Aug 10, 2025: It all begins with the two anchors Shyna and Divya, entering the stage, with soulful music playing in the background, and start reciting the opening lines of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, ‘Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s day’. As both of them complete their 14 line recital, they are followed by other actors on stage who render the same poem in their respective native languages, Ajay Singh in Dogri, Umar in Gojri, Amanpreet in Punjabi, Ajaz Ahmed in Pahari, Ranjeet in Padari, Harsh Manhas in Khashki, besides Vivek Sharma in Hindi and Mahalqa in English. They are all wearing their traditional costumes, typical of their regional and ethnic background. The feeling and lyricism of their rendering makes one forget that the lines that they are reciting actually originated from the pen of an English poet more that 400 years ago.
As one immerses oneself into the ethereal experience of the moment, one realizes that this is something that is happening in Jammu for the first time. But the seeds of this unique experience were sown when Prof. Umesh Rai took over as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Jammu in April 2022. By transforming the university into a hub for the arts, literature, theater, and sports, as any university should be, he brought a breath of fresh air with him. He also improved academic quality and level. He motivated a number of staff members, students, and faculty members to look beyond the confines of their academic obligations and consider the possibilities of a much richer life experience in a broader sense. They have all transformed the University of Jammu into a center of excellence. Coming back to the performance, Shakespearian poetry incorporates aspects of Indian culture. The great classical works of Sanskrit poetry extol and instill many of its conventions, such as the use of imagery, the free flow of time and space, the narrative chorus, and the grand gesture. Therefore, when Prof. came up with the idea of performing Shakespeare's poetry in Jammu's native languages, Sadaf Shah, an instructor in the English department at the University of Jammu, thought that his "Sonnet 18," one of the Bard of Avon's most well-known poems, was the best choice because it dealt with the universal theme of immortalizing beauty through verse. The conclusion of Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18" is that, in contrast to summer, which is fleeting and occasionally harsh, the beloved's beauty is eternal, preserved forever in a poem. The idea was discussed within the creative core of the UTSAAH Club, with Prof. Meena Sharma served as its convener, and Ifra Mushtaq Kak, the university's Cultural Officer and trained and award-winning theatre director, was given charge of the project. After conducting stringent auditions, she selected students from various departments at the university to perform the Sonnet in their native languages on stage. Padari is one of the chosen languages that is on the UNESCO list of endangered languages worldwide. In India, there are 197 endangered languages, of which 42 are in serious danger. Padari is one of nine languages that come from the former State of Jammu and Kashmir, which includes the Ladakh Region. A crucial step toward reviving these languages is the idea of putting them front and center. When a language dies, we lose not only cultures and entire civilizations but also people, perspectives, ideas, and most importantly, a unique way of being human. In future more languages like Bhaderwahi and Bhalessi, also included in the UNESCO’s critically endangered list of languages, need to be similarly showcased in order to achieve the goal of highlighting what Prof. Umesh Rai called ‘Jammuiyat’ in his speech.
Despite the fact that the stage of Brigadier Rajinder Singh Auditorium is not perfectly suitable for a theatrical performance, the creative team, with Rohan Sharma as Associate Director, Suraj Ganjoo, who designed and handled the Lights, Arif Paul, who managed the Sound and Avinash, who designed the Sets, did a creditable job under difficult circumstances.
The performance had a lyrical flow to it, and the students who performed the poetry in Jammu's native languages were probably making their first appearance on stage as well as their first attempt at transliterating a poem. They indeed did a commendable job under the expert direction of Ifra Mushtaq Kak, the Director of the show. The standing ovation that the presentation received at the culmination of the show from a jam-packed audience that included Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha was a sign that the first attempt to present Shakespeare in Jammu's native languages had been successful. Veteran Indian playwright Vijay Tendulkar has said “Life is poorer without Shakespeare and we should meet him at a stage when we are ready for him.” The fact that the University of Jammu and everyone involved in this performance prepared themselves to meet Shakespeare at a time when he is more relevant than ever before is a credit to them.