Stage catharsis for Joymoti's ordeal

GUWAHATI: The tumultuous life of Joymoti was given a new dimension at the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra on Sunday when BA, a city-based theatre group, enacted the episode through a play.
The play tried to delve into the feelings and sentiments of the protagonist during the 15 days when she was tortured by the Ahom soldiers on the orders of an Ahom king.Joymoti's character was given a multi-dimensional approach and three characters represented her in the play. The play also threw lights on the history of Assam during her period.
Written by Anup Hazarika and directed by Pakeeja Begum and Hazarika, the play represents the horrendous experience of a person who has been meted out with the harshest punishment through the usage of theatrical liberty and imagination. Eleven artistes were involved in the one-and-a-half-hour play.
"Joymoti and others should be given due importance. It is important to tell the new generation about the historical personalities. Pakeeja and I have co-directed the play and I have designed the set and scored the music. It is an attempt to look at Joymoti from a different perspective," said Anup Hazarika.
"We all know that Joymoti was a historical figure and this play is based on historical episodes. It is not based on other works. She faced 15 days of torture but she didn't say a word about the whereabouts of her husband Godapani. The play is an attempt to speak about her inner journey and her thoughts that she had faced during those days. We have taken theatrical liberty to speak about her experience," said Pakeeja Begum.
Begum played Joymoti while Baabi Baruah and Barnali Borah represented Joymoti in her inner thoughts and journey.