Shilpakala to premiere archaeological play 'Mahasthan' today

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) has been producing and premiering plays about famous archaeological sites of Bangladesh for several years. They staged Sompur Kathon and Wari-Bateshwar in 2014. Following the trend, this time, BSA is all set to stage the play Mahasthan, which sheds light on the 2500-year old archaeological site and its distinctive political and cultural heritage.

The play will premiere today at 6 pm followed by another show tomorrow at Mahasthangarh, Shibganj, Bogura. Around 400 theatre artistes and cultural activists are now busy in a three-day (November 20-22) rehearsal to successfully stage the archeological play at the ancient capital of Bengal.

Md Nasir Uddin Ahmed, Secretary to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, will inaugurate the premiere with eminent litterateur Professor Hasan Azizul Haque as chief guest and BSA DG Liaquat Ali Lucky in the chair. Renowned thespians Manchasarathi Ataur Rahman and Professor Abdus Selim; Md Altaf Hossain, DG, Department of Archaeological; Fayez Ahmed, DC, Bogura and Md. Ali Ashraf Bhuyan BPM, SP, of the district will attend the occasion as special guests.

Written by Dr Selim Mozahar and directed by Liaquat Ali Lucky, Mahasthan is an artistic tale of transforming archaeological-history into visual poetry.

“Centering on Mahasthan of Pundranagara, the play portrays the epoch from the arrival time of Mahamuni Gautama Buddha in Bengal to the Liberation War of 1971, together with the region's historical, political and cultural backdrops and its successive changes, evident facts and popular tales,” said Dr Selim Mozahar.