'Hey Ananta Punnya' is a production that finds its inspiration from Rabindranath Tagore’s drama ‘Notir Puja’, an adaptation of his poem ‘Pujarini’. He has beautifully narrated the story of Sreemati, a dancer in the court of King Ajatashatru. The King had ascetically and ruthlessly established Hinduism as the state religion and kept no stone unturned to wipe off each and every trace of the ideology of Buddha which his father, Bimbisar had pursued and perpetuated. Noti who was a seeker of peace and beauty sacrifices her life at the altar of Buddha - the epitome of love, peace and tolerance.
Buddhism meant much to Tagore at almost every stage of his life. He states that, the compassion, mercy and universal love preached by Buddha have helped to remove barriers men have put up between each other. ‘Hey Ananta Punya’, taking its inspiration from ‘Notir Puja’ and ‘Pujarini’, mainly focuses on the emotional turmoil of a woman torn apart by abstinent social norms and the injustices of religious intolerance. This ballet upholds the belief of Tagore that God can be found through personal purity. The choreographer tries to give a contemporary understanding of Tagore’s work and in her choreography gives an interpretation of the eight fold paths preached by Buddha to attain nirvana or salvation. Through the dance she tries to give a picture of the existing societal condition during those turbulent times and concurrently give a brief glimpse of Buddhist philosophy.
The background musical score of the production, besides the songs of Tagore use Hindu and Buddhist chants. The dance styles that have been used are Manipuri classical and folk and a modern dance form based on the folk and martial dance forms of eastern India and Bangladesh.
Dance direction: Warda Rihab
Main characters:
Nati: Warda Rihab
Rani: Lubna Marium
Utpalparna: Samina Hossain Prema
Ratnavali Tahmina Anwar
The program will begin at 7pm on November 9 at the national auditorium of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
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