A play that brings oppression on Dalits in focus

With a robust history of

Hindi

plays in Kolkata, the theatre group Dakshin Ruchirango is gearing up with its new production, Aare, Isne

Sadgati

Nehi Dekhi! Written by Rajatendra Mukhopadhyay, the play is directed by Ruchira Mukherjee. Rajatendra has also designed the costumes and the ambience of the play. It will be staged on the July 10 at a north Kolkata Auditorium.

The play shows life in a remote Rajasthani village, where age-long practises of brutal caste politics have ghettoised its residents. The dominating upper caste uses the only source of freshwater in the village and the

Dalit

villagers are only allowed to fetch water after the upper caste people are done for the day. A Dalit resident, Jhariya, had to fetch a pot of water when her daughter’s fever intensified. Jhariya slipped and fell into the pond and that created a stir in the village. As the story proceeds we see Jhariya is brought to the trial to the house of the village Mukhia. The panchayat unanimously sentences her punishment of walking 14 miles and back for seven days to fetch two matkis of water for the Mukhia household. Throughout the play, several characters reiterate the question, “Aare, isne Sadgati nahi dekhi? (Has she not watched Sadgati — referring to Ray’s eponymous film). The film that revolves around the oppression of Dalits was screened in the village earlier. The fact that Jhariya was not present during its screening made the unquestioned acceptance of discriminatory politics unknown to her.