A troop enact the drama Ma Mati Mamata at the state level drama festival at Paralakhemundi. Pictures by Gopal Krishna Reddy

Berhampur, June 1: A four-day state-level drama festival at Paralakhemundi concluded on Monday evening with a play titled Maa Mati Mamata, which highlighted the plight of farmers and growing incidents of farmer suicides.

The play was set in an imaginary village where the rural folk struggle to make both ends meet, despite several government schemes.

This play, which had earlier bagged the third prize at the drama festival in Keonjhar, was appreciated by the audience at the Jagannath temple complex, Paralakhemundi.

“We focused on the condition of farmers. The state must reach the grassroots level and try to improve their living standards. India is primarily an agricultural country and we proudly raise slogans like Jai Jawan-Jai Kisan. However, it is unfortunate that farmer suicides are on the rise,” said Nrusingha Charan Patnaik, president of Creative Arts, which had organised the show in collaboration with the district culture department.

The previous day another play Dhol Senapati was showcased to underscore the importance of traditional, folk music. The Royal Challenge Group of Rayagada staged the play. Despite not have any professional artist, the group beautifully staged the play.

The story was based on a dhol vaadak (drum player) suffering from poverty. But despite his condition, the protagonist, Dhol Senapati, never gives up his profession since it has been the family’s traditional occupation.

The family is virtually starving and his son, Kiran, is rebellious and does not want to follow his father’s footsteps.

They fall prey to a moneylender and ultimately, the drum player succumbs to the pressures of debt and dies. When a large crowd gathers around the dhol player’s house and fondly remembers his contribution, Kiran starts beating the drum loudly in mad pursuit.

“We must preserve our traditional culture and art. Art and artists are two sides of the same coin and we must see that no folk art dies. This was the theme of the dialogues of the play which reflected in the voice of nine characters including Dhol Senapati, Ragini, Kiran,” said Mihir Kumar Mishra, director of the play.

“The beating of the drums in the background by Guru Sona and the songs by Ganesh Mohanty cast a spell on the audience. The play had been ranked as the best in the state-level drama festival at Rayagada last year,” Debi Prasad Rajguru Mahapatra, assistant director of the play, said.