BHUBANESWAR: The third day of ‘Purva Ranga 2019’, a national theatre festival, was marked by staging of a Bengali play ‘Byatikram’, which is written by Bertolt Brecht and directed by Rudraprasad Sengupta, at Rabindra Mandap here Monday.
The play was staged by artistes of Nandikar, Kolkatta. The first scene of the drama showcases a rich businessman signing a business deal with an oil firm travelling through Yahi dessert. A navigator and a baggage man accompany him in his journey. However, with each passing day there is shortage of drinking water.
The businessman is terrified due to an impending desert storm. Hence, he kills the navigator to save drinking water. Due to the death of the navigator, both of them lose their way in the desert. Out of kindness, the baggage man takes a concealed pouch of water and takes it to the businessman to quench his thirst. However, the businessman kills him too. At last, the businessman gets a trial for murdering the two people. Nevertheless, the judge in his verdict said that every single man has the right to protect himself and the baggage man’s changed behavior threatened the businessman and hence, he is innocent.
Drama critic Gadadhar Rishi said, “The performance was so lifelike and the script superb. Every scene of the drama is epic and Bret’s write-up is unparalleled. This play is a must-watch as one can understand the issue of social and economical indifference. Bret has smartly showcased the fight between the rich and poor and how economical difference led to power struggles.”