BHOPAL: A Hindi play ‘Chandalika’ that criticises casteism was staged on Wednesday –the third day of the seven-day Vishwa Rang: The Festival of Art and Literature at Ravindra Bhawan.
Directed by Usha Ganguly, the one-hour-twenty-minutes play is based on popular dance drama of the same name, penned by Rabindranath Tagore.
The play also depicts the relation between a mother and daughter, and untouched parts of nature. It defines the various issues of the contemporary world.
The saga of the play revolves around Prakriti (Chandalika), a low caste girl, who for that reason is despised by her neighbours so much that even hawkers in the street would not sell their goods to her. She broods over her destiny and curses her mother for bringing her into the world.
The play was portrayed in a different style with the perfect blend of music including Ravindra Sangeet which delighted the theatre buffs.
The evening session of the day began with the folk song, presented by Nageen Tanvir. Nageen who is daughter of theatre doyen Habib Tanvir presented songs like Sasural genda phool, Chola mati, Gaye dino ka surag lekar, Raja se ho gayi maula bair etc.
The third day of the event was a mix of various events, from poetry sessions to soulful violin music to various discussions and music.
The day kicked off with the violin recital by Amit Malik. He played various hymns like Ram ka gungaan kariye, baaje muraalliya and vaishno bhajan. It was followed by Hindi poetry sessions. Poets from across the country shared their views on various topics through their works. Poet Ritu Raj and Leeladhar Mandloi chaired the event.
A short film Aatm Sambhava based on the poems of poet Gajanand Muktibodh was also screened. It showcased his contribution towards the Indian Literature. A book Shabd Dhwani aur Drashya was launched. It is a compilation of interviews of 11 creators, painters, poets.
A discussion session on Rangmanch ka Nepathya (Backstage of the Theatre) was also held at Swaraj Bhawan. Theatre director Usha Ganguly, lights director Anoop Joshi and art critic Vinay Upadhyay were main speakers of the session. They threw lights on the importance of the backstage in play. They said theatre can’t be imagined without back stage.
