Balangir: The gang rape and suicide case of the minor at the Kunduli village of Koraput district, which rocked the country, came alive in the Koshali-Sambalpuri play titled Kunduli Raejar Jhi (Daughter of Kunduli) at the ongoing Sambalpuri theatre festival at Pallishree Vihar at Sadaipali in the district on Tuesday evening.

The play staged by Sachetan Hema Natya Theatre of Jamala in Bargarh district explored the issue of Kunduli and also the cases of sexual harassments on minor girls which have become rampant these days.

SITE Cultural Society and Ramji Yubak Sangh organised the ten-day competitive theatre festival at Sadaipali in Balangir.

The play depicted how in the present day women are manhandled, molested and raped. It brought to light how the women who reserved a high place in mythology and history of our country are now suffering in the hands of man. It expressed concern over what is happening in the country as cases of minors being raped are being reported everyday.

Though the play follows the storyline of the Kunduli incident, it also highlighted the cases that have been reported recently. It depicted the deteriorating basic human values in our society. The play ends with the message that suicide is not the solution and the women should come out strong and fight the adversaries. Writer and director of the play Raj Kumar Sahu said what he wanted to tell the people especially the women through the play was that they shouldn't lose heart and take extreme steps like committing suicide. "Suicide is not the solution of any problem in our life. Our women should fight the adversaries," he said. Raj Kumar Sahu, Sandhyarani Suna, Gitanjali Kumbhar, Bishakha Sahu and Hemant Mahakud came up with beautiful performances to make the play worth a watch. On Tuesday, a dance-drama Sita Thaba was staged by Sriram Kala Parishad of Chandrapur in Balangir.