The Embroidered Quilt

Sohail and Ria, dancing away in Jasimuddin's Nakshi Kanthar Matth

Led by Sohail Rahman and Ria, the short ballet, based on the poem Nakshi Kanthar Matth, reflected the dynamic quality of life in rural Bangladesh. The story revolved around two people who fall in love and finally get married amongst many social barriers.

The crowd laughed aloud at the wise old man of the village (ghatak) who walked all the way to the parents of the lovers to fix the wedding. His authentic dress-up and expressions were so realistic, that the audience was totally awe-struck. The usual games, fights, arguments and fun were portrayed in the ceremony, including the tricks normally played by the young brothers and sisters- in- law.

After the bride departed to her bridal home, the couple prepared to begin a happy life, until a village feud starts up over a plot of fertile land. A fight ensued between the two parties and several people got killed. The husband had to flee his home to avoid further atrocities and leave his newly wed wife. She, on the other hand, waited for him for days, weeks and months, but in vain. She expressed her grief and yearning through the colourful embroideries on a quilt, which a girl traditionally sewed for her husband. The quilt became a pictorial representation of love, passion and endless waiting.

The husband did come back, but the return was futile. She was dead by then, and had left behind only the embroidered quilt for him to see the spectrum of her imagination and feelings. The husband, upon understanding the message, could not bear the pain, and died near the grave of his beloved.

The dance drama was filled with the various elements of our culture marked by the vibrant colours depicting the villages, the costumes, music, dances and the frequent pangs of young love hovering around the green fields of every time and age.