A play on Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, scheduled to be staged here as part of a global seminar on Dara Shikoh, has been cancelled because of "objections" by organisers who are now replacing it with a performance by a troupe from Pakistan.
"The play 'Aurangzeb' was cancelled at the last minute because some representatives of the host organisation have objected to its staging," K S Rajendran, director of the production by New Delhi Theatre Workshop, told PTI.
The play was to be staged during the three-day seminar organised by Anjuman Taraqqi-e-Urdu (Hind) from tomorrow.
Rajendran said he received an email from Ather Farouqui, general secretary of Anjuman, informing him of cancellation.
"It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that we will not be able to host the play Aurangzeb... Some representatives of the Anjuman saw a recent performance of the play at the IIC and expressed their reservations about the play and its relevance to the present seminar.
"From the platform of an organisation like the Anjuman, the matter of your play gains extraordinary sensitivity, hence this decision...," the email said.
Anjuman Taraqqi-e-Urdu (Hind) is an organisation founded in 1903 in Aligarh for promotion of Urdu language and literature.
Its media coordinator Jawaid Rahmani said, "...There are some internal reasons due to which the play has been cancelled."
"Aurangzeb" originally written in Tamil in 1974 by Indira Parthasarathy, a former academic of Delhi University, explores the psychology of the two characters.
