Apranher Alo being performed at Guru Nanak School. Picture by Ashok Karan

Ranchi, Nov. 21: There’s more to the twilight years than an intimation about the impending darkness.

This was the message presented by Eshona, a team from Chinsurah, Bengal, when it staged the play Apranher Alo, a play by Shankar Basuthakur, on the third day of the ongoing festival of drama at the Guru Nanak School.

Akshay, Bhakti Bhushan and Sarbojaya, are retired and live in complete harmony at the twilight stage of their lives. At complete peace with their surroundings.

So much so that even the bull was their favourite “Binodebabu” and the disturbing neighbourhood monkey was dear “Banbihari”. But the situation takes a turn when a friend, Anadi, comes to live with them after deserting his home, where he felt his son and daughter-in-law considered him a burden. Guessing it was a case of misunderstanding, they informed Shubho, Anadi’s son.

When Shubho arrives to take his father home, they enact before him a scene that makes the father-son duo realise the role of responsibility and understanding for a peaceful family life.

The dialogues were good in this well scripted play, and kept the audience glued to the developments in the plot. Dilip Basuthakur (Akshay), Amal Chakraborty (Anadi) and Shankar Basuthakur (Bhakti Bhushan) put up a good act. Biswanath Mukhopadhyay, as Shubho, had a comparatively small role, but he tapped it well. Nadini De, as Sarbojaya, will be long remembered here for her performance.

Director Dilip Basuthakur’s effective use of props deserves praise. Especially the way he uses a wall hanging that appeared to be a window, through which the setting sun peeped in.

While some felt that the turnout was low because of inadequate publicity, as Bengali plays are usually a draw, Harendra Sinha, assistant director, culture, disagreed. Too many events were on, and that had divided the attendance of people, was his explanation.