KATHMANDU, Oct 28: According to Hindu mythology, when Lakshman, the younger brother of lord Rama suggested him to rule over the beautiful land of Lanka after defeating Ravan, the elder brother said that mother and motherland were greater than even heaven. 

However, not all humans in this planet have the fortune to live in their homelands. 
When you see the lives of refugees and their offspring who are forced to live away from their motherlands, you can understand the pain. 

‘Kora’, a drama, depicts the lives of the Tibetan refugees and their hardship. 

Being staged at the Kausi Theatre in Teku, Kathmandu, the drama is an adaptation of four poems of Tibetan refugee Tenzin Tsundue: ‘Horizon’, ‘Refugee’, ‘The Tibetan in Mumbai’, and ‘Exile Home’. The play, directed by Loonibha Tuladhar, began on Thursday and will run for three days.

The play opens with a distressing scene of Chinese authorities showing their power over the innocent people of Tibet. Consequently, they were forced to exile from their homeland toward Nepal and India. The one hour 10 minute-long play tries to capture the lives of displaced Tibetans living in Nepal and India who are longing to return to their own land.

In a work of translation, there is often fear of losing the originality. But thanks to Che Shankar, the essence of the poems has been beautifully captured while translating into Nepali. 

One may also find it challenging to stage over an hour’s play with four poems, but director Tuladhar has done it brilliantly. She manages to successfully hold the attention of the audience. Music is the heart and soul of the act, which sets the play’s mood. Likewise, the works of the production team and choreographer are also excellent. 

The play is lined up with both experienced and amateur actors, who have all done their work satisfactorily. However, some of actors could have done better if they were more polished and aware of each other’s presence during the play.  Overall, it is enjoyable and at the same time, it is also painful to watch it to witness the struggles of the Tibetan refugees. 

Meanwhile, director Tuladhar said that she read the poem 10 years ago which triggered her to make the play. “As my elder sister read the poem Kora, suddenly I found tears rolling down my cheeks. And I said to my sisters—how it might feel, being isolated in an alien land. It was not easy for us to imagine their hardship, being born and raised in the comforts of our homes in Kathmandu.” 

She made Kora with Actor Studio’s batch including Dayahang Rai, Aashant Sharma, Rabin Pandey, and other actors. She first adapted only two poems -- ‘Horizon’ and ‘The Tibetan in Mumbai’. Later, she could not continue the play with the same batch of actors as one of them, Rabin Pandey, died in accident and others were busy elsewhere. She is now staging the play with the 12th batch students of Shilpee Theatre.