What would a person who does not closely follow Bengali theatre would think of when they hear about a play named Marich Sangbad? I am trying to have a grasp of the elements that would come to their mind per se. A story about an age-old Ramayana tradition? I was trying to fathom what they would think and along with that while entering the theatre premises, I was also wondering about the big buzz about Meri Baba in the said theatre. Along with watching films from a very early age, my parents have also introduced me to a gamut of Bengal theatre shows, and from a long time I have been hearing about Meri Baba. Biplab Ketan Chakraborty, a veteran theatre persona and Meri Baba were synonymous in the discourse around Bengali theatre.
It was a sultry afternoon when I entered the Academy of Fine Arts for the show. I have watched several shows of the Chetana theatre group, but this was my first time watching Marich Sangbad.
As the play started, from the lectures that I have attended at Comparative Literature classroom, I could figure out that I was a story within a story structure where a director of Khela (an indigenous, closer home version of play) is dealing with 3 parallel stories. One was Marich, the character from the epic repertoire, another was Gregary, an American citizen and the other one was Iswar, a farmer from Bengal.
The play revolves around the three Marich(s).
It was well pertinent through the different scenes that there are some characters who cannot determine their fate at all. Although their intentions are not at all at fault, they are somehow bound due to the decree of power structures.
The three characters belong to different spatio temporal setup, and different topo’s altogether. But what is important here is how they react to the situations. Among the three Marich(s), the one who could finally revolt and the choice of the playwright in giving agency to the character to revolt, says a lot about how he sees the way social change would spark off.
The three Marich(s) enter the stage with the prop that is pertinent to their space. This is something that is really innovative in my opinion.
Apart from the thespian who is showing the Khela and the three Marich(s), there is a huge role of Meri Baba. This time, it was played by Sumon Mukhopadhyay who did a commendable job. This was the moment where I could really watch the aura of Meri Baba. But readers who haven’t watched the play would find it difficult to figure out who he actually is. But, I would not give spoilers to them. All I can say is it is related to the Panopticon and surveillance that a country has been instrumental in creating around us.
Surveillance, a single word can amount to a major crisis when it closely monitors what you are thinking and what you have written in your very personal space. The play has very poignantly addressed that.
The characters or the 3 Marich(s) somehow rupture the thin line of their spatio temporal difference and intervene in each other’s saga which required the need to call the Adikavi to the space of the theatre. This merging of spaces and realities gave a very amusing turn to the events.
The songs used in the play are equivalent to a masterclass that successfully mocks Meri Baba, and Siya/CIA which you need to find out.
All the actors have tried to do justice to their role, but special mentions must be made of the live music and the musicians who were playing their instruments on the stage.
The play, being a remarkable and popular one, had been houseful on that very day. Many senior personalities who had seen Biplab Ketan Chakraborty’s stagecraft, have been very nostalgic.
I could find out who Meri Baba is, about whom I have heard from very childhood days. It was a magnificent experience, and I would love to know from you, after you watch this play, who you think Meri Baba actually is.
Picture Credit: Explara