Scenes from “Strir Patra” (top) and “Jonmoshutro”. Photo: Mumit M.

The sixth day (May 26) of the ongoing 1st Dhaka International Theatre Festival saw staging of two plays -- “Strir Patra” and “Jonmoshutro”-- at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Natyabhumi from Agartala, India staged “Strir Patra” at the National Theatre Hall, while local troupe Theatre (Arambagh) staged “Jonmoshutro” at the Experimental Theatre Hall.
“Strir Patra” is an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's short story with the same title. The play brings to light the apathy and unkindness women face everyday in the society. The protagonist of the play, Mrinal, is a housewife living with her aristocratic in-laws in Kolkata. She does not have any particular complaint against the in-laws.
However, the conflict in the story begins when a homeless girl takes refuge at Mrinal's home. Mrinal is particularly sympathetic to the girl, which others in the family do not approve of. Mrinal realises the frailty of women's existence in the society. She leaves home on a pilgrimage and from there she writes a letter to her husband that announces the termination of her relationship with the family.
Sanjoy Kar has dramatised and directed the play. Kar informed that the play was a tribute to Rabindranath Tagore on his 150th birth anniversary. The play premiered at a weeklong Rabindra Theatre Festival in Agartala.
Considering the appalling incidence of gender violence and discrimination against women in general, Kar said that he finds the play still very relevant.
Theatre's (Arambagh) “Jonmoshutro” was written and directed by Gazi Rakayet. This is Rakayet's sixth directorial work and first script for the stage. Divided into two parts, the play deals with the missing identities of two individuals.
Rakayet strives to build the story with the depiction of two different eras and link them with a common theme: class struggle. The first incident is set against the backdrop of undivided Bengal, while the second occurs in recent times.
In the first plot, the elderly Arfan Bhuiyan meets a young couple, Farida and her husband Shakhwat Daroga, at a launch terminal, on a dark night. Bhuiyan has made the terminal his home for many years, as he waits for someone he lost 30 years ago.
The second story follows Alfred Daniel, a British-Bangladeshi individual, who comes to Bangladesh in search of his roots.
The cast included Jahangir Bhuiyan, Khaled Anand, Oliur Rahman, Eusha Antara, Khan Jahangir and Tahmina Aktar.