Theatre troupe Purbanat CIC will stage its latest production ‘Salty water & Us’ on 23 March in Birmingham, 29 March in London and 14 April in Manchester at 07:00pm.

Written by Murad Khan and directed by Filiz Ozcan, the drama is about the story of Bangladeshi lascars who worked on the merchant ships of ‘East India Company’ during British Raj in India. Most of the Bangladeshi immigrants who came to the UK during 40s/50s used to work as lascars in different ships.  Throughout the 17^thto mid 20^th centuries, East India Company brought over hundreds of sailors and workers, who were mostly Bengalis in Britain. People from different backgrounds embraced the hardship of seamanship for various reasons. 

Lascar Samruddin works hard to earn money to fulfil his dream of owning a large paddy field and building a mosque in his village. Bohemian Kutub wants to see the whole world and enjoy every part of it. StubbornSoidulla’s journey began differently from others: in search of a former British Tax collector, Robert Lindsay. Could Samruddi earn enough money to build a mosque? Did Kutub meet the beautiful ladies he had been hoping to meet at the Eden Port? Why was Soidulla looking for Lindsay so desperately? What made Soidulla’s feelings change when he eventually found the man he was looking for?

Murad Khan’s cleverly written ‘Salty Water & Us’ tells us a story of joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, weal and woe. This story aims to critically analyse the recent ‘Go Home’ campaign from a different point of view.

Purbanat CIC is a Birmingham based theatre group working to support disadvantaged adults and young people to achieve their potential through various art and cultural activities.