(March 30) Iraqi children in a car boot as families leave Basra across a bridge manned by British soldiers; (October 19) Nuns of Missionaries of Charity at Vatican City for the beatification of Mother Teresa (AFP)

I will remember 2003 for…” was the last Time to Talk topic for the year gone by. Here’s some more responses, ranging from war to peace, hope to heartbreak, George W. Bush to Mother Teresa… More letters next week.

l will remember 2003 for both national and international events. Bilateral relations with Pakistan took a positive turn. India also played an active role in the Cancun WTO summit. In sports, too, India has never had it better. Cricket went very well and we won the bid to host the Commonwealth Games 2010. The US invasion of Iraq dominated world politics. Mother Teresa’s beatification was another instance of India making it on the world map.

Koyel Basu,

Media studies, Calcutta University

l will remember 2003 for the devastating Iraq war. America attacked Iraq just a few days before the HS examinations. Force is not a solution to problems. We have forgotten the value of human life and dignity. We have to remember that fire burns the rich and poor alike, and therefore, it is dangerous to play with fire.

Anandarup Ghoshal,

Ist year, Andrews College

Last year will be remembered in many ways, from cricket matches to music remixes, the last flight of Concorde to the beatification of Mother Teresa. But I will remember 2003 for the brutal incidents that took place during the Iraq war. It reflected misuse of power and also brought shame to humanity. A nation was destroyed. The UN speaks of peace and disarmament, but it seems the rule-makers are also the rule-breakers. The UN and Iraq will serve as stern reminders of the insult to humanity and democracy.

Debolina Ghosh,
IIIrd year, zoology,
Rammohan College

l will remember 2003 for the barbarous and disastrous attack on Iraq by America. Heart-wrenching images brought alive the cries of the Iraqis via the media, every day. It was difficult to imagine the pain of thousands of innocent people being victimised. Last year will be etched in my memory for the downfall of humanity and the rise of ruthlessness and inhumanity to new heights.

Sadia Sitwat,

lt was a year in which the canker in many power systems of the world surfaced. Iraq was slaughtered in the name of liberation. The year also saw West Asia torn by internal conflict and external interference. The Istanbul blasts marked yet another chapter of doom. The Ayodhya issue resurfaced without a solution, our Capital turned into a terror zone for women and freedom of press received a whipping from politicians in the south. The rot in state-run hospitals in West Bengal redefined the term ‘hospitality’. Yet, 2003 was also marked by the beatification of Mother Teresa and significant progress in Indo-Pak relations.

Ranjana Das,
Lady Brabourne College

Freedom to act

Abhivyakti, the drama society of Indraprastha (IP) College for Women, Delhi, was back in Calcutta for the fourth successive year with their series of theatre productions. This year’s cast included Anuja Jaiman, Tanzila Anis, Rayana Pandey, Namita Singh, Charu Mathani, Anvita Thapliyal and president of dram-soc, IP, Niharika Jha.

The package of plays had The E-3 Project, which evolved as a response to the phenomenon of global terrorism, and was found to be essentially local. In every place from Kupwara to Kampala, Calcutta to Cambodia, Nigeria to Najafgarh, terrorism is more a manifestation of the mind than of applied violence.

Thus, every character in the play searches for that. Abdul Khan Gaffer is a character who symbolises nine deaths in nine events such as 1875, 1971, 1948 and 9/11. E3 — Extreme, Experimental, Evolutionary — dedicated to the 40th death anniversary of Gajanan Madhab Muktibodh, was performed at Birla Academy of Fine Arts and Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad.

The Interact District Council hosted Peace Sells, in memory of Bob Dylan’s song of the same name, at Caffeine, on Elgin Road, on December 29. The play delved into the mortality of a middle-class Indian and the violence in Gujarat.

Shubhra Tandon, an alumni of IP College currently studying at Asian School of Journalism, also performed a solo play, F-6 —Fundamentally Fowl Finicky Fisherwomen’s Fishy Folktale — in Malayalam, by M. Sajitha. It is based on the impact of foreign trailers on Indian coasts, which result in the decline of fisheries in India, and therefore, in the starvation of Indian fishermen and their women being forced into prostitution.

At YMCA, on College Street, the girls performed Rajghat 0 km, a five-minute mime show. On December 30, their last performance was for over 150 street children at the Apeejay Anand Library, organised by the Interact Club of Apeejay School.

— Sangeet Shirodkar,
Apeejay School

A scene from the Theatrecian play at Gyan Manch. Picture by Aranya Sen

Get set, play

‘U’ was Theatrecian’s 10th play, and its third original production. It was about how we are sacrificing certain basic human qualities to ‘touch the line’ — the ultimate achievement. The play starts with two actors, representing the past and the present, each asserting they have touched the line.

They believe that in the process of touching the line, one needs to sacrifice basic humanity and to walk the path of corruption. This is when a woman tries to convince them that the line is temptation and whatever men do, they do it to please the woman.

Then, a doctor asks the audience: “Who wants to get pregnant?” Outraged, a theatre critic says she would like this play to stop immediately — all part of the show.

A girl volunteers, because she knows her child will be supremely intelligent. The child will not be a product of nature, but rather a result of molten microchips and diluted pages from science and history textbooks fed to the mother.

The unborn baby is the future and can foresee the future. He knows about the Gujarat riots, the twin-tower tragedy, the prevailing poverty in the world… He doesn’t want to be born. He feels secure in the womb. When he is forced to come out into the world, he destroys the others around him. All that is left is the child — a machine.

We felt very strongly about the script, but the audience, perhaps, was a little too shocked. It was demoralising at first. However, according to some individuals, including veteran actor Ranjit Mullick, the message did get across. That was our aim.

— Tathagatha Chowdhury,
Director, ‘U’

Annual action

Parivarakee, an NGO school in Lake Gardens for under-privileged children, held their annual day on December 30, at Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad auditorium. The programme commenced with a welcome address by the institution president, secretary and other dignitaries, each sharing their experiences on working with the children and talking about Parivarakee.

Mayor Subrata Mukherjee, chief guest for the occasion, complimented the school on its achievements. A five-minute yoga demonstration by the children on different aasanas was followed by a 50-minute play based on their daily lives, directed by an ex-student of the school and enacted by the youngsters themselves.

Junior drama

The third Subham Natya Mela (children’s drama festival) by the kids’ theatre group Beadon Street Shubham, will take place from January 9 to 11, at Rammohun Mancha, on APC Road. Several NGOs and theatre groups working with children will take part in the festival. Rangakarmee, Naba Jiban Sangha, IPER, Korak, Jabala and Sabera Foundation will stage plays based on social issues. Veteran theatre personalities Bijoylaksmi Burman, Usha Ganguly and Sohag Sen will also be felicitated.