GUWAHATI, June 17 � It is common to see a group staging a street play to highlight the social issues, but it is not a familiar sight in the State to see a troupe performing a play at individual houses.
But this is exactly what young theatre personality Ashim Kumar Nath is doing right now. Digressing from the general, he is determined to usher a new meaning to theatre viewing by taking theatre to the house of a common man and make him aware about the happenings around him.
Known for his experimental plays and ideas out of the box, Nath has plans to cover different parts of Assam in his latest experiment named �Ghare Ghare Natak�.
He has started at Sipajhar, and his next destination is Sibasagar, and subsequently other areas of Assam, including Guwahati, would be covered. Titled Praja Oi Jarou Rowa, this 20-minute play, touching on the relevant issues of the times, has been staged at 14 homes and the response has been emphatic.
"I consider theatre as a strong medium to bring about social changes. So I have experimented with the medium and I am grateful to the people at the grass root for they have showed keen interest in my latest venture," said Nath.
What is significant is that Nath has always involved young men and women from rural Assam in his plays. His organization, Sarsa, has produced 12 plays and performed many shows on the street till date. It may be recalled that for one of his plays staged at Seagull Theatre studio some years back, he had used the leaf of the Ahat tree as show tickets.
�People in the villages wait for our drama group. The head of the family welcomes our group with sarai and betel nut and leaf just like they do to welcome a husori group. The play is staged on the courtyard and after the show, the people gather around us and discuss the themes highlighted in the play,� said Nath.
The theme of this play, consisting of 16 characters revolves around rampant corruption, the decay in the system, the impact of mega dams, etc. Retaining his style, Nath has kept all his young actors makeup free and in normal day to day attire.
