Artistes of Tulasi Cultural Association from Kendrapara perform (top) Circuit House Ra Desa and (above) Asthayi Thikana at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 5: The three-day theatre festival, Natya Samman, organised by Tulasi Cultural Association of Kendrapara, concluded on Tuesday in the capital after presenting some touching plays depicting social irregularities and human emotions.

The theatre event that began on Sunday evening presented three plays, all written by litterateur and president of Orissa Sahitya Akademi, Ramachandra Behera. Artistes from Kendrapara performed the plays.

While the first play Kurukshetra Ra Thikana grabbed attention of the viewers for its script, performance as well as simple but effective stagecraft, the subsequent dramas on the two consecutive days were also poignant.

The play Circuit House Ra Desa, that was staged on Monday, showcased the existing social indiscipline and the growing menace of miscreants.

The story holds true for many regions across the country at present. It depicted the condition of a bungalow that was earmarked as a circuit house, but was hardly used for providing shelter to government officials. As it was lying empty most of the times, it got converted into the den of criminals and politician’s hangers on.

After a number of instances, when the caretaker Pradosh found himself helpless in fending off these miscreants the police catch the mischief-makers red-handed. Hence, there is a positive end to the story.

While the performances of this play were engrossing, the stagecraft by Ratnakar Sahu was even more praiseworthy.

He had used dices and drapes of different colours on the stage that were used by the artistes during various scenes.

The same team stirred the hearts of the audience during the concluding performance on Tuesday. The play Asthayi Thikana based on a tribal family, portrayed the difficulties of life that the family faces due to changing social conditions.

Jagu and Hema, the protagonists of the story, leave their village due to threat from mine mafias and look for a safer place to live in.

They shift to Bhubaneswar and start dwelling in a slum, yet they are unaccepted by the locals and face many problems in the unfriendly atmosphere of the city.

Adding to their woes, the teenaged daughter of the couple is also lost in the city. Finally, the couple move on to find another safe place.

“I saw all the three plays. The simple and straightforward performance of the artistes gave us a perfect visualisation of the situation. All the plays were soul-stirring,” said Parikshit Sahu, a spectator. “The plays were performed really well. We hope to see more from the group in future,” said Renu Mahaboi, a college student. Abhinna Routray directed all the plays.