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MINES is a play by provocative Singaporean playwright Elangovan. It is set amidst a fictitious war between Malaysia and Singapore and touches on racism, patriotism and the differences between both sides. This thought-provoking play, which was given a last-minute go-ahead for staging by the authorities, challenges the notion of peace and harmony in the Singaporean urban life. Elangovan, considered a pioneer in Tamil poetry and experimental Tamil theatre in Singapore, has had his plays staged worldwide and won the Southeast Asia (SEA) Write Award in 1997 for his contribution to literature and theatre in Singapore. With support from the Lee Foundation for publication.

This controversial one-woman play was first presented in Singapore on 24 December 1998, and twice in February 1999, performed by the depicted character herself. An unforgettable interpretation of one woman’s experience of domestic violence, desolation and divorce has shocked some in the Singapore literary and Indian Muslim circles. The president of the theatre group, Agni Kootthu (Theatre of Fire) was arrested for her persistent attempt to perform the play in English and Malay in October 2000. The play was banned in Oct 2000. Bilingual in English and Tamil. With support from the National Arts Council Publishing and Translation Grant.