Kathmandu: Pumpkin Theatre, in association with Hatemalo Sansar, staged a play ‘Petu Pen’ at Watrin Memorial Hall, St Xavier’s College, on August 14. The play is a satire on social depravity and superstitions deeply entrenched in daily life. ‘Petu Pen’ (which literally means a hungry, gluttonous pen) symbolises resurgence of knowledge and intends to spread the gospel of wisdom in scathing satirical intonation. Though the story written by Saurav Kiran Shrestha is a commendable effort to put forward the message of social awareness, the staging did not elicit due applause, perhaps, owing to poor characterisation, scrappy dialogue delivery and lowbrow humour. Though intended for schoolchildren, the play should have had the requisite aesthetic appeal that art can’t survive without. Sugam Pokharel’s jingles and musical direction were, however, the most remarkable part of the play.