We went to a show at the British Council last night, my attendance made possible thanks to Sandhya who was kind enough to ask if I wanted to fill in for her husband Rohit.

The show (wonder if it can be called a play?) was titled The Summit and was loosely based on the Reagan- Gorbachev talks of the mid-eighties. In it, two brothers (RalfRalf, yes that's what they call themselves) occupy the stage for 70 minutes and put up an amazing show of subtle comedy, intense physicality and deep political statement-making - all without any decipherable language! They are ostensibly two world leaders who are engaged in a Summit in full public view. Their languages are different (both improvised languages, made entirely of sounds and syllables not found in any modern language).

On the face of it, it is classical comedy at its best, much in the mould of the Chaplin movies where the players evoke laughter through their everyday actions and behaviour. The lady sitting next to me was in splits all through and I can understand.

But the play also had deeper undertones.

At one level it exposed the superficiality of international politics. There are these bozos who are propped up by public opinion and who are only puppets in the hands of those who pull the strings. The actions as well as expressions of these people are based on what they are tutored about, and they look over the shoulder after every step they take in any direction. They themselves are insignificant as individuals. Here is the futility of personality-oriented diplomacy.

At another level, it threw up the question of whether modern civilisation has any strong basis. Today, our existence as individuals, families, nations and cultures is based on the thought that we are defined by our language and/ or 'organised' means of expressions. The other animals are inhuman because they are not so disciplined in how they express their thoughts. And you are a Gujarati, Bangladeshi or German based on the language that you speak. What if each individual spoke in different languages? What if what I call a computer, you call a salmon? Would we still understand each other? And if no, how important is verbal understanding?

Catch it if it comes to your city. You will not be disappointed.

p.s. Once again I was surprised at how we become uncomfortable with silence. Have you noticed that the moment lights go out and there is a pause before a performance, many of us start coughing? And that our heartbeat becomes irregular?