The reputation of Chetla Krishti Sansad as the vanguard of the children’s theatre movement in downtown Calcutta was further consolidated with two new productions at Madhusudan Mancha on April 20. Penned by Subhannita Guha, the productions displayed the versatility that Sansad has achieved over the years.
Of the two, Abatar is a quiet statement against global terrorism seen through the eyes of children. Played out enthusiastically by rank newcomers and a few seasoned youngsters, Abatar weaves a fantasy around the concepts of heaven and earth, where the messengers of Yama erroneously pick up schoolchildren from earth and bring them to heaven. The strength of the play lies solely in the impassioned queries that the children submit before god, making him admit that religion is merely a divine means to regulate the human race. Abatar — it is also directed by Guha — looks promising in places.
Encounter (picture), directed by Mayukh Dutta, was easily the pick of the evening. Guha shows maturity by touching upon a subject as volatile as terrorism in Kashmir vis-à-vis the traditional concept of nationalism. Partially set in the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University, the play explores a romance between a Kashmiri student and a Bengali girl till communal tension and conformist politics pull them apart. The couple meets again in the rift-torn Valley. By then, the Kashmiri student has become the second-in-command of a militant outfit and the Bengali girl is a government official and negotiator.
Conflicting interests, critical choices and credible performances make Encounter a compelling watch. Dutta makes marvellous use of parallel narratives. The bifurcation of lovers into two pairs — one younger (Souparna Patra and Piali Samanta) and one mature (Mayukh Dutta and Debjani Singha) — addressed the sensitivity of minds torn from within. The choreography by Asimbandhu Bhattacharya, especially the use of umbrellas, evoked the romance of Hindi films of the 1950s. Kalyan Ghosh’s delicate flirtation with the top light worked as well.
I wish these productions are staged more often, with or without the support of like-minded groups.