A scene from the play, Adubu Eikhoidi Sannaminnakhini

When was the last time you made friends with someone without having to think about what caste or creed that person belonged to? Most of us would most probably say school.

School is perhaps one of the few places which is left untouched by the divisions based on religion, caste, creed and language and this was the theme of Kumari T. Shila Devi’s Adubu Eikhoidi Sannaminnakhini (But Our Friendship Will Continue). Produced by the Prospective Repertory Theatre, Manipur, and organised by the National School of Drama, New Delhi, the play was staged on Sunday at the Manipur Dramatic Union Hall in Imphal at the end of a workshop organised by Shila Devi and her amateur artistes.

The play, an adaptation of Shrirang Godbole’s But Our Friendship Will Continue based on the 1993 Bombay riots, is a tragicomic parable of contemporary life. It explores the relationship between children of different religious communities in a school. The children often quarrel with each other but make up soon enough.

As communal riots break out in the town, their parents are keen on enrolling them in educational institutes owing allegiance to their respective religions. But, the children refuse to accede to their demands as they value their friendship more than anything else.

The young artistes come up with a brilliant performance.

However, the play has its minus points. In spite of having access to the best resources and a great cast, it comes across as a tedious dramatic journey — ponderous, heavy handed and monotonous.

Shila Devi’s adaptation of Godbole’s play has nothing new. Here, her play comes across as a photocopy of the original. The NSD alumnus could have done much better than this.