A family room in Boston. Relatives arriving after months. Familiar jokes filling the room. A mother repeatedly asking to go home. And somewhere between the laughter, arguments and old family stories, Kashmir quietly finds its way back into the conversation.
This is the world of “YEN CHI AYEKH,” meaning “Since You Came,” a Kashmiri play that brings together family, humor, memories and the enduring connection to a homeland left behind decades ago.
Running for approximately 25 minutes, the play takes place inside a Kashmiri-American home in the United States. Its seven characters are members of the same extended family, each bringing their own personality, relationships and memories into a gathering that gradually becomes much more than an ordinary family reunion.
The play retains the spirit of original Kashmiri comic exchanges while giving the conversations a more theatrical shape. The result is a story that moves naturally between laughter and nostalgia, allowing the audience to experience the warmth of a family that has carried its culture and memories across generations.
It Starts Like Any Other Family Gathering
There is something familiar about the way this family comes together.
People arrive after long gaps. Everyone wants to know what has been happening. Someone has a joke ready, someone has a complaint, and someone is already thinking about food.
Lovely Ji is busy making sure everyone is comfortable, discussing arrangements for the visitors and worrying that she has not prepared enough delicacies for Sridhar-ji.
The family members have not all seen one another for months, with some visits separated by six months or more. So the gathering naturally becomes a time for catching up.
There are jokes about protein shakes. There is teasing about a casino sighting. There are stories from the past that everyone seems to remember differently.
It is the kind of family conversation that can move in five different directions at once.
And then there is Kashmir.
Kashmir Is Never Far Away
For this family, Boston is home in many practical ways. It is where they have built their lives, raised families and created new memories.
But Kashmir remains present in the stories they tell.
The family left Kashmir during the 1989–90 exodus, and now, 37 years later, the desire to return still finds its way into their conversations.
The play does not need grand speeches to establish that connection. Kashmir appears naturally—in memories, food, language, family anecdotes and the simple idea of going “home.”
That is what gives “YEN CHI AYEKH” its distinctive warmth.
The characters are not simply remembering a distant place. They are remembering a part of themselves.
Mata Keeps Asking To Go Home
Among all the conversations, Mata’s repeated wish to go home stands out.
Played by Phoola Salman, Mata often talks about returning home and can become confused about where she is. Her family sees her forgetfulness as part of ageing and illness, and they are familiar with her tendency to talk repeatedly about Kashmir.
Yet every time she mentions home, the room seems to carry a little more history.
For Mata, home remains closely connected with Kashmir.
Her memories also become a link between generations. The younger family members may experience Kashmir differently, but through Mata’s stories and recollections, they remain connected to a place that shaped their family’s past.
And because this is a family play, even these moments are surrounded by affection rather than presented only through sadness.
A memory can lead to a joke. A joke can lead to another memory. Before long, everyone is remembering something.
Then There Is Raj And Lovely Ji
While Mata keeps the emotional connection to Kashmir alive, Raj and Lovely Ji provide much of the family’s playful energy.
Raj, played by Sanjay Kaul, is frustrated with how much his life has changed. His frustration about not being able to return to Kashmir finds an unexpected target in his wife, Lovely Ji, played by Bela Kaul.
He repeatedly tells her that things changed “since you came” into his life.
For Raj, the changes are even visible at the dinner table.
The food no longer tastes the way it used to. There is less salt, less sugar, less oil and fewer spices.
Lovely Ji has a perfectly practical reason.
She is looking after Raj’s health because of his high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol and triglycerides. From her perspective, changing the food is an expression of care.
From Raj’s perspective, however, it feels like yet another reminder of everything that has changed.
Their exchange becomes a recurring comic thread in the play.
Raj insists that his life has been turned upside-down since Lovely Ji came into it. Lovely Ji, after hearing the same complaint again and again, finally wants him to explain exactly what he means.
It is funny, familiar and unmistakably family.
More Relatives, More Stories
The gathering grows as Vicky, Deepa, Behna and Sridhar join the family.
Sudesh Kaul plays Vicky, Raj’s brother, while Kamal Tiku plays Deepa, Vicky’s wife. Arti Kaul plays Behna, Raj’s sister, and Arvind Kaul plays Sridhar, Behna’s husband.
