Jis Lahore Nahi Dekhya, O Jamya Hi Nai, a playact directed by Virendra and based on the original play by Asghar Vajahat, captivated the audience on the penultimate day at the ongoing Shilpgram Theater week. Fabulous performances by each of the artists got them loud applause as and when an intimately touching or question rousing scene transcended the expectations of the audience. The play is based on the politically motivated partition of India and Pakistan and how the people on either side are affected by the event, both in terms of physical angst as well as psychological demur.   Enacted by a young team of performers, all of whom amateur artists, and from various professional backgrounds, the most intimidating performance of an aged widow, Maai (Ratans Mother) was given by young Deepti Dhameja, who is a 18 year old student at the Kathak Kendra, New Delhi. Full credit must be given to the other performers, all of whose performance was so natural and engrossing that many in the audience were in tears during certain periods in the play act, especially during the scenes enacted by young Deepti. The play talks about the confusions reigning in the minds of a family of four, Mirza (played by Sant Lal Nirvana, Asst. Professor at Kurukshetra University); his wife, Begum Mirza (played by Dr. Madhudeep Singh, Asst. Professor at Kurukshetra University); their son Javed (Played by Balwant) and their daughter Tanno (played by Raagini), who hail from Lucknow and after the partition, migrate to Lahore. In Lahore, they are allocated a 22 room mansion by the sanctioning authorities, which they happily land up in eventually, just to find it occupied by an elderly Hindu widow Maai (played by Deepti), whose son Ratan Lal, the owner of the mansion seemingly disappeared to India at the time of the partition. How they make her a part of the family and fight with the other orthodox Muslim protagonists, Pahalwan (enacted wonderfully by Sher Singh, a farmer) and his cronies (played by young Trilok and Tosh, both students) is what makes up the basis of the play. An applaud able and hilarious but effective performance by Abid Ali Kazmi, who plays the Urdu Poet, Naasir Kazmi gave the audience some light moments in the otherwise thought provoking play. The other performances that need to be given due mention and applause are as follows: Alimuddin (Chai wala): Shiv Kumar, Lecturer Maulvi Sahab: Vikas Sharma Hidayat Khan: Sumit Garg Begum Hidayat Khan: Rita Kansal Anwar: Rajan Sharma All in all, a play act, the concept of which has been applauded all across the nation whenever it was enacted, gives a fresh reason for thought on the elements that have effected the partition and how the Hindu Muslim divide caused by the partition still reigns supreme in today’s India AND how the politicians use the same to meet their own ends.