singh and his sister Inderjit Kaur, during my visit to Nottingham, had both talked about the lady extensively. Though I had dropped her totally from the script during my readings at Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary inj Canada, she came back as a vital character whose short presence is enough to underline the greatness of the couple.
Another major question in my mind was my hero’s source of inspiration for his unadulterated espousal of nonviolence.
Though the least religious person–we may even call him an atheist–as a poet he wrote a number of verses on Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru and Guru Arjan, the fifth master whose martyrdom made him an apostle of peace. He would often recite their poetry at routine gatherings, in Gurdwaras and Arya Samaj Temples. If we study his life minutely, he appears to adhere closely to the philosophy of these two Gurus.
Makhan Singh was not impressed by the ongoing activities of the violent Punjabi/Indian revolutionaries despite the fact that Kenya had become a centre of such activists. Another reason for his distance from violence could be the futility of the struggle of Gadar Party of India that had its origins in Sacramento which engulfed a number of countries including those of Europe and Asia. Let’s also remember that Gyani Bhagwan Singh, the firebrand leader of the party, was also from the Gujranwala District in Pakistan, Makhan Singh’s native place.
The end of the play, just like that of our protagonist, is disturbing, though I have tried to give it a pleasant and hopeful flavour. After making supreme sacrifice for his adopted country Makhan Singh was not even invited by the establishment on the occasion of the first celebrations of independent Kenya. Historians can have different opinions on this, but in my view it was not his leftist ideology that came in his way; actually his utmost honesty and idealism could not segue in with the new regime. In the play, Mount Kenya sums up the destiny of free Kenya of that time:
Mount Kenya : The new rulers were terribly afraid of virtuous men. (He takes him close to the picture of Pinto). If to be a communist were a crime, then Pinto too was a communist. He was made a minister. But the truth is that Pinto too, like Makhan Singh, was an idealist. The bogus people saw a danger in him. That is why he was killed. (There is fire. Pinto’s picture tumbles down.) Bildad Kaggia was humiliated simply because he didn’t loot people to fill his coffers. (Picture drops). Pran Nath Sheth fell victim to inner politics and was deported. (Picture drops). Tom Mboya could lay his claim to President ship, and for this… (Shot is fired, picture drops). The new Kenya had a fierce fight with Odinga. He withdrew from the government on his own. (Picture drops). Oneko was arrested in free Kenya. (His picture too drops). Kariuki was severely tortured and was killed. (Picture drops). This happened to all those who had real strength, and were the apostles of truth.
Hindpal: Will they all dwindle into the dustbin of history?
Mount Kenya: No, never! They will shape history. Each day will give them new life. Your father too is like ebony that sinks in waters. But the lifeless leaves float forever. If Makhan Singh was a native of Kenya, he would have his roots in these verdant pastures. Now, he is a sapling with its roots in Punjab. Here, he came to flower and yield fruit.
But the play visualises hope in the future. When Hindpal laments as to why Mount Kenya is unfair in imparting justice to a man who left his community and family, and languished in jails for eleven years and who had been given the option to leave Kenya but chose to sacrifice everything that he had and stay, the final answer is interesting:
Mount Kenya: I am frozen lava. I cannot do justice to anyone. I can only speak the truth when opportunity demands. Those with selfish motives have rumbled many here. But no outsider ever gets justice that easily. But Makhan Singh is not an ordinary mortal. Like fragrance, he blows with the winds. He is everywhere. He will keep on appearing in clouds floating over the land of Kenya. Like the Polestar, he will guide the destiny of those gone astray. Like the breeze, he will blow gently. Like a shower of rain, he will bestow his bounties. He will breathe in the bread of each worker of this land…. The coming generations of Kenya will neither be a volcano nor snow. They will search for their lost ebony. The small lane in front of the Jamhuri School, that ‘Makhan Singh Street’ will take into its fold the entire Kenya. The memory of that great son will always remain fresh, the son who stood fearlessly against the colonial giant. Hindpal! You saw Makhan Singh shaping Kenya. Now, it is Kenya’s turn. No land can forget its sons forever. (Mount Kenya says this with a tone of great affirmation)- Makhan Singh is one of Kenya’s most illustrious gentle sons. (Mount Kenya retires. Chorus appears on the stage. All the characters join the chorus.)
After one of the readings of the play in Ludhiana, former professor at the Guru Nanak Dev University Harish Puri observed:
“Mungu Comrade is a sensitive playwright’s homage to the grandeur of an ordinary man’s extraordinary social imagination and struggle. His hero, Makhan Singh, an Indian (Punjabi) settler in Kenya, represents a fascinating human saga of negotiation between one’s cultural roots in one country and belongingness to a distant other (Kenya). The Kenyan worker’s struggles for freedom and dignity against colonial rulers’ machinations and bondage became to his life no less central than the struggle of Indians for Independence under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. Makhan Singh was not only able to transcend conventional social and political barriers with ease but also brought to his life work an amalgam of the best in the spirit and wisdom of Nanak, Gandhi and Lenin. A remarkable strength of the play Mungu Comrade lay in a high degree of authenticity of detail that required extensive exploration and research. Another, of course, relates to Atamjit’s well-known creative imagination, which is rooted in a distinct philosophy of life. This play brings an unknown Punjabi of exceptional character and a more or less unsung hero of Kenya’s freedom struggle to the welcoming attention of the people in the two countries. Atamjit would be remembered for making a very valuable contribution to Punjabi literature and culture. And a social scientist may have much to gain from it.”
Epilogue
The title of the play has been changed from Mungu Comrade (Punjabi) to Lal Masiha in Hindi and The Red Prophet in English. The celebrated African writer Ngugi wa Thiong’o made me aware that people never called MS Mungu (God), instead he was known as a Messiah. I picked this word from some incorrect translation! But I am happy that in both the titles Makhan Singh combines the virtues of seemingly contradictory units underlining his exceptional character and contribution.
I feel elated that my mission of informing every fourth Punjabi about the heroic acts of Makhan Singh is progressing very well. The selflessness, dedication, sacrifice, universal brotherhood, nonviolent approach and the resolution of Makhan Singh is a valuable model in today’s world of so-called globalisation. He was a true torchbearer of peace, brotherhood, justice and freedom. We can clearly see another Gandhi in Makhan Singh. Generally, writers create a hero, but in this case Makhan Singh created me in The Red Prophet.
Born in 1950 at Amritsar, Atamjit is author of three dozen short and full-length plays that seek to create dialogue at multiple levels of discourse, the self, society, and beyond with the cultural forces that define both self and society. He juxtaposes the past and the present, the historical and the contemporary, the collective folk idiom and the contesting individual voice. Trans-disciplinary in his experiments with new themes and techniques, his works are anchored in human values that seek equality, justice, emancipation of women, communal amity and peaceful coexistence.
Known for dramatic solo recitals of his texts, his plays have been performed all over India and abroad. Honoured with the National Awards by the Sahitya Akademi and the Sangeet Natak Akademi, he was also declared as the Living Legend by the National School of Drama during the Theatre Olympiad, 2018 at Delhi.Atamjit in The Beacon
The Red Prophet: A Play by Atamjit Singh
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