Today is the 64th anniversary of birth of the late iconic playwright Selim Al Deen (18 August 1949 – 14 January 2008). Different cultural organisations and educational institutions have arranged several,
special celebrations to mark the occasion.
An unparalleled playwright in the post Tagore era in Bangla literate, Selim Al Deen developed a ‘new drama form’ based on the traditional narratives. He was a theoretician of drama, a scholar, an organiser and a professor of drama and dramatics department at Jahangirnagar University.
His narratives are lyrical and nature appears spontaneously in his plays. The structure of his plays is also innovative as the trendsetter playwright and theoretician negated the conventional concept of theatre labeling it western and initiated to develop a different theatre form based on the tradition of hundreds of years.
He has also successfully executed his theory in his popular plays such as Shakuntala, Kittonkhola, Keramat Mongol, Hat Hadai, Chaka, Joiboti Koinnar Mon, Horgoj, Bonopangshul, Nimojjon and Dhaboman.
Different local and Kolkata based Indian troupes have staged his plays. His play Chaka was translated as The Wheel into English and was produced by two troupes in the New York, USA. Chaka was also translated into Hindi and was produced by the Delhi based National School of Drama in India. Horgoj, another play by Al Deen was translated in Swedish language.
His plays are academically studied in Bangla literature and theatre departments at local universities such as Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University, Rajshahi University, Chittagong University and two Indian universities including Jadavpur University and Rabindra Bharati University.
As a theatre scholar, Selim Al Deen has also made some unique achievements. He compiled Bangla Natyakosh — an anthology of Bangla drama-related terms and forms of traditional theatre.
Under his initiative, drama and dramatics department at Jahangirnagar University was introduced and he was the founder and chairman of the department.
Al Deen was a founder member of Dhaka Theatre. He, along with Nasiruddin Yousuff, formed Bangladesh Gram Theatre and Al Deen was its chief adviser.
Selim Al Deen also authored many teleplays.
The drama legend was honoured with several prestigious awards, including the Ekushey Padak , Bangla Academy Literature Award, National Film Award and others.
Al Deen’s 64th birth anniversary celebrations programme will begin at Jahangirnagar University this morning. Selim Al Deen fans and followers will place wreaths at the grave of the legendary playwright located at the university.
Drama and dramatics department of Jahangirnager University has organised a daylong programme at the university.
Selim Al Deen Foundation and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy have jointly organised a two-day commemorative festival at the National Theatre Hall of the academy.
The seventh edition of the festival, which began on Saturday, features seminar and theatre performances.
The theatre department of Dhaka University staged Selim Al Deen’s classic Chaka at the National Theatre Hall in Saturday evening. Earlier, a seminar was held at the seminar room of the academy at the noon.
Masud Imran, a teacher of the archeology department of Jahangirnagar University, presented the keynote paper titled Nimojjan: an epic theatre-installation art, which analysed Selim Al Deen’s play Nimojjon as an avant-garde production of Dhaka Theatre.
As part of the festival, Dhaka Theatre will stage another Al Deen’s play titled Dhaboman today at the National Theatre Hall.
Another troupe Swapnodal has organised a two-day Selim Al Deen birth anniversary celebrations programme, which also began on Saturday at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
The two-day programme includes a discussion session and two theatre performances.
The troupe staged Festoon E Lekha Smrity on Saturday and will stage Hargaj today at the Experimental Theatre Hall.
-With New Age input
