दास्तान-ए-रेत-समाधि

Dastan e Ret Samadhi is an evocative Dastangoi performance enacted by seasoned Dastango Mahmood Farooqui and Poonam Girdhani. The performance adapts Geetanjali Shree’s Booker prize-winning novel Ret Samadhi (translated as Tomb of Sand) that marked a historic win when a novel originally written in Hindi received this award for the very first time.

Set against the haunting echoes of partition, it follows an elderly woman, Ma’s journey from grief to self-discovery after her husband’s death, traversing from the narrow confines of domesticity to the search for a long-lost home. With no props, no elaborate sets, just the power of voice, gesture, and the pure force of storytelling, the performance breathes life into Ma’s journey of transformation- from her grief and longing to her emancipation and freedom.

Blending the Dastangoi style of storytelling with this modern text takes us back to our roots, evoking a dramatic catharsis through a compelling, living theatre. Datsan e Ret Samadhi is not just a performance, it awakens questions of identity, memory, and renewal.

Mahmood Farooqui is an esteemed writer, director, and performer, credited with reviving Dastangoi- the traditional art of oral storytelling, along with his uncle, the celebrated Urdu poet Shamsur Rahman Farooqui. From the Mahabharata to Manto, from Lewis Carroll’s novels to Rajasthani folktales, Farooqui’s performances transcend time and tradition. He has received the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for his efforts. Educated at St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi, and a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, he has contributed significantly towards historical research and scholarship. His book Besieged: Voices from Delhi 1857 has received the Ramnath Goenka Award for Best Non-fiction Book of the Year in 2010.

Poonam Girdhani is an acclaimed Indian actor and theatre practitioner, famous for her multilingual performances across Urdu, English, Hindi, and Sindhi, that lends her a wide cultural resonance. A thespian for over two decades, she has worked with eminent Indian and international theatre groups such as Naya Theatre, Chingari, Bahroop and Asmita, and Heiner Mueller’s group in Germany. She has been a Dastango for over a decade, reviving both classical and contemporary narratives to engage with a broader audience. She has authored Dastan e irfan e Buddha, adapted Dastan Haroun Ki, and has performed at Jashn-e-Rekhta, Jaipur Literary Festival, Habitat, and more.