Artistes of Bajirout Chhatravas from Angul stage Muktadhara at Kala Vikash Kendra in Cuttack on Sunday. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, May 14: Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s play Muktadhara (The Waterfall) was retold by students of Bajirout Chhatravas, Angul, at Kala Vikash Kendra here on Sunday.

The play was organised by Utkal Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, a trust, and Rastriya Yuva Sangathan, a cultural organisation, to mark Tagore’s 151st birth anniversary.

Written by Tagore in 1922, Muktadhara is often hailed as one of Tagore’s finest plays. It has a theme similar to the Narmada Bachao Andolan and problems related to the construction of a dam.

It was translated into Odia by Krishna Mohanty and performed by 22 children of Bajirout Chhatravas, who depicted the pain and suffering of the people because of the construction of a dam.

The story is set in Shivatari, an imaginary village full of natural resources. The people, though poor, are able to lead a sustainable life around the Muktadhara river.

However, the King of Uttarkot accepts the proposal of an engineer called Bibhuti to construct a dam on the river.

Initially, the villagers are happy because they are told that they would be able to earn a livelihood by working at the construction site.

However, soon life becomes miserable for the people of Sivatarai, as the natural stream loses its water because of the construction work. As a result, their fishing business, agriculture and social life gets affected.

At this crucial juncture, Dhananjay Baba starts a non-violent revolution and, gradually, the people’s movement becomes stronger. The king’s son also becomes successful in breaking the dam by sacrificing his life. Muktadhara river once again flows freely.

“The play still weaves a lot of magic as it plays a crucial role in social change. It deals with problems relating to the conflicts between man, machine and development,” said Biswajit, a member of Utkal Gandhi Smarak Nidhi.

“I loved acting in this play as it send a social message to maintain ecological balance, which is very significant in today’s world,” said Mita, an actor

“It was a wonderful opportunity for us to experience the creative genius of the maestro. This Tagore play is relevant even today” said Rabindra Sahu, a theatre enthusiast.

Apart from the play, a cultural programme Kabir Sathe Ek Ananda Sandhya was also organised by Utkal Bangiya Association at the same venue on Saturday to mark Tagore’s birth anniversary where eminent artistes from Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Bengal performed Rabindra Sangeet, recited poems written by Tagore and took part in dance recitals.