Written by Tagore a century ago, the play directed by Sushanta Mondal saw the troupe of deaf and dumb children from Bodhir Bidya Bhawan take to the stage last evening.
Bringing alive the story of a child Amal, who is ill and thus confined to his home on doctor's orders, the actors created such a vivid picture of his life and desires that the audience burst into spontaneous applause after almost every scene.
"While their cognitive abilities might be limited, they have an incredible power over other senses that makes characters come alive," says theatre artist Mohan Agashe, who starred as Amal as a child artist and was the chief guest on the occasion.
The veteran actor who is also a psychiatrist says he believes the differently-abled children are much better at bringing out the emotions through their acting and expressions on stage.
Director Sushanta Mondal agrees with him. "They don't get distracted at all and work with so much concentration. So, while originally Dakghar is dialogue based, I was confident we could pull it off," he says.
Mondal lists optimism as one of the shining traits of young Amal. "It is through his imagination and will that he can live so much more than what his life allows him," he adds.
In the play, written by Tagore in 1912, Amal is confined to seeing the outside world only through his home's window on account of his sickness. He interacts with the various individuals who pass in front of it as he yearns to travel to see for himself about places he has only heard about. When a post office opens near his home, all the child wants is a letter from the King to set him free.
Meanwhile, he interacts with others through the window and dreams of engaging in all the different activities, even as his disease progresses. (MORE)
