The award- winning play ‘Eksho Bosta Chal’ (One Hundred Sacks of Rice) has completed its 75th stage show on Wednesday evening at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Presided over by BSA director general Liaquat Ali Lucky, Japanese Ambassador in Bangladesh Masato Watanabe enjoyed the play as special guest. Director of the Theatre and Film Department of BSA Sara Ara Mahmud delivered the welcome speech and director of the play Golam Saroar greeted the guests and audiences.
The play is a collaborative work between Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) and the Japanese Embassy in Dhaka, which is originally written in Japanese by Yuzo Yamamoto, is adapted into Bangla by Professor Abdus Selim and directed by Golam Sarwar.  
Seeing the play Japanese Ambassador Masato Watanabe expressed his view, “I am very much impressed by the ending scene of the play. I have also enjoyed one of the starting scenes, which saw two samurai drinking Japanese ‘Sake’ (Rice Wine), and shouting each others, complaining and laughing. Everything made it to look like two real Japanese samurai are performing on the stage. I congratulate all the performers of this play.” “The play has already been staged for 75 times in Bangladesh, which is really a big number. I hope the play will be staged many more times, may be more than 100 times. I have learnt that the play portrays the value of education”, Japanese Ambassador added.
The play, based on a true story that occurred in Japan about 150 years ago, is set against the backdrop of the transitional period of ‘Shogunate era’ to ‘Meiji’ resurrection. It is a story about one aged samurai, Torajiro Kobayashi, who preached the priority of education over hunger, patience over temporary relief, and importance of developing human resources in building a strong national foundation. The thrilling dialogue between Torajiro and vexed young samurais, who insist, at sword’s point, the desperate need of sufficing today’s hunger, is breathtaking, while brilliantly capturing the essence of samurai spirits as well as the Japanese philosophy deeply embedded in it. Director of the play, Golam Saroar said, “We depict the importance of education, as well as the depth and beauty of the Japanese culture and values through the play. That is why, we use Japanese costume to create a suitable environment that matches with the story of the play.” To note, the play won a prestigious Uchimura Award in 2008, and was accorded a prestigious Japanese award conferred by the Kome-Hyappyo Foundation in 2012. l