A scene from Charandas Chor staged in Agartala. Picture by Eastern Projections

The National School of Drama and the Tripura information department are jointly organising the Third North East Drama Festival in Town Hall and Nazrul Kalakshetra Auditorium in Agartala.

The 12-day festival, that began on October 26, is mired in controversy for its political overtone. The opening day saw the staging of Habib Tanvir’s Charandas Chor under his daughter Nagma’s splendid direction. The classic lays bare the hypocrisy of the feudal order.

On Tuesday night, Maharashtrian M.S. Sathyu’s Mumbai-based IPTA group staged Girija Ke Sapne in Hindi. Set against the backdrop of globalisation, farmers’ suicide and the proliferating consumerist culture, the drama portrays the agony of Raju, a small farmer, who marries Girija — an ambitious woman who cares little for her husband’s struggle to cope with a poor harvest.

The debt-ridden farmer ultimately commits suicide. The Centre and the state government too fail to come to his rescue. It is a good team work.

Chief minister Manik Sarkar watched the entire performance with party leaders. But a taste of bitterness lingered in the comments of local drama enthusiasts who saw through the political message conveyed by the performance.

Manipuri stalwart Ratan Thiyam’s When We Awaken will be staged on Friday.

Theatre groups of Kerala and Bangladesh are participating in the festival. Dramas staged by troupes from Kashmir and Tamil Nadu, however, have introduced a refreshing change.