Three festivals have been organised by different organisations to celebrate the sixth death anniversary of the legendary playwright and theoretician Selim Al Deen, who is considered as a leading dramatist in the Bangla literature in the post Tagore era.
Selim Al Deen Foundation has organised a three-day programme beginning from today. Theatre troupe Swapnadal’s four-day Al Deen’s death anniversary cerebrations, however, began on Monday, a day before the death anniversary. The drama and dramatics department of Jahangirnagar University has organised a day-long death anniversary observation programme today.
The root searching playwright Selim Al Deen, who created a new drama trend based on the age old tradition of the post colonial era, died at the age of 59 on January 14, 2008.
He was a theoretician of drama, a scholar, a professor of department of drama and dramatics at Jahangirnagar University and a pioneer of neo-theatre movement that got momentum after the independence of the country.
Shakuntala, Kittonkhola, Keramat Mangol, Hat Hadai, Chaka, Jaiboti Kainnar Mon, Hargoj, Banopangshul, Nimajjan and many other plays by Al Deen are remarkable examples of the narrative style he popularised. His play Hargoj has been translated in the Swedish language.
A scholar on the Medieval Bangla theatre, Al Deen compiled the only anthology of Bangla drama-related terms and forms of traditional theatre styled Bangla Natyakosh. Al Deen’s plays are included in the curriculum of University of Dhaka, Jahangirnagar University, Jadavpur University and Rabindra Bharati University in India.
Theatre lovers will pay tribute to the demised playwright placing wreaths at his tomb on Jahangirnagar University campus this morning. A bus, provided by Jahangirnagar University, will take the interested people to the university from Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
They will join a colourful procession organsied by the drama department of the university. The department will present music and recitation based on Al Deen’s works at the Old Arts Faculty.
A seminar will be held at the seminar room of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy this afternoon as the opening programme of the three-day festival organised by Selim Al Deen Foundation in association with Gram Theatre, Dhaka Theatre and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
Kamaluddin Kabir will present the keynote paper at the seminar room of the academy.
Dhaka Theatre artistes will read excerpts from Al Deen’s diary titled Dinlipi and Al Deen’s play Nimajjan as well at the Studio Theatre Hall of the academy at 6:30pm tomorrow.
On the concluding day of the festival, Dhaka Theatre will stage Al Deen’s play Dhaboman at the National Theatre Hall of the academy on January 16.
Another seminar on Al Deen was organised on Monday at the seminar room of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy as the opening programme of Swapnadal’s four-day Selim Al Deen celebrations programme.
Swapnadal will stage Al Deen’s play Hargaj tomorrow at the Experimental Theatre Hall of the academy and will present Tagore’s Chitrangada at the Studio Theatre Hall on Thursday.
-With New Age input
