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| Actors enact a scene from Pimu at Rabindra Bhawan in Guwahati on Monday. Picture by UB Photos |
July 30: The life of an innocent girl who met her end at the hands of a jealous king formed the theme of a play staged by children at Rabindra Bhawan this evening.
Directed by Abinash Sarma, the play, Pimu, was based on a folk tale, which was adapted for children by Sarukamal Hazarika.
Pimu, the protagonist, is from an indigenous community and loved by all her friends.
Her simplicity enabled her to befriend wild animals as well.
However, her idyllic existence did not last.
The ruler of the kingdom one day passed the place where Pimu was playing with friends, oblivious to his presence.
He was enraged at her audacity for not having bowed in front of him and ordered his ministers to get Pimu arrested and killed.
The ministers succeeded in turning the king against the child, who, they said, had made his subjects forget their ruler.
The king succeeded in imprisoning and killing Pimu.
However, her story was passed on from generation to generation and one day, told to a girl by her grandmother.
The children who acted in the play were trained in a monthlong drama workshop organised on the premises of Rabindra Bhawan.
Paresh Goswami, Dilip Phukan, Ramani Barman, Gabyanjali Das, Tarun Kalita, Pulin Nath, Bhupal Pathak, Chetana Das and Snigdha Kangkan Tyed trained the children.
Gitanjali Baishya, a resident, said there was a dearth of plays for children and Pimu would cater to this.
“There are very few children’s plays in Assamese. This one is based on an ancient story. Going through it is like reading a fairy tale. However, we need plays that deal with contemporary subjects so that the children can relate to the characters of the play,” Baishya said.
Prafulla Mahanta, a member of the audience, was a bit critical of the play.
“The use of too many formal words in conversations has affected the beauty and flow of the play,” he said.
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