Dawinder Bansal: 'In Asian communities it is mostly considered a blessing to care for elders who hold a wealth of knowledge and wisdom, but we can do so much more'

Stories of real life inspirational women who have overcome the odds have been captured in the theatre production Mother Tongues from Farther Lands. 

Female celebrities led by acclaimed actresses Shobna Gulati and Shobhu Kapoor have bought stories filled with emotion, hope and battling against the odds with beautifully crafted monologues.

Writer and comedian Sajeela Kershi and producer Dawinder Bansal have worked with South Asian women in Doncaster, London, Oldham and Wolverhampton to unearth the gripping stories rooted in reality.
 
How did you come up with the idea for Mother Tongues From Farther Lands?

I wanted to work with Sajeela Kershi ever since I saw her award winning show, Immigrant Diaries in 2015 and because she champions women’s rights. 

My speciality is taking inspiration from real life stories to create new original contemporary theatre shows. 

We fused our combined experience and skills to make a show inspired by real South Asian women’s stories from across the UK. This new show followed on from the work I did with elders for a show I produced last year Tongue Tied & Twisted.

How did you as a producer go about putting it together?

Firstly we knew we wanted to work with South Asian women. We wanted to work with multi-faith Asian groups to celebrate the similarities between communities and began collecting stories with the strongest themes and then Sajeela wrote the show. 

An all female cast was asked to perform the show and then it was about recruiting a talented creative team, who worked together to bring he vision to life. I as the producer had to oversee the project from inception to final stages. 

Essentially you’re the glue in the entire project; it’s a very hard, but rewarding job. 

Tell us about the Mother Tongues from Farther Lands show?
It is a spoken word theatre show taking audiences on an emotional journey through a series of monologues inspired by stories and characters of the strong, feisty and tenacious women we met. 

We have had talented actors Shobna Gulati, Shobhu Kapoor, Shyama Perera and Ayesha Hazarika delivering the gripping monologues, which take the audience of a journey of emotions. You also get to hear the real voices of the women hear a playlist of favorite golden oldie Punjabi and Hindi songs. 

What was the biggest challenge of putting it together?

The biggest challenge was ensuring the women’s stories and anecdotes are reflected in the show. We were trusted with the stories and had to do justice to them. We wanted to ensure the women felt their contribution was valued.
 
Did you learn anything new during the process of making the show?

Yes. Patriarchy is still very strong in some areas of the UK we visited.

Particularly, in Oldham and I think there is much work to be done to empower women to have their own voice and challenge people who mistreat them and others.

Despite this, our Asian women are very mentally strong and resilient. This is why Mother Tongues From Farther Lands show such an important show.

What draws you towards real life stories?

Some of the most remarkable theatre productions and films ever made are rooted in reality. 

I love being able to use real stories with artistic license to make something brand new. 

By using real stories, audiences connect to honesty and truth but still want to be entertained and taken into another world, and theatre, at its best can do this. 

Mrs Patel (Participant) and Dawinder Bansal Producer recording stories for Mother Tongues from Farther Lands Production. (Picture: Dee Patel)

Why is it important that we keep connected to real life stories?

I think real life stories keep us humble, connected and allow us to make sense of the world through characters interactions in a storyline. 

Theatre enables us to peek into the secret world of a people in a time and place to evoke the human senses and emotions.

By using real stories, we create universal shows that connect our hearts and minds, and hopefully this spills into our day-to-day interactions with others.    

You are especially passionate about stories connected to Asian elders?

Elders become invisible, especially in today’s fast paced world.

Since producing Tongue Tied & Twisted show where I befriended 60 Punjabi elders, I realised older people, especially those who can not speak English are particularly lonely and isolated.

It saddens me to see the pioneering generation, who dared to imagine a new life cast aside after all their sacrifices. 

For this reason, I have been trying to give back to these elders in form of creative exchange, which has been hugely appreciated by them.

In general elders aren’t valued in the UK, yet we are all aging and will be vulnerable ourselves one day.

In Asian communities it is mostly considered a blessing to care for elders who hold a wealth of knowledge and wisdom, but we can do so much more.

Tell us about the people you met? 

The elder people for this project really love the arts and value it in their everyday lives. 

The Wolverhampton Humjoli ladies come together to play the dholki, sing Boliyan and Tupe, tell folk tales and most of all, the ladies still do Gidha despite all being over 60! 

The Feltham Asian Women’s group are mostly Indian-Kenyans. They do yoga, sing and dance too and again, value all manner of arts in their lives. 

Both groups shared their lived experience of India, highlighting the value of living in an extended family. They are ready to help other elders and are passing on knowledge learned from their ancestors. 

The women from Oldham were mainly younger Pakistani Muslim women and those in Donacster were mixed Sikh, Hindu and Muslim from Punjab, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Mauritius. 

How can we keep stories of elders alive?

Our elders are our last link to a time in history, which was not captured much on film, photos or even audio.

Some of the elders I worked with are illiterate and so it is vital that younger generations document their relatives stories before it is too late. 

We are at a point in time where we can document our own history from the Asian perspective, rather than a western interpretation. Spend time with elders and record their stories and once you start delving into these stories, you never know what you’ll find about your family and ultimately your own roots.