Kosal Discussion and Development Forum

Kosli language play “Mau” aims to create record

April 11, 2011 at 5:52 pm sanjibkarmee 1 comment

Following report is from The Telegraph:

Sambalpur, April 10: A Sambalpuri play engrossed thousands of people gathered in Sundergarh. The playMaau was staged on Friday and Saturday evening by Navjeevan, a cultural organisation of Sundergarh.

The play depicted how tribal people became victims of the war between Maoists and the state. It illustrated how a tribal village, where people fulfilled their demands from the nature, had lost its identity due to the crisis.

In a false exchange of fire, a handicapped man loses his life and his sister has to fight to exonerate her brother from the charges labelled against him.

To absolve her brother, she agrees to surrender before the inquiry commissioner appointed by the government to investigate into the encounter. But she kills the commissioner instead, who invites her to a bungalow with lecherous intentions.

The atrocity inflicted on her turns her a Maoist but the innocent eyes of her niece Maau brings her to the mainstream.

Drama aficionados had an opportunity to watch this extraordinary play with a fascinating stage arrangement.

“I had heard about the play where 100 artistes were to act together on an 11,000-square feet stage,” said Parimal Panda, who was present in the audience.

“The story touched me. It was beyond my imagination that a play on such a big stage equipped with advanced technology is possible,” said Panda.

“Earlier, I had the opportunity to enjoy the play in a drama competition in Sambalpur. But, then the play was of one hour with just 15 artistes. But now I saw the play in its bigger form,” said Pradeep Behara, a resident of Sambalpur who had been to Sundergarh to watch the play.

“The performance by the actors was stupendous and the direction was awesome,” he added.

“The thrust of the play comes out in the scene when the protagonist realises that violence is not the solution to any problem,” said Narendra Pradhan, an artiste.

“Twenty female artists, seven child artists and 73 male artists performed on stage. There was a 30-member music team for this play which included seven songs,” said Pradeep Bhol, writer and director of the play.

The organisers of the play have applied for an entry into the Limca Book of Records.

Maroof Raza, a representative from the Limca Book of Records, said he was impressed with the act.

“With the special stage and huge number of artistes, the play has every chance to get an entry into the Limca Book of Records,” he said.

Following is another report from TOI:

BHUBANESWAR/SAMBALPUR: A play with tribal rights and naxalism as its theme is likely to enter the record books by becoming the biggest ever stage show of its kind in the world.

The play, organized by the cultural organization, Nabajiban’, is scheduled to be staged in Sundargarh, 300 km from here, on April 8. An 11,000 square foot stage, modelled on a tribal village, has been created at the Sundargarh civic centre for the play Mau’ in which 100 artistes, including 20 women and seven children will perform for two hours. There will be 50 other artistes who will provide back-stage support.

“Preparations are on for the show for the past six months. It will be the biggest event in the history of drama in the state and it aspires to create a world record,” said Pradip Bhol, president of Nabajiban. A repeat performance will be held at the same venue on April 9.

Nabjiban has been orginizing plays since 1976 as part of the Basant Mahotsav. “We have written to the Limca Book of Records to come and list it. They are coming,” said Bhol, who is also a producer of Oriya movies.

Mau, the central character of the play is a girlchild who has been betrayed and befooled both by the state and the extremists. A seven-year-old girl, Prachestita, plays the character. The language of the play will be Sambalpuri, the most popular dialect in this part of Orissa.

Bhol, who is also the writer-director of the play, said the massive scale was chosen to get maximum attention for the theme, which has affected Orissa and other Indian states badly. It carries the message that violence is no answer to any social problem. Sundargarh district, with a population of over 18 lakh, and bordering Jharkhand, is one of the largest Naxal-dominated districts in the state.

Narendra Pradhan, a lecturer in Sundargarh College, who plays the character of a schoolteacher in the play, said the broader message of the play is how innocent tribals are caught between government’s development plank and the extremists’ violent path. They, otherwise, are peace-loving and content with life.

While LED lights and Dolby digital sound will be used in the play, there will be 12 LCD screens to facilitate viewing for the expected 20,000-strong audience, Bhol said.

Entry filed under: Drama, Kosli Culture, Kosli language and literature, Language, Region watch, Sundergarh.