'Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah'
Jatra troupe Shikha Natya Gosthi staged a charity show of its production titled 'Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah' on Saturday at Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
The troupe staged the pala to raise money for medical treatment of its member Victor Daniel. The pala, written by Sachin Sengupta and directed by M Alam, depicts the life of Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, who was betrayed in the Battle of Plassey by Mir Jafar. The pala begins with Siraj ascending the throne on April 1756 at the age of 23.
Young Siraj, who succeeded his maternal grandfather Alivardi Khan as the nawab of Bengal, ruled for little over one year. He sat on a throne full of thorns and faced enemies from within the family as well as outside. The pala gave the audience a glimpse into the short-lived rule of the young nawab, the conspiracies hatched to dethrone him and his defeat at the Battle of Plassey on June 23, 1757.
Siraj's defeat at the battle marked the start of British East India Company's rule over Bengal. M Alim played Siraj ud-Daulah, Dulal Ghosh played Mir Jafar Ali Khan and Chisti Rahman played Ghaseti Begum in the pala. 'We organized the show to raise fund for the treatment of our troupe member Victor Daniel.
His is about 70 years old and very unwell,' Milan Kanti Dey, veteran jatra artiste and member of the troupe, said. 'I enjoyed the show. Though we all know the story, the artistes made the pala entertaining through their performances,' Shuvro Debnath, an audience member, said.
