British historian Lord Acton’s well-known statement ‘Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely’ explains aphoristically the tendency of power.
Whenever and however power is practised, it is invariably likely to bring the negative into play.
Power, be it in the hand of state, an individual or an organisation, it goes to dehumanise both who exercise the power and on whom it is exercised.
Rajshahi University-based theatre troupe Anusheelon Natydal raised these facts and questions in its recent production titled Danda which was staged on Friday at Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
Written and directed by Maloy Bhowmick, the play, technically, is a satire on the concept and use of power. The title, Danda, itself stands for power, for anything that is associated with power.
The play revolves round some symbolic characters that are known by their positions in the power-structure, not by their names. They are introduced as Dandadhar, Dandabidhata, Dandadhari, Dandanayak, Dandapal and the likes.
These Danda-walas are busy applying their dandas (power) on whoever seems to be reluctant to obey them, or want to break free.
The satirical piece, while exploring the arbitrariness of power, appeared sometimes to suggest the ongoing misdeeds in the country where the perpetrators are allegedly those who are given the role of peace-keepers.
The play could send ripples of laughter around the audience when the danda-walas, due to ‘external pressure’, decided to use their dandas for peaceful use and found it the most difficult thing to do. They, therefore, decided to remain the same, but under a new cloak. The motto they took is ‘old wine in new bottle’.
But the play’s message was, by then, clear to the audience that there can be no peaceful use of danda (power).
A number of young and energetic actors Rakibul Alam, Mamdudul Karim, Tanzida Nahar, Ripon Ghosh, and others performed with professional spontaneity.
-With New Age input
