The stigma of untouchability still exists in the society, which was showcased through dance drama Chandalika. The play was staged on Thursday at Antarang Hall, Bharat Bhavan as a curtain raiser of Rabindra Utsav 2015. Organised by the Rabindranath Amateur Theatre Group, Bhopal to mark the birth anniversary of a noted poet, the city residents will witness multifarious events for four days.
Under the Rabindra Utsav 2015, the Bhopalites would witness the dance dramas, plays and a rock band performance.
On the first day, Chandalika was staged by artiste Rina Sinha. She gave a splendid performance that mesmerised the audience at the hall. Chandalika is a dance drama that was written by Rabindranath Tagore.
The dance drama narrates the tragedy of ‘untouchability’ in the country. The play is an adaptation from Rabindranath Tagore’s work, Chandalika based on a story from a Buddhist text. This kind of discrimination between the urban and rural community has given an opportunity to the rise of exploitation and agitation among the people.
It talks about a stern step took by a poor untouchable girl ‘Prakrati’. The play focuses on Prakrati on stage and she seems upset and demean. Suddenly, the follower of Gautam Budh ‘Ananda’ appears before her and asks for some water to drink. She tells him of being an untouchable, but Ananda treats her as a normal human being. Being captivated towards him and rejected, Prakriti compels her mother to cast a magic spell on him. In the meanwhile, Prakriti’s heart goes through a change and realising her follies she asks her mother to take back the spell on the cost of her mother’s life. She and her mother ask forgiveness from Ananda and he welcomes them to Buddhism. The audience were awestruck by the performance of the artistes.