The young artists of Fremont at Tennyson High School Auditorium, Hayward staged ‘Reet Khalse Di’ on 2^nd September 2006. It was more than a houseful of spectators who sat enthralled throughout the performance. Certainly, It was neither an entertainment program nor a ‘Giddha Bhangra show’, it was a play on Sikhism which made the audience have a retrospective look at the annals of Sikhism; ruminate over its present and reflect over the future of the community on the whole. No wonder, one of the American security guards exclaimed, “Is this your culture? I always thought it was only dance and music which we see every year…but this seems to be some serious work!”

Children between the age group of 7 to 17 had spent their entire summer holidays preparing for the Play and the reward was highly satisfying. In their performance, however, the young artists seemed well groomed mature professionals and were highly appreciated by the audience .A delighted spectator commented, “They seem to be young artists of Shakespearean theatre.”



‘Reet Khalse Di’ is mainly focused on four prime forces-the first and the foremost is the Khalsa force represented through the ‘Sikh’ protagonist; parents and the community who are responsible for nurturing the right values are represented in the character of the ‘Mother’. Social, economic and political threats to the Sikh Community work as the Antagonistic forces in the Play. Whereas the ‘Unborn Child provides the anti- climax, the skillfully choreographed ‘Gatka’ lends unique charm to the climax of the play.

The play was indeed a splendid treat for the eyes and a sumptuous food for thought. The colors of the costumes combined with an interesting light and music design coupled with professional performance of the actors made the play a remarkable landmark in the vacant world of Sikh drama.



The lights were designed and operated by Gursimran Kaur; the music was composed and played by Dalbeer Singh; Jasvir Kaur designed the costumes and Aman Kaur and Binay Kaur did the make-up. The program was anchored by
S. Bhupinder Singh.

The evening also had Ajaypal recite a poem by Mrs. Shammi Pasricha ‘Na Tuno Bibi Dari Nu’. Anahat Kaur, a special invitee was a source of inspiration for the performers. ‘Sikhs We Are’, a Documentary, which is a production of the United Sikhs, was also screened to instill awareness about the Sikh identity and the threats posed to the community.



Ish Amitoj Kaur who has already made exceptional strides in the world of Sikh media has directed the play ‘Reet Khalse Di’ and the documentary film ‘Sikhs We Are’, both. For Ish who has worked with over 3000 children so far, working with Sikh children and working on something so close to her heart paid off all those hard years of strenuous theatre training. Ish was very happy with the response of the audience. More than 500 spectators were there to cheer up, encourage and appreciate the efforts of the children, their parents and all those who worked to make the play a success.

One could observe an apparent tightness in the script which had a similarity to her previous script of the film ‘ Kambdi Kalaai’ but when asked about the script Ish Amitoj Kaur told that it was more of an improvised script which developed along with the progress of the play, but it definitely had some remarkable tones and undertones to it which made the audience spellbound.