A five-day theatre festival started at Jahangirnagar University (JU) on the occasion of the 73rd birth anniversary of Natyacharya Selim Al Deen.
Commemorating the works and endeavours of the best playwright and researcher of the post-Tagore period, the Department of Drama and Dramatics of the university has organised this exceptional event.
On Thursday (August 18), the Department of Drama and Dramatics held a flower procession to mark the birth anniversary.
Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Dr. Md. Nurul Alam, participated in the procession. Veteran theatre personality and one of the founders of Dhaka theater, freedom fighter Nasir Uddin Yusuf Bachchu, Chairman of JU Drama and Dramatics Department, Professor Dr. Israfil Ahmed and other teachers and students of the department joined the march.
After circumambulating important places of the university, the procession ended by placing wreaths at Selim Al Deen's mausoleum near the central mosque.
Various theatre organisations, including Dhaka Theatre, Bhor Holo, Swapnadal, Bangladesh Gram Theatre, Bangladesh Puppet Theater Research and Development Centre, Natyasnatak Mancha, Jahangirnagar Theatre, Taluknagar Theater, Theatre and Performance Studies Department, Dhaka University, Teacher-Student Centre, JU paid floral tributes at the tomb.
Nasir Uddin Yusuf Bachchu said in a short speech after paying tribute to the mausoleum, "Selim Al Deen is not just a playwright, he is a phenomenon. Even after thousands of years of ruling in India, the culture has not been lost. Despite the new evangelism, the language and culture were not lost. The language of religion and culture of the ethnic groups here were not the same."
"That's why even though the British introduced everything in English, Bengal's supremacy was not lost. We have managed to retain our heritage. We have been able to retain this spirit."
Mr Yusuf added, "Selim has retained this tradition of fighting against the colonialism in Bengali plays. From Rabindranath (Tagore) to Selim Al Deen, this struggle is going on against the colonial powers. He was preparing for the overall movement of art and society as well as drama, wanted to make a revolution. It was interrupted by his death but through practicing plays, he is still alive among us."
Chairman of the Department of Drama and Dramatics, Professor Dr Israfil Ahmed, said, "We remember him with deep respect on his 73rd birthday. You are all invited to this five-day theatre festival. Through this theatre festival, we believe that we can reach more people with Selim Al Deen's philosophy."
On the first day of this five-day drama festival in JU, the drama 'Prachya' will be performed at Zahir Raihan Auditorium at 7 pm. After that, dramas 'Kittonkhola', 'Bonopangshul', 'Keramatmongol' and 'Putro' will be screened from August 19 to August 22 at the same time and same place.
Playwright Selim Al Deen was born in 1949 in Feni. He received his PhD from Jahangirnagar University in 1995. Although he played a prominent role in establishing the Dhaka Theatre in his lifespan, he established Bangladesh Gram Theatre in 1981-82 with another great theatre activist Nasiruddin Yusuf to spread the theatre movement across the country.
He established the Department of Drama and Dramatics at Jahangirnagar University and was the Founder-Chairman of the department. This theatre festival is arranged to spread his philosophy to the descendants and devotees of art and culture all around the country.
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