BHUBANESWAR: Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department, Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi, Eastern Zonal cultural centre and Odisha Natya Sangha kick-started a five-day-long national theatre fest titled ‘Purba Ranga’ at Rabindra Mandap here Sunday.
The fest was inaugurated by Ashok Chandra Panda, Minister, Science & Technology, Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disability and Jyotiprakash Panigrahi, Tourism Minister, among others. The story is originally written by Late Girish Kannad and translated by Sukesh Panda.
The story is base on Rani, a young bride who is neglected by her unfaithful and indifferent husband Appanna. He spends most of his time with his concubine and comes home only for lunch. However Rani, who is a typical wife, decides to win over her husband’s affection by any means. So she decides to drug him with a love root which she mixes in a glass of milk.
Unfortunately the milk is spilled on the nearby anthill and Naga the cobra drinks it. Naga who can take the form of a human gets enchanted with Rani and visits her every night in the disguise of her husband Appanna. This changes the life of Rani as she starts to enjoy the good things in life though she never knows that the person with her is not her husband, but Naga.
Soon she becomes pregnant and breaks the news to her husband Appanna. Soon he accuses her of adultery and says that he hadn’t impregnated her. Then the issue is referred to the Gram Panchayat and the Panchayat asks Rani to prove her fidelity by putting her hand in the snake burrow and to take a vow that she hasn’t committed any adultery. Rani puts her hand in the snake burrow and vows that she has never touched anyone other than her husband and the Naga in the burrow. Then she is declared chaste by the village Panchayat.
However, her husband is not ready to accept that she is pregnant with his child and decides to find out the truth by spying on the house at night. Appanna is shocked to see that the Naga is visiting Rani in his form, spending time with her and then leaving the house. Appanna gets furious with the Naga and indulges in a fight with him. Eventually the Naga dies in the fight. After this incident Appanna realises his own mistake and accepts Rani along with the child she is carrying.