Assam: Puppet Plays Champawati and Ravana Badh Staged in Guwahati City

GUWAHATI: During the Navami Puja of Shri Shri Durga Puja at Guwahati’s Zoo Road, Surojit Academy staged the puppet play, Ravana Badh, written by senior fellowship recipient from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, Simanta Sharma, along with Champawati (a folktale by Lakshminath Bezbaruah).

The dance performance “Bagurumba” was also presented. The plays were directed by Binita Devi, a recipient of the Ustad Bismillah Khan Youth Award from Sangeet Natak Akademi. Both Ravana Badh and Champawati were well-received by the audience. The puppet performance was flawlessly executed, with no noticeable stiffness in the movements of the puppets. Both plays exhibited all the aesthetic emotions expected in dramatic arts.

The puppetry of characters like Ram, Sita, Ravana, Lakshman, Sugriva, and Jatayu in Ravana Badh captivated the audience. The scene where Hanuman sets Lanka ablaze was particularly entertaining. Successfully staging such a complex narrative with puppets is challenging, but the battle between Jatayu and Ravana was especially moving. The technique used to depict Jatayu’s wing being cut off during the fight with Ravana amazed the audience. Each scene’s puppetry was so skilfully handled that the audience was thoroughly mesmerized, as if caught in a web of theatrical magic. Every dialogue delivered felt like a sweet strike to the heart of literature, drawing the audience deeper into the play’s unique appeal.

There was not a single unnecessary word or superfluous dialogue in either play. In Champawati, the puppetry and emotional projection of the lead characters, Champawati and Mahimama, stirred the audience. The depiction of how Champawati, despite being forced to marry a python under Mahimama’s tyranny, gracefully fulfilled her household responsibilities was heartbreaking, especially in the scene showing Mahimama’s cruel treatment, which brought tears to the audience’s eyes. Each puppet scene was executed beautifully, touching the hearts of the viewers. Binita Devi’s direction was supported by music composed by Papu Gohain, whose melodious score left the audience spellbound. The Bagurumba dance also entertained the spectators.

The puppeteers—Dhruv Jyoti Kalita, Binita Devi, Palak Kairi, Pranab Jyoti Rabha, Hardik Sharma, Karismita Talukdar, Ganesh Boro, Devapratim Goswami, and Simanta Sharma—executed the puppetry, while the voices for the puppets were provided by Swapan Das, Binita Devi, Hriday Jyoti Das, Jiten Boro, Simanta Sharma, and Adishna Rajbanshi. The ability to keep the audience captivated throughout the Durga Puja event is a testament to the skill of director Binita Devi. The dialogues of both plays deeply resonated with the audience, and Simanta Sharma’s contributions deserve recognition.

The plays directed by Binita Devi often engage with social issues, and she also stages spiritual plays. Her body of work is an asset to Assam and will continue to shine for years to come. May Binita Devi’s theatrical journey continue, and may the folk art of Assam, including puppet theatre, thrive on the global stage. We also extend our gratitude to the organizers of the Zoo Road Shri Shri Durga Puja Committee for promoting and spreading Assam’s folk puppetry to the audience, a press release said.

 Also Read: Assam: Immersion of Durga Puja idols peaceful, to continue today in state (sentinelassam.com)

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