By Ronita Panda
A Theatrical Journey Through Love, Faith, and the Courage to Confront Hate
In March, the Stage Ensemble Theater Unit (SETU)—a Boston-based nonprofit theater group, with a dedicated mission to spotlight social issues and unite communities for a better tomorrow—staged “When Gandhi and Mohammed Meet” (GaM).
Conceived and directed by SETU co-founder Dr. Subrata Das, this unflinching and poignant production tackled the enduring stigma around interfaith relationships—a barrier that continues to divide and hurt. The play boldly asks: Has faith, meant to uplift humanity, become a cruel weapon when it comes to love—the most universal human experience?
The response to GaM was overwhelming. With ten consecutive sold-out performances in Watertown, MA, the play struck a chord across audiences of all backgrounds, igniting passionate community dialogue. It served as a renewed call—inviting us to reflect: Why do we still let faith divide us, when its essence is to unite?
GaM weaves together the interfaith love stories of Neel and Nadia, and Mohammed and Smita—two young couples whose hearts dare to defy the entrenched hatred their families and communities harbor. Their love, though pure, faces vehement resistance from self-proclaimed defenders of faith, exposing the tragic irony: those preaching tradition and piety, often undermine the very values those traditions espouse. One couple triumphs; the other is torn apart—victims of the very forces that should have shielded them. This is more than a love story. It is a reckoning. Through the journeys of the protagonists, the play explores how love—pure and unconditional—is often suffocated by religious intolerance and societal pressure. Families become adversaries. Communities become gatekeepers of hate. The play reminds us of a simple truth: love needs no permission from faith, and peace knows no boundaries of belief.
After 10 SOLD-OUT Performances
First Rerun: 4 shows, 16-17 May, Burlington, MA
Second Rerun: 4 shows, Nov 20-23, New York City
In a world once again rattled by the echoes of war—reverberating from another heartbreaking terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, killing 26 innocent lives, sparking ‘Operation Sindoor’ in response to the brutal killings—the wounds of history feel freshly opened. The legacy of the 1947 Partition still casts a long, painful shadow, reminding us how a political divide birthed generations of religious conflict and violence. And for what? For people—all made of flesh and blood, from the same land and lineage paying the price of turning against one another over differing paths to the same truth—paths that all, at their core, preach love, kindness, compassion, and unity.
As the child of an Indian Air Force veteran, war is more than news. It’s personal. It is not distant – the toll of conflict hits close to home. It’s not an abstraction—it’s the image of military colonies becoming battlegrounds, air bases under threat, and children—too young to understand faith—caught in the crossfire. It’s a grief that lingers and, forces us to ask: What are we truly passing down—spiritual wisdom, or inherited trauma?
Now, in light of ongoing violence and growing polarization, the message of GaM is more urgent than ever. Innocent lives are still lost—not for their actions, but for the identities they were born into. Faith and belief are meant to uplift us, not be weaponized against our shared humanity. Yet love continues to be stifled while hate finds space to grow.
By bringing back GaM for two encore performances—this weekend at the Academy of Creative Arts, Burlington, and preparing for a rerun at A.R.T/New York in Manhattan—SETU continues to fulfill its mission: using art and theater as a force for empathy, healing, and change.
Dr. Subrata Das’s When Gandhi and Mohammed Meet is not just a story—it’s a mirror, a question, and a call to awaken our courage to take action. It challenges us, as a community, to confront uncomfortable truths, see each other as human first, and stop letting love become a casualty of inherited divisions.
The roots of stigma run deep—but change begins with each of us taking a stand – for love, for peace. For rejecting hate in all its form—regardless of religion, belief, or border.
Let this not be just a play we watch. Let it be a pledge we make—to always choose love.
Join us on this powerful journey of love, faith, and reflection this weekend and support the production featuring nearly forty actors in a strong double cast (Faith and Belief), bringing 14 characters to life.
Viewer discretion is advised due to strong language on potentially sensitive topics.
Location: Academy of Creative Arts, Burlington, MA
Dates: 4 shows, May 16–17, 2025
Tickets & Details: www.setu.us
Fri, May 16, 6pm (Cast BELIEF) | 8:30pm (Cast FAITH)
Sat, May 17, 3pm (Cast BELIEF) | 6:30pm (Cast FAITH)
Media Publicity: Smriti Jayakumar, Nirmal Kumar, Ronita Panda, Rahul Nair
Lights and Sound: Prateek Paul, Deven Atnoor, Janique Choux-Das, Arti Arora, and Rajeev Nohria
Stage Building: Sridhar Pola
Backstage: Noorain Buxamusa, Nick Mathur, Subrata Das (CT), Sangeet Srikanth, Ketan Dave
Mural: Priyanka Banerjee
Costume Design: Jayanti Bandyopadhyay
Posters and Pictures: Manish Dhall, FotuDuniya (Vasudha & Sanjay Kudrimoti)
Masters of Ceremony: Sugnadha Gopal (lead), Dolly Parwani, Nutan Chandra, Rohini Pola, Arti Arora, Ananya Chaterjee, Noorain Buxamusa, and Priyanka Banerjee
Bearers of Bamboo Stretcher: Aveek Sircar (lead for men) and Yogita Miharia (lead for women)
Playwright, Casting, and Direction: Subrata Das
Cast 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐅 | 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐇
- Mohammed Aslam: Vivek Nair | Pranav Shukla | Shiv Sethi
• Sabina: Hamida Hirani| Cini Murali | Gitanjali Srivastava
• Smita Yadav: Rimi Sarkar | Jyothsna Luckshetty
• Kalpana Yadav: Mukta Munjal | Monisha Vaish
• Suresh Yadav: Bhavesh Sharma | Rahul Nair | Ketan Dave
• Deepak Yadav: Subrata Das | Guru Anandh | Aveek Sircar
• Usha Rani Yadav: Jyoti Ramakrishna | Bhavesh Sharma
• Tariq Khan: Ujwal Wasekar | Nikhil Bhatia
• Rakesh Singh: Ajay Rathi | Santanu Bagchi
• Neel Gandhi: Manish Dhall| Nirosh kumar Kalasikam
• Leela Gandhi: Jayanti Bandyopadhyay | Yogita Miharia
• Mahesh Gandhi: Nilay Mukherjee | Jeet Shah | Pramod khanchandani
• Nadia Khan: Rimi Sarkar | Jyotsna Luckshetty
• Baashir Khan: Sridhar Pola | Dheeraj Prasad
Disclaimer
All characters depicted in this play are entirely fictional. Any similarity to actual persons, living or deceased, is purely coincidental. Furthermore, the content is not meant to disrespect or offend any religion, belief system, or individual. This work of fiction is intended to explore societal and personal themes, and any references to religion are for the purposes of storytelling and discussions, not to criticize or undermine any faith or spiritual practice
(Writer Ronita Panda is a SETU member residing in Lexington, MA with her family and works in the financial industry. Photos are credited to Vasudha and Sanjay Kudrimoti. The posters are designed by Manish Dhall. )
