“Uddanhare” (Ready to Fly) is the latest of Ajoka’s partition plays. This play is developed from personal testimonies collected and archived by The Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP).  Ajoka was approached by CAP to listen to the interviews and explore possibilities of developing a new play. Ajoka’s Shahid Nadeem took on the task and wrote the play, which revolves around the eye-witness accounts of the events which happened in a princely state of East Punjab in 1947 and led to the infamous massacre. The situation of minority communities in the midst of the epoch-making decisions by the powers-that-be and the evil forces which were unfortunately unleashed in the land of love and peace is presented. The story of young Akhlaq and his friend Haleema is interwoven with the enduring love of two pigeons Raja and Rani. It is not just a tale of hate and violence but also of noble human values of hope, peace and humanity.

The play, like most Ajoka plays, includes enchanting songs and dance and will keep the audience engaged, despite its grim subject. The title “Uddanhare” is taken from the great Sufi poet, Hazrat Sultan Bahu’s famous verse:

تاڑی مار اؐڈا نہ باھو

اساں آپے اؐڈن ہارے،ھو