Khadama, a play portraying the woes and perils of Nepali women working in the gulf countries, is currently being staged at Town Hall in Kakarbhitta, Jhapa. The play is written by journalist Parbat Portel and directed by Ganesh Basnet.
Khadama is an Arabic word that translates to ‘household help’ and at the heart of this play is one such character who goes to Kuwait in search of work.

The play’s protagonist, Phulmaya (played by Anuja Adhikari), is a naïve village girl who runs a small eatery in her village. She is married to a layabout drunk and his dysfunctional family—her father-in-law (Lomas Poudel) is bed-ridden with paralysis—and the burden to run the family is squarely and solely on her shoulders. Several attempts to send her husband to the Gulf for employment do not materialise. Amid this, Phulmaya one day is approached by two agents (Abhisek Gartaula and Divesh Lamichhane) who convince her to migrate abroad citing lucrative prospects.

The drama then plays out as a series of tribulations that Phulmaya goes through, including becoming the victim of repeated sexual abuses.

Jhapa has recently seen a steady staging of plays. After Pariwartan Theatre acquired its own theatre house in April this year, it has already staged plays like Tsunami, Rajako Naya Luga, Unyu and Bus Stop.

According to Kabita Nepal, chairperson of the group, the new theatre can accommodate up to 100 visitors.
Presented by Pariwantan Theatre, Khadama features actors Anuja Adhikari, Kabita Nepal, Leela Bista, Dinesh Rajbansi, Pooja Acharya, Lomesh Poudel, and Pratikshya Acharya, among others.

Khadama started its staging on Saturday, Oct 6 and will continue till October 14, with two shows every day.