Lalit Gupta
JAMMU, Feb 5: Unique design, impressive acting and original script were the highlights of another 2019 META Award winning play ‘Agarbatti’, which was staged by Samagam Rangmandal from Jabalpur, M.P., at the Abhinav Theatre Here, today.
Written by Ashish Pathak and directed by Swati Dubey, the play came out to be an artistic reenactment of lives of women who became widows as aftermath of the Behmai massacre committed by Bandit Queen Phoolan Devi and her gang to avenge her own gang rape by the upper-caste Thakur men of Behmai.
The play opens in the Agarbatti (incense stick) factory which was started by the government in order to rehabilitate the widow’s of the massacred Behmai Thakur. The women folk- led by Lala Ram Thakurain, who is still holding on to ashes of her murdered husband-while struggling in coming to terms with their new reality, reminiscence bits and pieces of their respective lives unfold a compelling narrative on patriarchy, caste, class, conflict and politics.
The well designed set, denoting areas such as factory hall room, shrine, veranda, living area entrance, thought full elevations on both sides of the stage, one for child’s cradle and other depicting the low roof-all helped in a creating a gamut of private spaces where women give vent to their grief, anger, erupt into gay abundance and in the end peel off overpowering patriarchy and all other socio-cultural layers; only to remain as women and experience the bonding and collective strength.
The Bundelkhandi dialect of the script interwoven with snippets from every day rural life were enacted with great energy and timing by young actors led by Swati Dubey as Thakurian, The synchronized movements and aesthetic groupings created an immediate connect of audience to the stories and emotions of the characters on stage.
Tomorrow, as the fifth play of the ongoing NIFT 2020, Jammu’s theatre group Rangyatri will present End Game under direction of Mushtaq Kak.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
