Bhubaneswar: For the next six to seven months, I can’t think of repeating any of our well-appreciated plays without Ayas Kanta Swain, and thinking of new plays without him is also difficult, said Manoj Pattanayak, president, Manana Natya Sanstha, with tears welling up in his eyes, while recounting the time he spent with actor Swain at a condolence meeting held at Bulanbhai Seva Bhawan here on Saturday.
The meeting, organised by Manana Natya Sanstha, saw the presence of Himanshu Khatua, CMD of Kalinga TV; Manoj Pattanayak, president of Manana Natya Sanstha; Bankim Chandra Nayak, vice president; Niranjan Sahoo, secretary, Anuj Pattanayak, theatre personalities and Swain’s colleagues and friends.
They offered floral tributes to the portrait of Swain, expressed their grief and prayed for the bereaved family to bear the loss.
The meeting began with the observance of two minutes silence, praying for eternal peace to the departed soul.
The speakers were all praise for his professionalism and dedication to theatre.On this occasion, a proposal for the institution of an award in the name of the departed soul was suggested which was accepted by the theatre organisation.
Swain joined Manana Natya Sanstha in 1990 but got a chance to act in 1993. His first play was ‘Babanam Sarbatra’. Soon, he won the confidence of the theatre group’s president Manoj Pattanayak and became his right hand. He will be remembered for the plays such as ‘Amari Bhagaban’, ‘Surya Paraga’, ‘Balmiki’, ‘Astha’, ‘Tinga Buddha’, ‘Ati Achambita Katha ‘, ‘Panu Pradhanra Chalaghara’, ‘Asustha Aparajna’, ‘Mu Kie’, ‘Bapa Chahun Na Thile’, ‘Thunta Gachhara Chhai’, ‘Pasanda Palabhuta’, ‘Nata Mandapa’, ‘Ghadi Ghadi Ke Ghoda Chhutuchhi’ and ‘Bhima Bhoi’.
Besides his long association with Manana Natya Sanstha, Swain also worked with Kalinga TV and he was popular as ‘Kanduri Jeje’ for his informative and humorous programme ‘Aama Kanduri Jeja’ telecast on Kalinga TV.
Remembering his professionalism, CMD of Kalinga TV, Himanshu Khatua said, “Swain will continue to live in our hearts.”
Notably, Swain along with other artistes of Manana Natya Sanstha had gone to Puri to stage it’s play ‘Aastha’ on the fourth evening of 15th National Theatre Festival organised by Rangashala at Annapurna auditorium in Puri on March 23.Before the final production, the artistes including Swain had a stage rehearsal.
While the rehearsal was going on, before anyone could understand anything, Swain suddenly collapsed on the ground. He was immediately rushed to the district headquarters hospital (DHH). But, it was too late. The doctors declared him dead.
He was 52. He is survived by his parents, wife and a son.
