Prof Dr Avinash Kolhe reviews Eden Creek, Bengal, Kaizaad Kotwal's compelling adaptation of Dwight Watson's American play, exploring Partition, identity, women's resilience, and India's diversity through an engaging, historically rooted theatrical experience.

Cricket lovers very much know of Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, as well as Eden Gardens, Kolkata. This is why, when the shows of the English play Eden Creek, Bengal were announced, they caught my attention. In due course, I found myself at the NMACC. The play is produced by Poor Box Productions of Kaizaad Kotwal and his mother, Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal, and directed by the duo.

It is interesting to learn that when Kaizaad was in the USA in the mid-80s, he saw Dwight Watson's Eden Creek. He was impressed with the play and decided to adapt it in context to India. Hence the name Eden Creek, Bengal.

Not only is the name changed, the backdrop too has beenIaltered. Watson's play was set against the background of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Kaizaad's play is set in Bengal province, and the time frame is the tumultuous years between 1944 and 1948. During those years, India’s independence was around the corner, World War II was raging, and the demand for the Partition of the country gained ground. One more difference, though minor, between the original and the adaptation is that in the USA there is a place called Eden Creek, while in Bengal there is no such place.

History Through Women's Lives

Watson's play is about five women fighting the miseries of the Great Depression. All five belong to one faith and one race. In Kaizaad's adaptation, these five women belong to different faiths. This reflects India's mind-boggling diversity. For me, the most important part of the adaptation is the time frame.

A Republic on the verge of birth, a civilization finding its voice. Remember Chacha Nehru's speech? At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom… when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance.

These women have strong bonds with Eden Creek, where they had spent their childhood. Four grew up there and later moved out into the big, bad world, while the fifth comes back after bitter experiences. There is Zahabia, who had to seek work because of the Bengal Famine of 1943. She works in Batanagar. For a Muslim girl, this was a big change.
In addition to economic freedom, Zahabia is exposed to the world outside, a world she could not have seen from behind her burqa.
Then there is Piroja, a young Parsi girl. Her father abandoned them, and Piroja ends up in Delhi in 1945, where she hears a speech by Dr Ambedkar in which he talks about freedom and equality. Imbibing these progressive views, Piroja marries a handsome Dalit boy.

Diverse Voices, Shared Struggles

Under Gandhiji's leadership, women from all walks of life, including politics, were out in fairly large numbers. The play talks about Sarojini Naidu and Sucheta Kriplani. Dr Ganguly, a woman doctor, popularizes ideas like family planning in Eden Creek. The most interesting character is Natalia from Poland. Having arrived in India during World War I to make a living, she is a good jazz singer and famous in Calcutta's nightclubs. When age catches up with her, she finds a dip in her popularity and earnings. She too ends up in Eden Creek.

Maria had to escape from Eden Creek to save herself from being married off to a much older man. Now it is 1948. India is suffering from the wounds of Partition and bloody riots. Maria comes back and becomes a farmer.

Strong Performances and Technical Excellence

Poor Box Productions has earned a name for mounting women-oriented plays. Eden Creek, Bengal is no exception. This is an all-female play and is based on the memories of women from diverse backgrounds, grounded in one place. This is an interesting and unique way to peep into women's psyche to see how they fight adverse circumstances.

The play has a cast of talented women like Heeba Shah (Zahabia), Rhea Amin (Piroja), Avantika Akerkar (Dr Ganguly), Kathryn Tabone (Natalia) and Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal (Maria). And then there is Devaki (Guardian of Eden Creek).
Hidayat Sami, an old pro, handled the lighting. Sound design and production design were by Kaizaad Kotwal. A play that throws you into thinking mode.