Their arrival changes the rhythm of the room.
Old conversations restart. New jokes appear. Everyone has something to contribute.
The family catches up on life, remembers people and shares stories. The humor comes naturally from the relationships, particularly from the way relatives can tease each other without needing much explanation.
That sense of familiarity is one of the play’s biggest strengths.
The audience is not simply watching seven characters. It is watching a family that already has years of history between them.
Sometimes A Language Mix-Up Becomes A Family Memory
Some of the funniest stories involve Mata’s translations from Kashmiri into Hindi.
One particular misunderstanding involving “take out the underwear” and “weeds” becomes a comic family anecdote.
It is the kind of story that becomes funnier every time a family tells it.
But there is something more meaningful underneath the laughter. These language stories preserve a piece of the family’s cultural memory.
Kashmiri is not simply a language used by the characters. It is part of the world they remember.
The family laughs about the misunderstandings, recalls their “sweet days” and keeps those stories alive by telling them again.
In that way, humor becomes another way of remembering home.
37 Years Later, The Dream Of Returning Remains
As the family talks, jokes and remembers, one thought continues to sit quietly beneath everything: returning to Kashmir.
It has been 37 years since they left.
Life has moved forward. The family has built a new life in the United States. Boston has become part of their story.
But the wish to return has not disappeared.
The play captures that feeling without needing to provide a simple answer.
What would it feel like to return after so many years?
Would the Kashmir remembered by the family be the same Kashmir they would find today?
And perhaps most importantly, what does “home” mean after decades of living somewhere else?
“YEN CHI AYEKH” leaves these questions within the family’s conversations rather than forcing them into a single conclusion.
Seven Characters, One Shared Memory
The seven characters give the story its heart.
Sanjay Kaul as Raj brings frustration and humor into the family dynamic. Bela Kaul as Lovely Ji balances his complaints with her practical, caring personality.
Phoola Salman as Mata carries the family’s memories of Kashmir, while Sudesh Kaul as Vicky, Kamal Tiku as Deepa, Arti Kaul as Behna and Arvind Kaul as Sridhar complete the extended family.
Together, they create the feeling of a genuine family gathering—one where people interrupt one another, tease each other, remember old stories and occasionally stumble into deeper conversations.
Where Memories Still Feel Like Home
What makes “YEN CHI AYEKH” special is the way it allows two things to exist together.
There is the family that has built a life in Boston.
And there is the family that still carries memories of Kashmir.
There is laughter alongside nostalgia. There are everyday arguments alongside memories of a homeland. There are stories of the past alongside the possibility of a future homecoming.
The play’s approximately 25-minute format keeps that journey intimate, bringing the audience into one family room and allowing its seven characters to tell a much larger story through ordinary moments.
At its heart, “YEN CHI AYEKH” is a celebration of family and memory. It reminds us that distance can change where people live without necessarily changing the places they carry within them.
And perhaps that is the simplest way to understand the play: some homes are left behind, but the laughter, language, memories and love connected to them continue to travel with us.
Tickets:https://www.saathfest.com/
FAQs
1. What does YEN CHI AYEKH mean?
YEN CHI AYEKH means “Since You Came.” The title reflects the recurring family conversation between Raj and Lovely Ji and connects with the play’s larger themes of relationships, change and memories.
2. What is YEN CHI AYEKH about?
YEN CHI AYEKH is a Kashmiri family play about family relationships, humor, memories, Kashmiri culture and the lasting connection to home.
3. Where is YEN CHI AYEKH set?
The play is set in a Kashmiri-American home in Boston, United States, where family members come together after long gaps.
4. How long is the YEN CHI AYEKH play?
YEN CHI AYEKH runs for approximately 25 minutes or more.
5. Who is in the cast of YEN CHI AYEKH?
The cast features Sanjay Kaul as Raj, Bela Kaul as Lovely Ji, Phoola Salman as Mata, Sudesh Kaul as Vicky, Kamal Tiku as Deepa, Arti Kaul as Behna and Arvind Kaul as Sridhar.
