Success of a stage show largely depends on catching the pulse of contemporary society. Jyotisman Chattopadhyay’s Nagarik did so. The impact was so intense that the play kept spectators rivetted to their seats for an hour and 40 minutes. To celebrate their 31st anniversary, Britya, a Salt Lake-based theatre group, staged the play at BD auditorium.
The play revolves around a couple whose only son has settled in the US with his wife and daughter, and rarely gets in touch with his parents. 

One day, their family friend Lilamoy visits them and offers to reunite them with his son’s family within a week. He would charge Rs 25,000 for that. However incredulous they are at the offer, the old lady presses her husband to spend the money. 

But when Lilamoy brings “the son and his family”, the old man gets upset as he realises that Lilamoy had hired three people to help them overcome their loneliness. Both the couple still adjusts with the strangers, letting them stay on. Lilamoy later admits that they are professional actors who make a living by helping the elderly cope with loneliness. 
In the climactic scene, their real son Indranil enters with luggage, saying that he has a few hours to spend with his parents before he has to catch an afternoon flight. His mother suppresses the identity of the strangers from him. But Kaushik, the actor who plays the son in the make-believe family, blames Indranil for staying abroad, leaving his parents alone in India. 

Indranil is angry but finally gives vent to his own frustration at being unable to return. The play ends with Indranil’s departure and the three actors, Kaushik, Niva and Papiya, getting ready for their next contract.

Nagarik portrayed the pathetic condition of ageing parents in urban families when their only child settles out of town with family. 

“This is the second show of this play. In the last 31 years, we have successfully staged more than 30 productions, tapping the talents of amateur theatre practitioners,” said Bijan Ghosh, secretary of the group.
The play was jointly directed by Arijit Roy and Nandita Chatterjee. “We have chosen this play since loneliness is a major problem in today’s urban life,” said Arijit, while introducing the crew members to the audience. Co-director Nandita Chatterjee said she had a professional background in acting, having worked earlier with the group Kalapi and acted in a telefilm.

Bharati Kanjilal

Festive spirit

BL Block was eight days late in ringing in the Bengali New Year. “Everyone was booked on Poila Baisakh so I decided to celebrate aatoi Baisakh,” laughed the president of BL Block Gopinath Sarkar. 

A wind picked up as the programme started, sparking apprehensions of a replay of the thunderstorm that had caused massive damage to the block as well as the community hall. “Thanks to our decorator for taking extra precaution in erecting the shamiana,” Sarkar said. 

While the stage was in the community hall, the audience was seated outside under the shamiana. Indrani Banerjee, a Rabindrasangeet singer and a student of Sagar Sen, sang a few Tagore songs along with her students. “I have my own institute Rabi Sagar where I have been teaching Rabindrasangeet for 15 years,” she said. 

Suvekshi Basu took the stage next to sing modern songs. Trithnakali Acharya presented a mix of classical and devotional music and Nazrulgeeti. Guest artist Sohini Banerjee also performed. 

The final performance was by Charunandan Institution which teaches recitation, music, drawing and dancing skills to children and has been performing in Bidhannagar Mela (Utsav) and Subhas Mela. “We perform in other blocks too but this block feels like home as I live in neighbouring BK Block,” said Subrata Das, an elocutionist. 

The evening ended with sweets for all. “Our secretary Ashim Saha and I managed to pull off this event in two days. It is a blessing,” Sarkar concluded.

Shrija Bose

Twinkle toes

Payal, a GD Block-based centre for classical and creative dance, celebrated its first annual day at Rabindra Okakura Bhavan recently. 

The opening presentation was a colourful group dance titled Sangam, a fusion of classical forms (Odissi and kathak) and creative steps. 

This was followed by the felicitation of composer Kalyan Sen Barat of Calcutta Choir, Bipasha Mitra from Khola Hawa and Rabindrasangeet singer Banabani Bhattacharjee.

Lauding the inaugural performance, Sen Barat said that the perfect fusion of three different dance styles was a new innovation and that it inculcated the Indian cultural heritage of unity in diversity. This, he said, was the need of the hour. 

“The first requirement of an artist is to be a good human being, and this is a difficult task. We are passing through a critical phase when human values are degenerating. So alongside training students to be creative performers, this centre should instill good values in them,” he said.

The cultural programme began with Guru Vandana by children. Sanchari Samaddar, principal and the key trainer of the school, performed kathak, Odissi and creative dance. Anandadhara was a ballad that brought together Tagore and Nazrul music. It was scripted and direction by Ketoki Bhattacharya, narration by Arup Roy and Ratna Dev and music by Sampayan and Sayani Lahiri.

There was a group dance on the theme of Durga puja called Bairagi kai ma, followed by dances on popular Rabindrasangeet and Nazrulgeeti. Some folk songs of Bengal, popularised by the band Maadal, were danced to also. Bihu, to the song Phagunero mohonay was showcased too.

The school also handed over prizes to students based on their performances in dance exams. Gouri Mondal received the award for earning distinction marks in both Odissi and kathak.

Bharati Kanjilal

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