This year's production
Child of the Divide
This year's WebPlay Production is Child of the Divide created by Tamasha Theatre Company. Tamasha are a London based theatre company who create theatre from a British Asian point of view. Child of the Divide is their first play for children.
What is Child of the Divide?
Child of the Divide is a play set at the time of the partition of India and the newly formed Pakistan. It was a huge event in history that affected the lives of millions of people.
The play centres on a small Hindu boy who suddenly finds himself lost and alone. Taken into a Muslim family he is given a new name, and a new faith - Islam. In his changed world, he learns to find love and make friends in the most unexpected of places. Seven years later when fate reunites him with his Hindu roots; he must decide if he is the boy he was born, the boy he has been brought up to be, or simply a Child of the Divide.
Because the play is set in both India and Pakistan all of the characters speak in an accent, and use words and phrases that you may not understand. On some occasions the characters may use Hindu or Arabic words. To help you with this we have included some documents to download at the bottom of the page. One of them is a wordsearch where you are asked to search for words used in the play. The other is an extract from the script.
Who are some of the characters in the play?
The main characters in Child of the Divide are children. The children in the play are the innocent victims of events brought about by adults.
The main character in the play is a boy called Pali. At the beginning of the play he and his family are forced to move home, and in all the confusion he is left behind. All alone, Pali is taken in by a Muslim family, his name is changed to Atlaaf and he is forced to change his religion from Hindu to Muslim. Pali’s world is turned upside down but like all children he is able to adapt, make friends and find happiness.
What are some of the themes explored in the play?
There are many themes explored in Child of the Divide but there are two major themes in the play.
The first theme is: What makes you who you are? Does your family make you the person you are? Does your religion make you the person you are? How does a change in your life affect the person you become? The central character Pali changes his family, his religion, and makes new friends. But he tries to remain the same person. As a result he is accepted into a new life by his new family because of who he is, not where he has come from.
The second theme is that of Love and Loss. All the characters in the play encounter both love and loss. The most obvious examples of this are the parents of Pali who have to face up to the loss of their son at the start of the play. On the other hand, you have Pali’s new Muslim parents who have no children of their own but have a lot of love to give, which they are able to give to a child that isn’t theirs. There are lots of other examples of characters feeling love and loss in the play, see if you can spot them when you watch Child of the Divide.
Useful Downloads
To help give some background information on the Partition of India and an understanding of some of the themes explored in the play as well as the language used, please see the resources below.
Information about the Partition of India
Maps of India before and after
Information about Hinduism and Islam
A wordsearch that introduces some of the language used in the play.
An extract from the script of Child of the Divide
