Dekhasona
Tagore’s Raktakarabi was enacted by members of Salt Lake Dekhasona at Rabindra Okakura Bhavan recently. Directed by the group’s secretary Susanta Gupta, Ipshita Ganguly starred as the protagonist, Nandini.
“During the pandemic, we performed audio dramas on digital mode but the essence of live theatre is incomparable,” said Ganguly. “My journey as an actor started with this group three years ago and offline rehearsals are an experience we are all delighted to have back.”
Kaushik Prodhan, in the role of Bishu Pagol, too delivered a solid performance and the music was enjoyable. “Tagore’s classics are not as popular in Salt Lake today as they once were. We hardly see theatre groups performing his plays now. But the concept of a female protagonist, signifying women’s empowerment, was so ahead of its time in this play that we decided to stage Raktakarabi,” said Gupta. “The light, the sound and the performances made this show a success.”
The event was anchored by member Basu Nath. Haraprasad Chakraborty, who usually directs their plays, was also felicitated. Member Shampa Majumder recited Tagore’s Parichoy.
Aranyak Mojumder
Laughing club
Salt Lake Laughing Club celebrated Rabindra-Nazrul jayanti at FE Park, where they meet regularly for their morning sessions.
Eight elderly ladies began with a dance performance to the Rabindrasangeet Mamo chitte and besides applause, their performance drew some wisecracks. “Do they have life insurance? God forbid if any of them slips and falls!” exclaimed Sujit Mukherjee, eliciting giggles all around.
Their dance teacher Indira Banerjee was supportive. “Earlier at such functions, members used to perform only music, recitation and speeches but this time the elderly members expressed the desire to dance. I used to take dance classes earlier and was so happy with their enthusiasm that even at the age of 78 I decided to guide them,” smiled the lady.
One of the dancers, Chhandasree Roychowdhury, was excited to be on stage. “Dancing is not just a stress buster but it also enhances our memory as we have to memorise the steps. I am dancing after 40 years today,” said the spoken English teacher.
Debraj Sengupta delivered a lecture on Nazrul Islam. “It is unfortunate that a great poet like Nazrul hasn’t received universal recognition across India as he has in Bengal. It is a matter of shame,” said the FE Block resident.
There was a lot of recitation. Indira Banerjee recited Nazrul’s Bidrohi, Namita Dutta Tagore’s Suprabhat and Arghya Banerjee, the only junior participant aged nine, recited the poem Pochishey Baishakh written by his uncle Nilanjan Bandyopadhyay. Guest artiste Ritapa Chatterjee presented a Nazrul song. Secretary of the club Shailen Ghosh also spoke on the contributions of Tagore and Nazrul.
The group has come a long way since its inception in 1996 when only five people were members. “In the early days, passersby would watch our laughing exercises and call us mad,” said founder-member Mukherjee. “Now everyone knows about us.”
Bharati Kanjilal
