Director: Tarun Pardhan
Playwright: Rabindranath Tagore
Group: Sarabhuj, Midnapore
Language: Multilingual
Duration: 1 hr 10 mins
The Play
This is a play about man’s passionate cry for spiritual freedom. It captures the yearning of the sick child Amal, who stands in Madhav’s courtyard and talks to passers-by and asks about the places where they go. A romantic at heart, Amal drifts into a world of imagination, away from the cruel reality of his impending death. The play deals with the theme of Death, which according to Tagore, was a form of ‘spiritual freedom’ from the world of greed and discrimination.
Director’s Note
Among the innumerable characters in the play Dakghar by Rabindranath Tagore, the character of Amal has a special place and an individual identity of its own. Dakghar has been translated into many languages and performed in several countries of the world. Keeping the structure of the play intact, certain folk elements have been added to the play. It has been our aim to present an uncomplicated and comprehensible version of the play, thereby ensuring its universality. Keeping in mind the philosophy of Tagore, the play has been dealt with a touch of novelty.
The Director
Tarun Pradhan is a director, choreographer and a performer. He was motivated by Gurusaday Dutta’s Bratachari Movement, and inspired by the eminent scientist Dr. Amitava Bhattacharaya. Along with his Post-Graduation in drama from Rabindra Bharati University, he learned various aspects of performing arts from eminent artist like Sri Sujan Kalindi, Padma Shri Guru Gambhir Singh Muda, Sri Niranjan Goswami, Sri Jogesh Dutta and others. He earned a Gold medal from Calcutta University, was awarded the Young Talent Scholarship and National Fellowship from Govt. of India, and received various awards and felicitations from different renowned cultural organisations in India and abroad. He is a guest lecturer at Rabindra Bharati University and is frequently invited by Paschim Banga Natya Academy as a traditional folk dance, mime and body movement artist. He is invited by, and has worked with, eminent directors, in their dance and theatre groups. He has a huge contribution as a performer, director and choreographer in Sarabhuj, an internationally acclaimed institution.
The Playwright
Rabindranath Tagore (7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath from the Indian subcontinent. He was a poet, musician and artist. He reshaped Bengali literature and music, as well as Indian art with Contextual Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Author of Gitanjali, he was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.
The Group
Sarabhuj, a socio-cultural institution from Rangamati, Midnapore (West Bengal), has been playing an intrinsic part in the revival, propagation and appreciation of traditional folk culture since 1986, under the able guidance of Sri Tarun Pradhan. Sarabhuj is active in promoting social awareness of traditional culture through workshops, seminars, training, fairs, live-demonstrations and documentation. Sarabhuj has performed in many national and international festivals and has represented India in many foreign countries.
Cast & Credits
Amal Udita Maitra
Pisemasai Kallol Dey
Kabiraj Tarun Pradhan
Thakur Da Anuran Sengupta
Daiwala Rupsa Purohit
Prahari Fatik Midya
Moral Surajit Sarkar
Sangat Mrinmay Nag
Sudha Leitanthem Ranjita Debi
Chheler Dal Jayanta Saha, Kallol Dey, Rupsa Purohit, Anup Mallik,
Dut Sambhu Saran
Raj Kabiraj Fatik Midya
Mask Sumit Banerjee
Light Dhanapati Mondal
Music Operator Jayanta Saha
Music Director Tarit Bhattyachariya
Costume Design Tarun Pradhan, Sutapa Awon Pradhan