This time of the year is appropriate to review a Bengali play on Christ, rather unusual because group theatre tends to steer clear of such material. Kathakriti even designates Saumitra Basu?s Sei To Tomar Alo as a ?drama of resurrection?. Set before and during the crucifixion, but never showing the Messiah on stage, it tells the story from the perspective of other players, through the conflict within such figures as Pilate (who expresses ambivalent feelings about sentencing Christ) and Barabbas (who wonders why the Jews grant him, a hardened criminal, pardon instead of releasing Christ). Director Nabhendu Sen unnecessarily elongates this essentially one-act play by adding on amateurish and irrelevant symbolic dance sequences.
Ananda Lal
In an interesting marriage of two individualistic creative identities, the couple of Anutosh and Tulirekha jointly exhibited their photographs and paintings at the Academy of Fine Arts (December 13-19), an event presented by the government of Assam. The photographs had a gentle wave of serenity rippling over them and the paintings seemed to be seething with a sense of anger, even violence. Though Anutosh is a painter, too, as a photographer at least he seemed to have a calm about him. What added to the excitement were the largely unerring captions. For instance, the creative fingers of a potter which mould against the turn of the potter?s wheel (Against time). Or the group of child monks among whom one is caught looking another way (Quest for peace). A close shot of a Coal India engine was the most arresting one.
Anil Grover
A 10-day workshop organised by the Padatik Dance Center and conducted by Kathak exponent Chitresh Das gave shape to a programme held at Gyan Manch on December 27. The introductory piece, Kaliyadaman, did not have much to do with the myth. This item, devoid of any creative imagination, was hardly appealing. One expected more flamboyance from an artist like Das. In the interactive piece involving him and the jazz dancer Ronnie Shambik Ghosh, Das played the tabla while the latter improvised movements, keeping pace with various Indian taalas. The duet by Mitul Sengupta and Ghosh was the best of the evening. They displayed their forte in classical and contemporary rhythms and movements respectively.
Sulagna Mukhopadhyay
