Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti: Behzti (Dishonour)

I wrote a 20 page paper (PDF) on this play and now I feel empty when wanting to come up with a paragraph. The play is set in a Gurdwara, Sikh Temple in the UK, were a young woman is raped by a respected elder. Controversy, violence and public discourse erupted when the play was shown in Birmingham. The issue at heart was whether the author has representation obligation, does she have to present a balanced and favorable picture of Sikh life to mainstream British culture or can she show the ugly side. There are no easy answers but the debate is useful, because it raises awareness of the complexity of the religion and society. That works against stereotype that denies individuality and replaces it with blanket group definition. Meanwhile the book is what you’d expect, angry, feminist, personal, outspoken, thus real.

• @Amazon