‘Mrigtrishna’- Narrating Familiar Tale in an Unfamiliar Way

“They tried to bury us; they did not know we were the seeds.” – Mexican Proverb

It has been thousand of years that the first man (or woman?) has walked on the surface of the earth. Mankind has moved on from being cave-dwellers and hunters to inhabitants of modern hightech cities. Nevertheless, the primary division of Humankind- Man and Woman-has created inequalities with serious implications, especially for woman who were turned into ‘weaker sex’. Be it Queen of a powerful nation commanding a large army or an ordinary village woman taking care of her family all had to suffer inequality. The shakles of unfreedom differed from woman to woman but is there.

‘MRIGTRISHNA- CHETONAR SEI NIRABODHI SROT’ a play written and directed by a newcomer Srotaswinee Tamuly highlights the internal suffering and struggle of three generations of women placed in different period of time. The play was staged as a part of the ‘Atul Dutta Memorial Event’ organised by the Golaghat Amateur Theatre Society which is celebrating 125 years of its existence this year. The play can be reviewed under following heads:

Plot:

The plot of the play is interesting interplay of mythological past and factual present. It highlights the perennial problem that women have been facing – who or what is the agency that decides the fate of a woman. Be it queen or an ordinary working woman or an aspiring student all of them in a certain point of time have certain fundamental questions which defines their course of action. The opening scene of play-three women of different generations coming out of curtains representing struggle to make a place for themselves and then screaming out symbolises the struggle against the masked character of our society where woman are worshipped in one hand and burned alive at other.

Story:

The story begins at present time where a young student ‘Jharna’ (Uddipana Bora) confronts her mother (Jayasmita Deka) a single working woman. Jharna, for whom her hardworking mother is an inspiration, is eager to explore the positionality of woman in the present society. Her mother’s reply encourages her to explore a less discussed event in the history of the glorious Ahom dynasty which ruled the state of Assam for about 600 years. During the reign of Ahom king Su-Pim-Paa (1493-1497) one of his queens was gifted to a Naga Chief. Jharna’s inquisitiveness to explore more about the incident takes us back to the period where the word of the ruler was the law. The audience is taken back to the reign of Swargadeo Supimphaa (Palash Loying) who is seen busy with the construction of new capital complex and trying to control rebellion within kingdom as well as establish cordial relations with neighbouring kingdoms. He is also seen to have a special attraction towards ‘Nanseng’ (Minakshi Phukan) a kuwari (queen) who is seen to have special place in the heart and mind of Swargadeo as is evident from her active role in the court matters. The active participation of the queen in matters of administration at times draws flank from other queens including the Bor Kuwari or Head Queen (Bani Bora) of the palace. She is daughter of Borgohain (Mridul Kakoti), an influential court official.

The easy going life of the ‘Nanseng’ takes a turn when a Naga Chief ‘Aangappa’ (Bijoy Krishna Bora) visits the court. The Naga Chief was invited by the Swargadeo to see his royal capital as a token of gratitude for saving his life in a battle. However, things take an ugly turn when Nanseng, in a conversation with Swargadeo, showers words of appreciation for young, well-built and attractive Naga Chief Aangappa. These pleasing words of Nanseng for ‘another’ man did not go well with Swargadeo. He began to doubt the intentions of Nanseng as falling for a young and attractive Naga Prince and made up his mind to give her an examplery punishment. He went ahead and asked the Naga Chief to accept Nanseng as gift when would further strengthen the ties between the Ahom and Naga Kingdom. This decision of the king came as a shock not just to Nanseng but to the entire royal family. Nanseng’s tears found little sympathy in a society where the word of the king was the law. Even her father ‘Borgohain’ could do little to console her. Seeing no one on her side she decided to follow her fate and went ahead with the decision of Swargadeo. At the same time the Naga Chief is uncomforatble with the decision of the Ahom king but lacks courage to counter him. He was aware of the impending hardships that the Ahom Princess would have to face in the hills. Besides, he would have to face the questions of his community and the wrath of his wife back home in Naga Hills. Unwillingly he decides to take Nanseng with him inorder to avoid any unnecessary conflict with the ahoms. On the other side, Nanseng is seen lamenting the treatment meted out to her by the majesty for cause not known to her. She is also shocked to see Bor Kuwari remaining quiet even after knowing that she was pregnant and her child might be the next heir to the throne. Nanseng heart is broken beyond any possible repair and the despair on her face is unbearable.

Soon after she leaves the kingdom the King comes to know that Nanseng was pregnant with his child. He laments his decision to punish her with such a harsh punishment. Swargadeo wants to bring back his child but is advised otherwise by Bor Kuwari for whom separating child from his mother would be very cruel. The king is left with no other option but to lament over his decision to punish Nanseng.

Once Nanseng reaches the village of the Naga chief Aangappa she is taken aback by the mesmerizing natural beauty of the hills and the simplicity of the people. For a moment she seems to be freed of all worldy worries and dances to the music of nature - of freedom. She finds strange warmth in the arms of the young Naga Chief. Nanseng explores her new found freedom- Freedom to be Self.

With this we are again brought back to the present day and Jharna is seen lost in the thoughts of Nanseng when she is distracted by her mother. Jharna questions her mother on a number of issues which is usually taken for granted in our society. Her questions have no clear answers.

Music, Light and Settings:

Being a semi- historical play ‘Mrigatrishna’ demanded appropriate music with suitable lights and settings. The music was provided by Shankar Mahanta. The music to a large extent matches the requirement of the storyline. Although a little more use of folk music would have made the play more soothing to hears. The light for the play was arranged by renowed light artist Rafikul Hussien and Ratul Bora while the settings for the play were arranged by Bitul Bora.

The Theme:

The play revolves around the theme of a woman’s sense of agency. The play highlights the futile attempt of the society, at different points of time in history, to exercise control over women. The questions posed by Nanseng or the innocent sounding queries of Jharna all points to the fact that woman’s self rest in her ability to take decisions for herself. Her sense of agency is essential for her to feel in control of her life: to believe in her capacity to influence her own thoughts and behavior, and have faith in her ability to handle a wide range of tasks or situations. Having a sense of agency influences one’s stability as a separate person; it is an individual capacity to be psychologically stable, yet resilient or flexible, in the face of conflict or change. The paly raises significant issues and leaves it to the audience to decide what is best for them.

Being the first play written and directed by a very young writer-director the play has a great potential for improvement. It is just a beginning of a very long journey and deserves to be appreciated for bringing to light a thought provoking issue.

Sumit Sarma

(Sumit Sarma is an Associate Professor of Hemo Prava Borbora Girls' College, Golaghat. He teaches Political Science.)