SHESH BASANTA (transl: The Last Spring) of Naihati Rangasena: a stunning production that speaks volumes.

 

SHESH BASANTA (transl: The Last Spring) of Naihati Rangasena: a stunning production that speaks volumes. [staged on 27 May 2026]

After a long time, I experienced a revealing work of a lesser group and that too, from a group stationed about 45 km from Kolkata. I was stunned to see how a production could be presented exclusively with the help of dramatic elements handled aesthetically and without the use of gimmicks and stunts. It was simply astonishing to find the playmaker Dhrupad Ghosh with sheer ingenuity in designing of the play set aside the numerous limitations that Tapan Theatre poses to put up a spectacle yet devoid of opulence.  

The story ‘Shastha Ritu’ of the kirtan singer Krishnabhamini is one of Samaresh Basu’s outstanding creations. Subrata Nag has done a commendable job in adapting it into a drama, renaming as SHESH BASANTA. For the sake of dramatization, he had to do some extensions of parts of the story which are complemented with pieces of kirtan. Then in the dream sequence and in the last scene on the banks of the Ganges, he has brought in touches of surrealism that give the narrative a hint of spiritualism. He had also introduced a new character like that of the Mokshada, the maid of Krishnabhamini. Through this character he has elaborated the character of Radha. Subrata has kept the form and the flavour of the writer’s literary essence in constructing the dialogues.        

The additions and alterations may have given a sense of completeness to the drama, but at the same time it has prolonged the play, too. But that does not make the viewers tiresome. And that is due to an excellent transformation of the script to its stage form by the maker applying a matured theatrical sensibility to keep up a steady rhythm and pace. There are many a scene and sequence that the viewers would treasure in their memory for a very long time. Especially the composition of the dream scene and in the use of lamps. The dexterous use of the two side steps of the stage and the space in front of the viewers deserve appreciation. It was a treat for the eyes to see the floating of the lamps in the water of the Ganges. And the emergence of the boy Krishna in the last sequence was a laudable application of a theatrical mind, no doubt. The light and the stage designing had no superfluousness in them so the ambience of the drama blended with the steady progression of the play. A very imaginative dress designing gave the viewers a visual pleasantry.

Dhrupad executed the role of Krishnabhamini. A cerebral application in doing the part was evident throughout. In the first part when Krishnabhamini is trying to ignore her age she finds that a ‘heterogenetic tangle develops’ in her voice as she attempts to sing a song, Dhrupad brings about an elderly cracked tone in the voice. As the cast & credit list was not available no names can be mentioned. The teenaged girl in the role of Radha had to take a lot of loads, and did her part as directed. The actor in the role of Gagan needs special appreciation. Every other actor, it was evident, did their parts with full sincerity.

Music is a vital part in this production. Quite a few old kirtans have been used together with few common ones. In the last scene the use of Bhanusingha Thakur’s ‘Marnre tuhu mama shyamasaman’ can be called a brilliant application. The person controlling the sound needs special applause as there were a number of overlapping sounds needed for the sake of the play. And he was successful in this job.

Before ending I should mention that despite some amateurish management problems of the group, they have done wonders that I believe groups, even established ones, should take lessons on how brilliantly a play can be mounted even stationed miles away from Calcutta.

P.S. The reader must have noticed that the storyline has not been discussed. I was so emerged in the making of the play; I found it irrelevant to talk about the story that Basu had written. It was however fitting to stage his story on his centenary year.