67TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF NATYACHARYA SELIM AL DEEN
Remembering the legend through three-day festival
DL REPORTER
Marking the 67th birth anniversary of Natyacharya Selim Al Deen today, theatre troupe Dhaka Theatre and Swapnadal are holding two separate three-day festivals on the premises of the Bangladesh Shilapakala Academy (BSA) in the capitals Segun Bagicha area. The celebration will begin today by placing floral wreaths on the playwrights grave yard at Jahangirnagar University at 10am by the artistes of Dhaka Theatre and Swapnadal.
As a part of the celebration, Dhaka Theatre will today arrange Selim Al Deen National Painting Competition at 3pm at the lobby of National Theatre Hall, where veteran artists Hasem Khan and Sanjeeb Purahit will be present as judges.
At 6:30pm, theatre personalities Mamunur Rashid will inaugurate the festival organised by Dhaka Theatre, while Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor will be present as chief guest. Presided over by Taufik Hasan Moyna, Selim Al Deens widow Begumzadi Meherunnesa Selim will be present as special guest.
Later, the Seilm Al Deen Padak will be conferred at the programme like the previous years. This year, veteran actor Raisul Islam Asad will be honoured with the award.
Later part of the day, Dhaka Theatre will stage Selim Al Deens play Nimajjan directed by Nasiruddin Yusuf at 7 pm at the National Theatre Hall of BSA.
On the second day of the festival, Drama and Dramatics Department of Jahangirnagar University will stage Karbalar Jari, an adaptation from Moharram part from Mir Mosharraf Hossains historical novel Bishad Sindhu, at the Experimental Theatre Hall of BSA. On the concluding day, Dhaka Theatre will present a performance titled Putul Tomar Jonom Kirup based on the characters from the plays written by Selim Al Deen at the Experimental Theatre Hall at 7pm.
On the other hand, with the slogan We expect the golden days of the Bangla Theatre after destroying the chain of the colonialism. Rabindranath is our inspiration and Selim Al Deen is our mate on this way, Swapnadal is also oraganising three-day Natyacharya Selim Al Deen Birth Anniversary Festival 2016 to celebrate the 67th Birth Anniversary of the late theatre legend.
This year, the programme will be dedicated to the memory of cultural personality late Ranjit Kumar Biswas.
On the opening day of the festival, today, Swapnadal will stage Selim Al Deens much-acclaimed play Hargaj at the Experimental Theatre Hall of BSA. Based on a true story, Hargaj is such an experimental work of Selim Al Deen which has been directed by Zahid Repon, a disciple of the playwright.
On the second day, Swapnadal will stage a newly-revived mimodrama Jadur Prodip at the Studio Theatre Hall. Directed by Zahid Repon, the production has been made based on Aladins Magic Lamp of the Arabian Nights.
On the concluding day, theatre personality Ataur Rahman will deliver a lecture on The obstacles for flourishing Selim Al Deens theatre philosophy as well as the Bangla Theatre style and their remedy at 3:30 pm at the Rehearsal Room of National Theatre Hall. Chaired by International Theatre Institute president Ramendu Mazumder, theatre personality S M Mohsin, Selim Al Deens widow Begumzadi Mehrunnesa, JU drama and Dramatics Department Chairman Yousuf Hasan Arko, DU Theatre Performance Studies Department Chairman Sudip Chakraborty and Secretary General of Bangladesh Mime Federation Rezwan Razan, among others, will attend the lecture and discussion.
To note, born on August 18, 1949 in Feni, Selim Al-Deen, known as Natyacharya, joined Jahangirnagar University in 1974 as a faculty in Bangla Department and later on, became the founder chairperson of the Department of Drama and Dramatics of the University.
Shop Bishoyok Golpo (Story about Snakes), his first play in the theatre, was staged in 1972. Dhaka Theatre was founded by him in 1973. Dhaka Theatre, the leading theatre group of the country plays a pivotal role towards progressive drama movement and has staged almost all of Selim Al Deens plays. His plays like Kittonkhola, Bashon, Atotai, Saifulmulk Badiuzzaman, Keramat Mangal, Haat Hodai, Chaka, Joiboti Koinnar Mon, Hargaj, Muntaserer Fantasy, Nimojjan and others enhanced the quality of the local theatre. He passed away on January 14, 2008.
