Dancers of Kolkata Uchchhas perform for their annual day

Cultural organisation Kolkata Uchchhas presented a colourful programme on its annual day at Rabindra Okakura Bhavan recently. The theme focused on verses dedicated to lord Krishna in the scriptures , portrayed through dance and abhinaya.

It began with a dancer playing Vishnu on stage while the verse Yada yada hi dharmasya from The Bhagwad Gita played in the background. Gradually all 10 incarnations of Vishnu were enacted by dancer Swarnav Basak.

The next presentation was on the Lakshmi-Narayan couple. The birth of Krishna was shown and the plot then shifted to Mathura, depicting the childhood years of the god under the care of Yashoda. The audience in the packed hall applauded the natural acting of three-and-a-half-year-old Bijoysri Shastri as Gopal and Sonali Basak as Putona, the she-demon who tried to kill the divine baby.

A segment on viswarup darshan, in which Krishna reveals his all-pervasive form, was performed by Sayantani. Sreemoyee as Lakshmi, Yasoda and Radha was deft in her portrayal of each role.

Kaliya daman, the taming of the snake Kaliya, was performed by Sayantika as a young Krishna. Krishna’s romance with the gopinis blended jazz dance steps with traditional ones.

Bharati Kanjilal

Message on stage

Britya, a Salt Lake-based theatre group, staged Manoj Mitra’s Gondho Jaaley at Rabindra Okakura Bhavan recently.

The group, that was started in 1986, has 30 members and has staged 30 different plays around the country. This time they chose a play with a social message. “The play is about a blind girl who is raped. However her husband, who is also blind, has the special ability to trace smells and together they nab the rapist,” said founder-member and secretary of the theatre group Bijan Ghosh. Ghosh also directed the play.

The show was open to all, with no entrance fee being charged. “I like watching plays and try to attend shows that are staged in Salt Lake. I have seen several plays staged by Britya in the past,” said Amiyo Bhattacharya, who had come from Purbachal Housing Estate.

“Back in the 80s, there were few people living in Salt Lake but the cultural identity was strong. That is why we were able to start a theatre group,” said Ghosh. “And I’m glad we’ve been able to keep it running through the years.”

Cancer charity

Township-based social organisation Club Friday celebrated its annual day at Rabindra Okakura Bhavan recently by handing over a cheque for Rs 1 lakh to Barasat Cancer Research & Welfare Centre.

Club Friday was established in 2010 and has 22 members. Every year it chooses a social cause and supports it financially. “Our centre conducts awareness and screening camps for cervical cancer in places like the Sundarbans and Bangladesh. If a needy woman is detected with symptoms we investigate further and try to conduct her operation free of cost,” said Dr Gopeswar Mukherjee, research and development director of Barasat Cancer Research & Welfare Centre. “It is a huge help if we get funding from such organisations.”

Members of Club Friday light the inaugural lamp. (Mayukh Sengupta)

Treasurer of Club Friday Debjani Chatterjee handed over the cheque and president Dipali Basu addressed the audience: “In the past, Club Friday has helped patients with leukaemia, thalassaemia and children with special needs,” she said.

Dr Partha Basu of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute spoke to the women in the audience about cervical cancer. “This cancer is both preventable and curable if detected in the early stages. Women aged between 30 and 60 should get their Pap Smear test done once every five years for this. Women who have had children very early or who have had many children are more susceptible to it.”

The show was rounded off by singer Lopamudra Mitra’s performance. Underprivileged children of the social group Niharkana Rehabilitation Centre in Dum Dum also danced.