Binodini, Kadambari.....and Usha

Binodini, Kadambari.....and Usha

The Kolkata stage recently witnessed a number of productions that had been designed to pay homage to womanhood in general and to two ladies in particular who have had a long lasting influence on the Bengali psyche, particularly in the Bengali cultural domain. Of them one lady the legendary stage queen Binodini Dasi is passing through her sesquicentennial year, while the other though not so ceremoniously celebrated is Kadambari Devi, the sister-in-law of Rabindranath whose untimely death left the young poet shattered, not to speak of an indelible scar on the social status of the Jorasanko family.

Behala Anudarshi’s presentation of Ek Nari Kadambari written and directed by Sumana Chakraborty did not indulge in scandal mongering as is perhaps the favourite past-time of us Bengalis, and is more so if it concerns someone from a family that is generally revered by the common man. If it had not been so then pornographic literature scandalizing such personalities would not have topped the best-seller list keeping well researched analytical works far behind. Fortunately the play by Sumana never strode for cheap applause. A story with facts and fiction mixed adequately is told on the stage which brings in different characters like Kadambari’s husband Jyotiridranth, her playmate brother-in-law Rabindranath and other family members from whom viewers get to know the new bride of the Jorasanko Tagores.  Kadambari before ending her life writes a letter to her consort Rabi where she mentions Bindini Dasi as a detractor for her husband Jyoti and she also mentions that Rabi’s recent marriage had left her forlorn. The play never transgresses the modesty of the characters despite a few episodes that is difficult to comprehend.

Binodini is the first actress in this part of the world who had penned an autobiographical sketch entitled Aamar Katha which was published in 1913.  This piece in the form of a number of letters addressed to “Garrick of the East” the great dramatist-actor-director and the father of Bengali stage, Giris Chandra Ghose is a gem of a literary work as is her later work Aamar Abhinetri Jiban. But unfortunately Binodini’s literary talents have been purposefully overlooked by the various theatre historians and this has rightly been pointed out in the introduction by the editors Soumitra Chatterjee and Nirmalya Acharya of a collected works by Binodini. Her experiences and observations have been penned in a lucid style that was certainly much progressive in nature and it adds an important hindsight to the theatre world of the late nineteenth century. Nirbak Abhinoy Academy presented Suranjana Dasgupta in a mono-acting as Binodini in their latest production Aamar Katha. Excerpts from the original work were presented with imaginative innovations.

Yet another play in commemoration of the great actress was presented by Paikpara Aakhor in their latest production entitled Meni (Binodini) o Kolkatar Thiatar. Their earlier production on the life of the great singing star Gawaharjaan was exemplary in every aspect thus it was natural for the viewers to expect a presentation to touch the benchmark or even surpass it. The play concentrated on the different dramas and the different characters the great actress had played. Thus it was a huge workload on Anandi Bose to handle the part. The contemporary theatre scene of the late nineteenth century and the filthy politics played by the then owners and different theatre big-shots was missing thus the play seemed not to have kept in tune to its own title. It was a treat to watch the veteran thespian Asit Bose in the role of Giris Chandra.

The fourth production in our discussion is absolutely different from the other three. Rangkarmee’s Antaryatra is an old production that Usha Ganguly has been doing since the last twelve years perhaps as a soul-searching journey of a theatre worker. One finds glimpses of such legendary productions like Mitti ki Gari, Parichay, Guria Ghar, Himmat Mai and such likes. Simultaneously there is an effort to identify and establish a niche for the woman actor in the social as well as the cultural fronts.

Before signing off it can be said that the Kolkata viewers loved them all.