A Hindustani adaptation of Peter Pan, written by J.M. Barrie, translated and adapted by Dr. Nita Kumar (Honorary Director, NIRMAN) and directed by Gaurav Saini.

This is a story about magic—the magic of childhood, make believe, and dreaming. It begins in an ordinary home with an ordinary mother and father, Mr and Mrs Ladley. Tempted by the excitement of flying and fairies, the children run away. Their guide is Shekhar, the chief of lost children, but also the magic spirit of childhood.

They come to a magic land, Jagmag, where bandits live, out to kill the children and their friends, the villagers. The children’s lives are full of adventures. One of their games is playacting middle class existence. Their best fight is with Sardar Panja, the Hook. On the way there are fairies, especially Tink, there is make-believe food and drink, there is song and dance, and there is a crocodile. The dreaded Panja is afraid only of one thing—the crocodile. Absurdities abound. The line between reality and imagination vanishes.

The children win over the bandits, but decide to go back home. Mr and Mrs Ladley adopt all the lost children. Only Shekhar stays aloof. He/she—childhood incarnated—will not, or cannot, succumb to an ordinary home, family, and growing old. Who and where is Shekhar? Maybe all around us? Maybe inside us?!

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Our play is a translation and adaptation of the novel Peter Pan by J.M Barrie. We are aware of the great fame of the novel and the original play, as well as its many adaptations, stagings and screenings. Giving tribute to them, we have made our own original version based on Peter Pan but freely adapted. The looseness is deliberate and meant to enhance audience pleasure.