"Lambalo and Kasha" — Batumi Drama Theatre

Mikheil Javakhishvili wrote the short story Lambalo and Kasha in 1925. The story is narrated in the first person by a Georgian Red Cross doctor who is sent to the area around Lake Urmia during the war.

The events take place during the First World War in a weakened Persia, forced to balance between the Russian and British Empires in an effort to preserve its independence. The Russian Empire openly lays claim to the region, seeking to strengthen its influence through military, political, social, and religious means.

The story vividly portrays the chaos, moral decline, and social fragmentation that inevitably accompany war. Against this backdrop, the friendship between the Georgian doctor and a young Muslim man becomes especially moving. The narrative also explores Georgian tolerance, Russia's role as an intrusive and destructive foreign power in the Caucasus, and the historical and political legacy of the region.

Set in the multicultural surroundings of Lake Urmia, the story unfolds in a setting resembling a modern-day Tower of Babel, where people of different ethnicities and faiths coexist. This diversity is reflected in the rich and varied language of the characters.

The central conflict is embodied by two opposing figures: the young Muslim Mashadi Hasan, known as Lambalo, who represents goodness, and the deceitful Assyrian Orthodox Christian Kasha Lazare, who symbolizes evil.