On the closing day of the Selim Al Deen Janmautsab 2011, a two-day theatre festival to celebrate the 62nd birth anniversary of theatre icon Selim Al Deen, three plays were staged at three auditoriums of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) on 19 August.
Dhaka Theatre brought its production Dhaboman on the stage of National Theatre Hall of BSA.
Natyacharya Selim Al Deen’s Dhaboman belongs to the post-colonial narrative theatre form. The play has been directed by Shimul Yousuff.
The play focuses on our indigenous traditions, folktales and art forms through using pieces of metaphors.
Set in a village by the river Someshwari in the greater Mymensingh area, the plot of the play revolves around a buffalo named Sohrab as its protagonist.
One day coincidently, a domestic buffalo, Hamela gets lost in the evening and returns home after being pregnant.
The Garo communities become happy and think of the incident as omen of good luck. When the time arrives, a black buffalo is born and it has been named Sohrab.
As the story progresses, Sohrab becomes a famous a warrior buffalo. But, one day, the owner of Sohrab dreams if it is sacrificed and slaughtered, he will be cured of his disabilities.
Sensing the danger, Sohrab flees from the master’s house.
Theatre troupe Swapnadal staged Hargoj at the auditorium of Experimental Theatre Hall of BSA as part of the festival.
It was directed by Zahid Repon. Selim Al Deen’s narrative Hargoj is based on a true story. Following a tornado, the play depicts the sufferings of the masses in a village named Hargoj under Manikganj district. The tornado hit the village in 1989.
Selim Al Deen wrote the play three years after the tornado hit the village. Through Hargoj, the master playwright not only depicted the massacre twisted by the tornado but also raised the question of rescues in terms of humanity.
The play centres on an aid-team that arrives at the tornado-hit village. The tornado shatters the bustling locale of farmers, killing hundreds of people and damaging a large part of the area.
Abid, the protagonist of the play, gets strange experiences in his aid-tour. The playwright sees, experiences and narrates different aspects of life through the eyes of Abid during this time of a disaster.
Theatre troupe DyashBangla staged Selim Al Deen’s Julan on the stage of Studio Theatre Hall of BSA.
Directed by Prabir Guha, the play is a statement of the Uruk community. After facing a severe drought, the community decides to migrate to the other side of Elan Mountains and the plain land is called Julan. It is a hard decision for the people to leave their village where they have been living for hundreds of years.
Revolving around a love story between Eshtar and Gamesh, the play focuses on the conflict between greed and power in a community.
-With Daily Sun input
