Padatik Natya Sangsad's 'Prerona' is a landmark play on autism
There is a girl crouching in the centre of the stage -- with a sketchbook and colors in her hand, she keeps on drawing. She knows that the society does not see her as "normal", she knows that she is not like most others, but that does not stop her from dreaming. Pori still draws.
On the sixth day of Ganga Jamuna Cultural Festival, Padatik Natya Sangshad staged " Prerona."
The play revolves around the story of a 13-year-old Pori and her family. Pori was diagnosed with autism when she was a baby, which completely changed the lives of her parents. Her mother, Mayaboti, has to leave her corporate job to raise Pori and her father, Shanto, distanced himself from the both of them. Mayaboti tries her best to support Pori in everything she does but one can only do so much. Shanto, the father, is a symbol of the typical patriarchal father figure who does not see much worth in investing in Pori or her treatment. He throws jabs at his wife for not contributing to the family income, ignorant about the sacrifices she makes on a daily basis. He forgets to buy his daughter's medicine everyday.
However, there is another side to him- one that is afraid to connect to his daughter, and is fearful of intimacy and broken dreams.
Pori understands it all. Pori is empathetic and sensitive; she is aware the world perceives her. Often, she asks herself why the society holds her in such contempt - she was just born a little different. She cannot express herself in words, so she draws.
With a pencil in hand she turns everything into a canvas- sketchbooks and walls. She feels upset when her parents quarrel over her, toppling over glasses to divert their attention. She is the happiest in her mother's embrace and her father's hand over her head.
The play used recorded voiceovers to depict Pori's inner monologues. Some of the characters, like the teacher and aunt only appear through voiceovers as well. Throughout the play, various clips from documentaries were used to demonstrate snippets from schools for disabled children/special children, to keep the audience aware.
The play portrays societal rejection quite aptly, when Pori's aunt refuses to invite the family over to her home for a party or when Pori's mother talks about the mistreatment they faced, while trying to get her admitted in a regular school. Because even if there are laws to ensure the rights of the disabled people of the country, what is the point if they are not implemented? To not let other children play with Pori, to shun her away?
What good are the laws if the society scrutinises and rejects people like Pori all the same? Those were the questions raised by Mayaboti, Pori's mother.
The story takes a different turn, when Pori wins an award for an international art competition. All of a sudden, her relatives take notice of her. Her father realizes what he had been blind to for so long and her mother, the one person who had been the Pori's pillar of support, smiles with pride.
Pori's recognition somehow dissipates the clouds over Mayaboti and Shanto's marriage. They find happiness and hope and Pori, for the first time calls Mayaboti "ma".
Directed and written by Sabil Reza Chowdhury, this was the second time that Padatik had staged the play. The first was staged on the World Autism Day. but the pandemic brought the production to a halt till Ganga Jamuna Cultural festival this year.
The name 'Prerona' comes from a school for autistic children located in Chittagong with the same name. After witnessing the state of the schools back in 2018, director Reza wanted to write about these people. "I've known people who do not want to bring their disabled children to gatherings simply because people don't welcome their presence. Yet assimilating them with the society means that they must interact with the people. So I wanted to raise a discussion about it all. We must talk. "
The director mentioned that 25% of the total ticket price sale would be given to Sweet Bangladesh, for the fund to aid people with autism. The character Shanto was played by the director himself, the cast included Samia Choudhury as Pori, Sadia Maknun as Mayaboti, Mamun Abdullah and Doli Akhter, among others.
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