Synopsis of the play:

'A Tryst with Destiny' isa historical docudrama based on the events of the freedom struggle (1919-1947) in India.

History is a creation of the past events; in fact it is several creations put together. There can be no single version of it. This play is one such version of history based on multiple historical documents, including autobiography of JL Nehru, the diaries of personal secretary of Mahatma Gandhi (in ten volumes by Mahadev Desai), and history of Indian National Congress among many others. Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru and Jinnah were the main actors who propelled the drama that unfolded over 30 years and ended the British Raj in India.

Act I The first act of the play establishes the first 15-20 years of the freedom struggle. Play begins with Gandhi ji's call for non-cooperation and Satyagraha in the face of the British oppressive laws like Rowlatt Act of 1919. Gandhi ji urges people to be swadeshi, spin charkha and wear khadi, to break the British economic control on India. The prominent leaders of the Indian National Congress and Swaraj party, such as MA Jinnah, Motilal Nehru, Pandit Malaviya are uncertain of the feasibility of Gandhi ji's approach of satyagrah and spinning to gain freedom. But masses of India choose Gandhi ji as their leader and take on mass civil disobedience. MA Jinnah, once an ardent supporter of National Congress disagrees with Gandhi ji's approach and becomes angry with congress for not sharing power with the Muslims. He later becomes the leader of the Muslim League. The congress leaders face vexing issues, of Hindu-Muslim conflicts, caste divisions, economic and social differences that plague the country and continue to push ahead and force the British to the negotiation table for allowing India to self govern.

Act II The second act of the play depicts the period from 1937 to 1947 as the congress wins elections in Upper Provinces, but Hindu Muslim conflicts deepen and the power struggle between the congress and the Muslim League intensifies. The politics and personalities of the major leaders as Gandhi ji, JL Nehru, Maulana Azad and MA Jinnah collide with each other and the British. There are major riots and violence in the country, as MA Jinnah calls for a hartal and "Direct Action" day- a call to Muslims to demand a separate nation of Pakistan. Viceroy Wavell (1943-1946) and Sir Stafford Cripps, as delegates of the Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946, try to negotiate a peaceful settlement for a united India but fail. At that time, in 1946, Britain was under heavy debt due to the Second World War, Churchill had stepped down, and PrimeMinister Attlee was in charge and wanted British out of India. Lord Mountbatten arrived in March 1947 to wrap up the empire. He decided that division of the country was the only way for the British to transfer the power peacefully. However, it became one of the bloodiest transfers of power and division of a country in the human history.