Bhubaneswar, Jan. 5: Theatre activist Subodh Patnaik presented his popular play Dhuan in 10 national and international theatre festivals organised in various parts of Bengal and Odisha in a span of 17 days.

Patnaik and his team of 25 artistes, selected from various tribal areas of the state, staged the play, which highlights the impact of industrialisation on the poor people, especially the ethnic communities.

'The play questions the process of industrialisation that displaces people from their native land. It deals with the progress of economic developments where the poor people are victimised,' said Patnaik, the director and writer of the play.

The production was first staged in 2005 at Sunabeda in the tribal-dominated Koraput during a two-month theatre camp. Since then, the play has been staged at a number of places that have faced the wave of industrialisation, including Sonepur, Bhawanipatna, Padampur, Sohela, Talcher, Keonjhar and Jajpur.

'It is very essential to show the impact of industrialisation on the poor people. I have revived the play by including a fresh group of actors,' said Patnaik.

All the actors are from small villages in the state. 'We want to involve young actors, so that they can learn the process of making and producing standard plays,' said the theatre activist.

Based on the concept of 'intimate theatre' that the troupe Natya Chetana intends to propagate, the play is not dependent on auditorium and can be performed in any intimate theatre space. 'We need only 25ftx25ft area to stage the play. The costumes are extremely simple. Moreover, there are no use of elaborate stage settings and colourful lighting,' said Patnaik.

The troupe has produced over 60 plays that have received huge appreciation at the state, national and international levels. Hs troupe has covered more than 10,000km on 46 bicycle expeditions to hundreds of villages in interior Odisha, staging plays on various social, environmental and local issues.