Bhubaneswar: The theatre lovers of the capital city were immersed in spiritual fervor as the play ‘Bhabara Thakura’ steeped in Lord Jagannath’s devotion, was staged on the second day of three-day 12th Shwetapadma Odia Theatre Festival, organized by Shwetapadma, one of the premier theatre organisations in the state, at Rabindra Mandap on Friday.
Staged by the artistes of Shwetapadma, the production was written and directed by the institution’s driving force, Pradeep Biswal.
The play opens in the humble dwelling of Dinabandhu Dash, a devout flower of Lord Jagannath living in Abanti Nagar. The opening scene introduces the audience to his family-his wife Malati, son Arabinda and daughter-in-law Sadhabi.
Against the backdrop of a severe drought that has pushed the region into distress, villagers find it difficult to make ends meet.Cashing in on the situation, Shankarshana Samartha, a ruthless moneylender, village usurer, starts exploiting and harassing the residents. On the other hand, Dinabandhu, who is known for his generosity far and wide, starts distributing food grains and money with an open heart and open hand. People begin to see him as a living embodiment of divinity.
To test his unwavering devotion, Lord Jagannath devises a divine trail. Accordingly, he asks Takshak to bite Dinabandhu’s son to death. It happens so. As the grief-striking family Dinabandhu prepares to take the body to the cremation ground for final rites, Lord Jagannath appears at their door step disguised as a saint, seeking a meal with the mourning family members.
Despite being shattered by loss, Dinabandhu upholds his belief that serving a saint is a sacred duty. He asks his wife and daughter-in-law to arrange seats in a line and serve food to all. Moved by Dinabandhu’s unflinching generosity and faith, Lord Jagannath reveals his grace, vanishes, and a divine prophecy echoes through the air. Miraculously, Arabinda is restored to life.
Happiness returns not only to Dinabandhu’s family and also to the drought-stricken Abanti Nagar, reaffirming the triumph of faith, compassion and selflessness.
The writer and director of the play, Pradeep Biswal also portrayed Dinabandhu’s character. During the play, it appeared Biswal completely slipped into the character. Particularly the episode where he following the death of his son interacts with Lord Jagannath stood out as one of the most powerful moments of the play.
Other artistes also delivered their best performances. The ones who need special mention are Dr Ashish Biswal (Shankarshan Samartha), Pranati Mallik (Malati) and Bishnu Panda (Lord Jagannath).
The set was minimalist yet evocative with two simple raised platforms stretching across the stage. Moveable set pieces of a boat and representations of the Holy Trinity caught the attention of the theatre lovers. The stage was designed by Prajnadatta Sahu, music by Shakti Prasad Mishra and light by Abhijit Biswal, all of which enhanced the emotional depth of the production.
Earlier in the evening, the event was inaugurated with the lighting of the auspicious lamp by eminent theatre personalities like Dr Ramesh Prasad Panigrahi, Dolagovinda Rath, Shankar Tripathy and Prasanna Mishra.
On the occasion, OSNA awardee and senior theatre actress Monidipa Mallik and theatre director Hemanta Kumar Mohapatra from Deogarh were felicitated with ‘Shwetapadma Saraswata Samman’. The stage proceedings were smoothly conducted by Bhajakrushna Mohanty and Mukunda Satpathy.
On the stage:
Pradeep Biswal, Dr Ashish Biswal, Bijay Bahali, Dr Ram Chandra Behera, Giridhari Sahoo, Pradeep Pradhan, Bibek Lal, Pranati Mallik, Bishnu Panda, Suchismita Sahoo, Baidyanath, Chandan, Nirakar, Sai and Soumya.
Off the stage:
Writer and Director: Pradeep Biswal, Music direction: Shakti Prasad Sethy, Stage design: Prajnadutta Sahoo, Light design: Abhijit Biswal, Costume: Mama Chitralay and Asst Director: Ayushman Jena
