Artistes perform the play Sua at Sangeet Mahavidlaya auditorium in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 11: The celebrated tale of Aparti and Gurei came alive on stage as author Pranabandhu Kar’s short story Sua Muhara Patra was staged by Subodh Patnaik and his troupe Natya Chetana.

The occasion of the group’s 28th foundation day was hosted at the mini auditorium of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya yesterday.

Titled just Sua meaning a tide, the play, as presented by Patnaik, brought to life the characters and the society that has become even more degraded today.

Just after India was declared free from British rule, there were celebrations all around, even in the remotest villages. When an innocent villager, Aparti, the protagonist of the story, asks others the reason behind the joy, everyone tells him that now our country’s rule would be in our own hands as we would choose our leaders.

The youngster starts believing that and thinks that now the rich and poor divide would be over. But, the village public distribution shop operator, a greedy zamindar, Dhani Sahoo, finds company in the newly elected politicians and even police, who take their cut and allow him to sell the commodities to the poor at high rates.

Aparti marries Gurei, his dream girl. But despite toiling in his farms, which are mortgaged to Dhani Sahoo, he does not get enough earning or even any grocery or items of daily use at an affordable price as promised after the freedom. When he requests Sahoo to let him buy a sari for Gurei at the price fixed by the government, he is declined and Sahoo threats to get him arrested if he rebels.

At last, he is bound to steal two saris. Sahoo doubts Aparti and takes the police to his hut. Aparti, however, thinks that like Sahoo, if he lies, he can win. He tells the police that he has paid the high price demanded by Sahoo and bought the sari. When the police threaten him, many other villagers join Aparti and confess that each of them has stolen two saris. They rebel against Sahoo, the corrupt police and politicians.

But Gurei points out that Aparti also opts for the wrong way like Sahoo. Aparti accepts that he has sailed like a leaf along with the tide of corruption to fulfil his smallest demands of life.