Tagore Drama Festival

Ritwik stages Antar Andar

By Rahad Abir / May 4, 2009

On the occasion of the weeklong ‘Tagore Drama Festival’, organised by the theatre group Prangane Mor, festivity remains around the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the city.

The festival enthrals the audience because five theatre groups from Bangladesh and India are staging their plays, written by Rabindranath Tagore or based on the story of the litterateur.Ritwik, an Indian participant group staged the play ‘Antar Andar’ on the second day of the festival, on Saturday. The play ‘Antar Andar’ is based on the famous story of Rabindranath titled ‘Strir Patra’. The story ‘Strir Patra’ based on a letter written by Mrinal, the protagonist and the narrator of the story.

 Whatever higher education we receive, acquire modern views, many of us cannot free ourselves from feudal outlook. Still today we consider women as our property. In the marriage life a woman has no world except her husband. A wife who accepts it becomes a good wife in the society.But in ‘Strir Patra’, Mrinal is an exception. She has a strong personality, and thinks in a different way. She composes poetry in secret, and finds her own freedom. Including Mrinal, the play ‘Antar Andar’ focuses on the lives of three women.

Goutam Roy Chowdhury both scripts and directs the play. He has done some experiments here. That is why to the general audience the play seems to be a little bit unusual but obviously it delights the audience. As in the story, in the play too no sequence is maintained as regards time and space.As the entire play presents Mrinal’s thoughts, it develops according to the incidents described in the letter.The play ends with rounds of applause and the audience was touched by the director’s speech. The theatre group also staged ‘Chaturanga’ on the inaugural day of the festival.

The organisers are also arranging an open air cultural programme each day which includes music, dance and recitation at the entrance of the National Theatre Hall. The programme continues till the beginning of the play.

Source: http://www.newagebd.com