Gursharan Singh joined the communist party at the age of 16 and remained committed to communist values the rest of his life. He took theatre to the people, performing plays in villages, public squares, streets and towns with minimal equipment. His plays challenged feudal oppression, capitalist plunder, state repression and imperialism.
He played a major role in the formation of Jan Sanskriti Manch, and was elected its founding President in the founding conference of JSM in October 1985.
Gursharan Singh fearlessly performed plays committed to Bhagat Singh’s values, at the height of the separatist frenzy in Punjab. He worked closely with trade unions, a range of people’s movements, and civil liberties movements. Jailed during the Emergency, he became a symbol of the campaign against fake encounters and assassination of revolutionaries. His home was always a shelter for communist activists. He was a member of the national advisory board of the Indian People’s Front (IPF).
The 150 or so plays that he scripted and directed addressed political and social issues from a revolutionary perspective. Some of his memorable plays include ‘Baba Bolta Hai’, ‘Jangiram ki Haveli’ and ‘Gaddha.’ After Bant Singh’s limbs were mutilated by feudal forces, his play on the incident was performed in many parts of Punjab.
Comrade Gursharan Singh will remain a model and an inspiration for revolutionary cultural activists.