BHUBANESWAR: The play opens with three men in wait of their host. As the tension begins to build, they strike an idea of narrating their most memorable and best kept secret to kill time.
As the three end their accounts, the host presents herself. To the shock of everyone, she is the very woman who had come into their lives at different times __ loved, betrayed, used and spurned before finding an actual anchor in a childhood mate.
And, the jam-packed audience at Bhanja Kala Mandap were jolted into reality. For over an hour and a half, they had been transported into the world woven by Pranabandhu Kar in “Eka Maati Aneka Akasha”, becoming the characters themselves.
The play was presented by Shatabdira Kalakar in commemoration of the birth centenary celebration of the eminent playwright and short story writer. One of the unpublished works of Kar, which was released recently, the play reflected the very style of the pioneering Odia writer that sought to explore the psychological reactions of his characters rather than narrating the situations directly. His works compelled the audience or reader transcend reality and be the part of the narrative.
Academician and critic Dr Hemant Kumar Das said Kar was a trendsetter who gave Odia plays a whole new form and meaning. “Before he stormed into the scene, the plays were based on mythology and the Leelas, and the trend of social plays was in its nascent stage. He spearheaded the movement for plays based on the contemporary settings of his time,” he said.
He, however, rued that Kar did not exploit his creative potential to the fullest. “Quantity along with quality is a must for any creative person but he has left us with only 51 short stories, 35 one-act plays and five full length dramas along with a handful of adaptation of classics into drama,” he added.
US-based technocrat and eldest son of Kar, Dr Gitimoy Kar reminisced his personal experiences with his father, describing him as an institution in himself. “I discovered my father as a writer far away from home when I found his books in the library at University of California,” Dr Kar said.
The occasion was marked by release of two books “Pranabadhu Karanka Galpa Samagra __ an omnibus of his short stories” and “Charoti Shrestha Nataka”, comprising ‘Sweta Padma’, ‘Ashanta’, ‘Snayu Sanhara’ and ‘Maatira Manisha’, by Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly Narasingh Mishra and Editor of ‘Sambad’ Soumya Ranjan Patnaik. The books have been published by Vidyapuri.
A website on the celebrated litterateur www.pranabandhukar.com designed by Orimark Technologies Pvt Limited was also launched. Shatabdira Kalakar has also announced to stage five plays of Kar at Rabindra Mandap from February 9 to 13 during Kalinga Natya Mahotsav.
Among others, president, Shatabdira Kalakar, Gourahari Das, director Dhir Mallick and Kar’s youngest son and Editor (Odisha) of ‘The New Indian Express’ Srimoy Kar also spoke.