Guwahati, May 1: Theatre personality Dulal Roy today said he wanted to carry on with the mission to popularise amateur theatre as a vibrant form in Assam.

"I always wanted to make amateur theatre a vibrant form in Assam. I have been working on it," said 73-year-old Roy.

During his career in theatre, spanning over a decade, the alumni of National School of Drama (NSD) has staged numerous plays, creating an emotional bond with many artistes.

Today, a book, Protyoy Aru Anwexon: Dulal Royor Xadhonar Sobi, edited by Utpal Dutta and Nayan Prasad was released, with articles by those artistes who had worked with Roy sometime in their lives.

Deep in his heart, Roy still feels gratitude towards the artistes who had worked with him. "Without them I could not have come this far," said Roy.

Writer Sailen Bharali recalled how Roy had brought a noticeable change to the world of theatre in Assam. "In the fifties and sixties of the last century, drama was presented in a monotonous way. That is why people loved to talk about the plays and their artistes. During the seventies, a noticeable change was seen in the world of drama in the state. Its credit goes to Roy. That is why people know and remember him," he said.

Bharali said the plays of Shakespeare are staged even today but by adding new elements. "Similarly, Roy has been staging many world famous plays by using his creative ideas. Sometimes he translated those plays himself. Those who have watched the plays cannot forget Roy," he said.

Bharali added that if someone wrote the history of drama in Assam, it would be incomplete without Roy.

Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee and Xattriya dancer Jatin Goswami recalled Roy's contribution towards getting Xattriya recognition as a classical dance. "When singer Bhupen Hazarika was the chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi, he constituted a sub-committee comprising Roy and I so that we could explain the technical aspects of the dance to the scholars. As I was not well versed in English and Hindi, I had to depend solely on Roy. And he did a tremendous job," he said.

Poet Harekrishna Deka said Cotton College had also contributed in shaping Roy.

"He was my friend in Cotton College. At that time, the college provided a very good environment to those who loved drama or literature. Roy was very passionate about drama. Later, when he went to study in Film and Television Institute of India in Pune, I thought he had left drama to work in cinema. But he returned to the world of drama and went to study in NSD," he said.