Natyachakra celebrates 32 years

Tania, Lima and Swati in a sequence from the play Madhyambyaog

Each year, as part of its anniversary celebration, Natyachakra encourages two students of the Department of Theatre and Music, Dhaka University (DU) and Department of Drama and Dramatics,Jahangirnagar University (JU) by giving awards--Mojibur Rahman Shanto Smrity Padak and Sergeant Ahad Smrity Padak--for their outstanding result in BA Honours course. This year M Zakaria from JU and Nahida Sultana Swati from DU received the awards.

Theatre personalities Ramendu Majumdar, Mamunur Rashid, Selim Al Deen, and music expert Dr Mridul Kanti Chakraborti delivered speech on Natyachakra's effort for encouraging drama students. Professor Abdus Selim and Mafidul Haque reviewed on the thesis papers presented by the awardees.

After the discussion session, Drama and Dramatics Department of JU and Theatre and Music Department of DU staged Coronation of Meghnad Bodh Kabya and Madhyambayog.

Students of JU staged the first Act of Meghnad Badh Kabya by Michael Madhusudan Datta. The play starts with a scene where a mentor makes his disciples read Madhusudan's Meghnad Badh Kabya. And then through a ritual to show proper honour to the modern epic Meghnad Badh Kabya, director Selim Al Deen presents the epic by applying the narrative technique.

Through narration, choreography, dance and voice modulation the young artistes depict the role of different legends like Raabon and Meghnad of the Meghnad Badh Kabya.

The choreography of the combat scene between the two rival armies was the best part of Selim's direction. However, the students could not do justice to his masterful strokes. Aangik acting ( movements of the artistes) was acceptable, but the Bachik acting (voice modulation) of some of the performers were not satisfactory. There is scope to give the play a more polished shape.

To create the image of Raabon's Sharnalanka (palace), a few stools have been used on the stage. The light design was also very simple but could not co-ordinate well with the artistes.

After the staging of Meghnad Badh Kabya, students of Dhaka University staged Madhyambyaog, an experimental production of the MA students of the Department of Theatre and Music to demonstrate the Sanskrit trend of drama.

Biplab Bala's script is neither an adaptation nor a translation; he has rather rewritten Madhyambyaog in Bangla maintaining the authenticity of Sanskrit playwright Bhasa' original piece.

Madhyambyaog is an example of the class struggle. The ancient playwright Bhasa in his plays successfully introduced human characters for drama. In the myth-based play, we see how Bhima Sen rescues a Brahmin family from a Rakkhash (monster).

Director Wahida Mallik Jolly has partly followed Sanskrit drama trend, which is mentioned in Sanskrit drama critic Bharat Muni's Natyashastra. She has also used the Bharatnatyam for the choreography.

Simple light effects have been used on an empty stage. And classical music has been used in the background.

Swati, Lima and Tania performed well.