When the lights dimmed before the start of "Tumhari Amrita" at the John Hancock Theatre in downtown Boston last Saturday, Farooque Shaikh's voice resonated through the hall and silenced the audience. "This play is a new experiment, a new experience," he said in his opening statement. And by the time the lights came back on at the end, the audience knew he had not been exaggerating.

The American India Foundation brought "Tumhari Amrita," written by Javed Akhtar and directed by Feroz Khan, a well-known theatre personality in India, to Boston in order to raise money and awareness for their causes in India. Bringing together once again the historic cinematic pair of Shabana Azmi and Farooque Shaikh, this play is a unique love story told in a unique format: set over the course of a tumultuous 35 years, the tale unfolds through a series of letters written between Amrita, played by Azmi, and Zulfi, played by Shaikh. Azmi and Shaikh sit on a very simple stage, with nothing more than two desks, two chairs, and a stack of letters between them. Beginning in 1940 with an invitation to Amrita's 8th birthday party, the two friends gradually become closer and closer through correspondence against the backdrop of India's tumultuous history - from Independence and Partition to Emergency and beyond. The two friends share a tempestuous relationship as they discourse over these events and other happenings in their lives; their letters are marked by humor, scathing comments, sharp wit, and the inevitable arguments followed by compulsory patch-ups. The audience becomes immersed so deeply that they become surprised to realize the quick passage of time - Diwali, Eid, New Year, and birthday greetings fly by with the pages, just as they do in real life. The presentation of this tale told through letters is extremely touching; while one reads a letter aloud, the other's facial expressions change to react to every word. Soon the friends grow into extremely different personalities - Zulfi is an honest politician in their native Lucknow, while Amrita becomes a painter and a lost soul, traveling through Europe before returning, emotionally unstable, to India - but their bond remains strong throughout the play, until it reaches its tragic conclusion. Their letters are peppered with poignant remarks. Once, in the midst of a particularly long and angst-ridden letter, Amrita blurts out, "Shaadi karoge mujhse, Zulfi?" [Will you marry me Zulfi?]. But of course, given their disparate backgrounds, this can never happen.

This event could not have been made possible without the efforts of the American India Foundation and Shabana Azmi's involvement with this organization. All proceeds from the event will go to AIF programs in India. At a press conference held before the show, Azmi and Shaikh both sat down with Lakshmi Pratury, the head of the AIF, and talked about Foundation's efforts in India. The organization was started in March of 2001 in response to the devastating earthquake in Gujarat, and has been growing ever since. Though the initial response was for disaster relief, it has become apparent that this was too narrow an objective - long-term development in India is necessary for the country to prosper. AIF hopes to set an example for other South Asian countries to follow. They raised $6.8 million last year, and have dispersed this amount in many different AIF-sponsored programs - thousands of schools, hospitals, and homes have been built, and over 25,000 kids have received computer education. As Pratury pointed out, "US charity is done on an extremely organized basis. We try to bring Indian values and Western professional sense together."

Azmi said that she has grown up with a social conscience, and her parents always taught her that art should be used to implement social change. Shaikh, who has also been involved with social activism in India, noted that "the objectives of AIF are very laudable, very necessary." Azmi called on Americans to become more active with social causes in India, because American dollars can go an extremely long way in India, and are 50 times more effective than rupees. "AIF is an idea whose time should have come a long time ago," she said. "We need to have a large umbrella organization that believe in the kind of philanthropy that Jewish people have here." As a member of the AIF advisory board, she felt it was essential that AIF be associated with projects like "Tumhari Amrita." The point of bringing the play to Boston together with AIF was to "raise awareness in the context of what people like to do - plays, entertainment," she remarked. "'Tumhari Amrita'" is a thing of excellence. AIF needs to associate itself with excellence and quality."

That "Tumhari Amrita" is a thing of excellence and quality cannot be disputed. But what became even more evident while observing the efforts of the staff and surprisingly young host of AIF-Boston volunteers is that the American India Foundation is truly a thing of excellence and quality itself.

For more information of the America India Foundation, its events, programs, and how to get involved, please go to www.aifoundation.org or e-mail info@aifoundation.org.

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