Against the backdrop of ongoing Indo-Pak tensions, something remarkable happened in Karachi: the Ramayana, a cornerstone of Hindu literature, took the stage at the Arts Council of Pakistan on July 11.
Directing the production was Yogeshwar Karera, a 30-year-old Sindhi who shifted from finance to theatre. His adaptation of the ancient epic wasn’t just bold because of the timing—it was historic.
This marked the Ramayana’s first-ever performance in Pakistan.
First-ever performance of Ramayana in Pakistan
Karera stood out as the only Hindu member of an otherwise all-Muslim cast. The show went ahead without hesitation.
People on both sides of the border took notice, and nearly 1,000 tickets were sold, even as the political situation remained tense. The level of interest surprised Karera, who insisted that the charged atmosphere never affected his decision to stage the play.
How the team tweaked the language for Ramayana in Pakistan
To make the story more relatable, the team tweaked the language—swapping out words like “prakriti” for “kudrat,” words more familiar to a local audience.
Karera, who moved to Karachi as a teenager, credits his early fascination with the Ramayana to Ramanand Sagar’s classic TV adaptation, which he watched as a five-year-old.
Years later, after earning a diploma from Pakistan’s National Academy of Performing Arts, he co-founded Mauj Collective with Kazmi and Sana Toaha. Together, they brought to life a childhood inspiration, creating a performance that crossed boundaries of nation and faith.
Founded in 2024 by three National Academy of Performing Arts graduates—Karera, Kazmi, and Sana Toaha—Mauj Collective is all about pushing boundaries with experimental, emotionally raw theatre.
