Draupadi draped in modern milieu

dedicated to the memory of nati binodini, the nandikar national women’s theatre festival, kick-started on february 21, at ranu mukherjee auditorium, academy of fine arts. the festival has special attractions. the broad sheet that acts as the brochure of the theatre festival, is also a poster on one side, with pictures of various women theatre personalities from india. sabitri heisnam was felicitated by nandikar and aparna sen handed the silver memento and a cheque of rs 10,001 to the veteran manipuri theatre artiste. there were many questions that were raised by the play. the members of the audience were free to derive their own inferences from the messages upheld by the cast and crew of the play. there were of course significant links to today’s woman,and the many challenges that she is plagued with on a regular basis. the inauguration ceremony was literally a women’s time out (if you may allow the expression). swagatalakshmi dasgupta, bani basu, sabitri heisnam and aparna sen — women from all possible fields of the arts were present. the first play of the festival was draupadi, performed by artists of kalakshetra, imphal. written and directed by h kanhailal the play explores the modern draupadi within dopdi, the tribal revolutionary. the story starts after her husband dulna is killed in a military encounter. dopdi stands as an alter-ego to draupadi, refusing to protest from being ravished by the sentries of the military camp.