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Rural drama groups steal show

Staff Reporter

BERHAMPUR: Plays by rural drama groups continue to captivate audience at the ongoing 16th south Orissa drama festival by their plays related to stark realities of life.

All the seven plays that are to be staged during the drama festival area from extreme rural pockets of south Orissa which bear the essence of undiscovered passion for art which is related to the problems of underdevelopment that they face. Saturday night's play `Pruthivi Kanduchhi' depicted the problem of terrorist violence that has started to affect the rural areas as the gullible youths are being lured by miscreants. Ramesh Parida of Ralab village of Ganjam district wrote this play staged by the Hanuman Natya Sansad of Dharakote. `Dayani', a play enacted by Damayanti Kala Parishad of Kotpad of Koraput district, was the highlight of Friday night.

It brought to life the exploitation of a Paraja tribal woman who is raped by village witch doctor and local politicians after being termed a witch or 'Dayani'.. It was closely related to the life style of Paraja tribals who live in Koraput district and adjoining Chatisgarh. The writer of the play, Chadrsekhar Das and its director Prakash Mohanty, hail from the Koraput district.In the play 'Aliva Nian' that was staged on Thursday by the Matrushakti Cultural Creative from Adaba of Gajapati district a group of youths try to oppose the local touts and corrupt sarpanch at the instigation of a freedom fighter.

The play had a sarcastic ending with scenes of booth capturing in panchayat poll by the corrpt group and the leader of the youth group being arrested in a false case. The writer-director of the play, Rabindranath Mishra is an inhabitant of Adaba, who said his play was based on real life events of his area.

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