27 April,2010 09:23 AM IST | | Priyanjali Ghose
Catch how a love story turns into a tragedy because of socio- political pressures in the English play Four Chapters tonight
u00a0
They met, they fell in love and wanted to live happily ever after. But their dreams came crashing down. Pure idealism and brutal realities destroyed their hopes.
u00a0
If you want to know whether the couple in question did survive the turmoil or not eventually, then you should not miss Four Chapters, an English play by Prakash Belawadi.
"I loved the novel. It is outstanding that Tagore, way back in the 30's, could articulate from that point of view," says Belawadi, the director of the play.
"It is all about what happens when you don't get a rational relief in the existing system.
u00a0
The play shows what happens when you are up against a rotten system but can't penetrate through it," he says.
Four Chapters highlights the way of life, thoughts and expressions prevalent in the Bengal Renaissance period.
u00a0
Though set in the 1930s, the play brings on stage an opportunity that each young soul wants to have, when caught in a turbulent social and economic set up.
The narrative revolves around Ela and Atindra, a couple, who began their journey together on the path of idealism.
Belonging to the middle class intelligentsia, they represent the dreams and the ideals inherent in those Bengal intellectuals who wanted to build an unbiased and liberated society.
u00a0The four chapters of Ela's life are chronicled on stage. It begins with her life as an innocent girl, who believes in a particular ideology.
She meets Atindra and is indoctrinated but soon a phase begins, where she starts doubting the veracity of her beliefs.
u00a0
The play ends with Ela feeling disillusioned and realising that her life is ironically reversed.
Meanwhile, Atindra, a young idealist is torn between his love for Ela and his refusal to accept the cruelties of revolution.
The situation worsens when Ela tries to strike a balance between her personal emotions and the demands of a violent revolution.
"Tagore showed how difficult it is to differentiate between ideology and idealism. The play is about two people who move from doubt to disillusionment from where there is no coming back," Belawadi says.
A love story that ends in a tragedy, Four Chapters mirrors the confusion and the internal battle that youngsters face whenever they try to raise their voices against the establishment.
u00a0
Belawadi has translated a novel into a play that presents a dismal and hopeless reality engulfing two lovers who ultimately accept a dark and inexorable predicament.
In fact, Four Chapters can be termed as the reflection of the disappointments and struggles of a rational young society.
At Ranga Shankara.
Call 99868 63615
On from April 27 to 30, 7.30 pm
Ticket Price Rs 100
Quick Facts
Tagore wrote Char Adhyay in 1934 at the age of 73 from Sri Lanka.
This was the last of his 13 major novels. A mature reflection of the imperial terror and brewing armed resistance, the novel shows the true spirit of Renaissance Bengal.
Prakash Belawadi, the director,u00a0 won a National Award in 2003, for his feature film Stumble.
