History retold

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A significant period in the history of a nation is retold through ‘Sathyavangmoolam’, the one-act play which brings on stage the Partition of Bengal in 1947. The play directed by Aromal T tries to bring forth the situation of women who lived in the societal framework of that time.Adapting a short story by C V Balakrishnan of the same name, the original work is written by veteran filmmaker and ace theatre person Ritwik Ghatak.“Throughout the play, we never mention either time or space. Through the few terms used by the characters the audience get a cue on what happens and where,” says Aromal. Set as a dramatic monologue, ‘Sathyavangmoolam’ gets unfurled through the ‘affidavit’ of Dabesh Chandra Bagchi, who accepts that he has committed a murder.Bagchi was in love with the daughter of his teacher. But they could never unite and she gets married to an aged feudal moneylender as her father owes him some money.But the genuine love towards Jaya prompts Bagchi to end her life. From his point of view, it is the only he can save her from the torments she endured post marriage. As the crux of the plot lies at conveying the situation of women in a feudal setup, an inclination towards feminist perspective could be spotted as the play proceeds.The dramatist has also added his observation into the short-story adaptation while converting it into a play. For instance, Bagchi’s loquacious description of Jaya’s beauty when she lies dead conveys the necrophilia developed towards the corpse. “Nowhere in the literature such a mental framework of Bagchi is described. Meanwhile, there were a few lines on the way he speaks on her beauty after she is dead. That feeling in his mind is interpreted as necrophilia,” says Aromal. The play showcases three perspectives towards Bengal Partition represented by Bagchi, his conscience and Ghatak himself.Theatre artist Santhosh G Nair enacted the lead character in the play produced under the banner of Kanal Samskarika Vedi.