Theatre department students of Dhaka University staged Tagore’s classic Bisarjan at the Natmandal in the university campus on Monday.
The third year students of the department played different characters of the play directed by their teacher Ahmedul Kabir as
part of their academic curriculum.
Tagore’s play upholds humanity over brutality and secularism over religious bigotry through portrayal of a king who forbids animal sacrifice in his kingdom despite the fact that the childless queen has taken an oath of sacrificing a thousand animals for the return gift of a child.
The play overall as well as the performance was remarkable. The stage displaying a bloodcurdling statue of a Hindu deity Ma Kali in the backdrop added more credibility to the play revolving around animal sacrifices. The smoky and shadowy atmosphere in the hall successfully created a sense of horror in the hearts of the spectators. A good few songs including Ami ekela cholechhi, Ogo purobashi, Amake ke nibe bhai, and others were punched into the play to soothe the ears of the audiences.
Kabir, the director informed New Age that the department has selected the play for the performance as it protests against religions fundamentalism and all sorts of bigotry, which is a current political issue in the country.
‘Every play of Tagore conveys a powerful message, that’s why it is a great contentment to work on a Tagore play like Bisarjan,’ said Kabir, who is an assistant professor of the department.
A large audience, mostly students attended the play. Srabon Shamim, a student of Bangla department, remarked, ‘Tagore plays are always a source of pleasure and it became more enjoyable as it was presented by the student actors of the department’.
The show was staged as part of the nine-day Tagore festival, which commenced on May 24 and had been organised by the department to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the poet’s accomplishment of Nobel Prize in literature for his collection Gitanjali.
The same play will be staged at Natmandal at 7pm on the remaining
days of the festival ending on 1st June.
-With New Age input
