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HomeFeaturesAround TownPlay about Bengal Renaissance has an unlikely hero—man who sculpted Bengali typeface

Play about Bengal Renaissance has an unlikely hero—man who sculpted Bengali typeface

After 20 performances in two years, the play is headed for the 24th edition of the National School of Drama’s upcoming Bharat Rang Mahotsav theatre festival.

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Kolkata: The thunderous sound of hammers striking chisels, reminiscent of a blacksmith’s workshop, serves as the leitmotif of Bengali play Aksharik. From wooden boxes with lids that bang shut to paper boats that sway mid-air — the props in this superb theatrical production come together to tell most vividly the story of Panchanan Karmakar. Born to a family of metal engravers who etched names and adornments on trays and sword handles for a living, this artist lived to sculpt Bengali alphabets into movable typefaces. His creation was a milestone that democratised knowledge, enabling the printing of Bengali literature, transforming education, and sowing the seeds of Bengal’s momentous Renaissance.

The play – which has had 20 performances in just two years  – is now headed to the 24th edition of the National School of Drama’s Bharat Rang Mahotsav theatre festival. It’s a showstopper of a play, directed by Debashish and produced by the theatre group Aneek, which turned 37 recently.

“This is the first time an Aneek play is going to the NSD festival. We are very happy but doubly delighted that it is Aksharik taking us there. It is a special story, a special production and at the end of every show, I have always seen some members of the audience leave in tears,” Arup Roy, Aneek’s secretary and star actor, told this journalist.

Aksharik, Roy added, takes people back to their roots. “Roots that we may have forgotten but roots that are embedded in our genetic memory. Aksharik rekindles those memories.”

Aksharik is bolstered by stunning visuals and evocative scenes | Photo courtesy Aneek Theatre Group
Aksharik is bolstered by stunning visuals and evocative scenes | Photo courtesy Aneek Theatre Group

According to a young woman who had come to watch the play from Delhi, “what makes Aksharik resonate so deeply is its universal theme of belonging.” Through Karmakar’s journey, she added, “audiences see reflections of their own struggles to connect with their roots, even as modern life pulls them in countless directions. The play reminds us that home isn’t just a physical space – it’s a feeling, a memory, and, sometimes, a forgotten name etched in history.” The young lady had never heard of Panchanan Karmakar before and confessed she could barely read Bengali.

A stunning visual experience

The play is based on Panchananer Haraf, a novel by Rajat Chakraborty. In the hands of director Debashish, the stage becomes a dynamic ecosystem of deeply felt passions for land, language and legacy. Debashish, who prefers to go by his first name, is one of the most celebrated theatre directors in West Bengal today, known for his innovative approach and unflinching commitment to storytelling.

His Aksharik is a vividly moving experience, bolstered by stunning visuals and evocative performances.

Debashish, now in his 50s, has been directing plays for around three decades. Born into a family of theatre actors in the Kolkata suburb of Khardaha, he often tells interviewers that he didn’t choose his profession. Given his family background, he simply didn’t have a choice. But once in, he trained with the best, including global masters such as Peter Brook.

Debashish has a troupe called Theatre Platform, which has a stellar repertoire of its own. With a team of assistants – including musicians and set and light designers – he has also positioned himself as a “director for hire”. Debashish has produced landmark plays that began to storm the Kolkata scene about five years ago. Moreover, in September 2024, Tapan Theatre, one of the city’s oldest auditoriums, hosted a festival featuring a dozen plays by the director.

“He is Toshiro Mifune and [Akira] Kurosawa rolled into one,” said Anshuman Bhowmick, a theatre enthusiast and well-regarded theatre columnist. In other words, a complete package. Mifune was a legendary Japanese actor and producer who collaborated with Academy-award-winning filmmaker Kurosawa in 16 films. Their artistic partnership is widely regarded as one of the most influential in the history of cinema.

“After watching the play, the author of Panchananer Haraf said he never imagined his novel could be presented the way Debashish has,” said Tapati Bhattacharjee, Aneek theatre group’s president and an actor in Aksharik. “Debashish’s direction is outstanding.”

Soumen Chakraborty, 25, plays young Panchanan Karmakar | Photo courtesy Aneek Theatre Group
A scene from Aksharik. The play is based on Panchananer Haraf, a novel by Rajat Chakraborty | Photo courtesy Aneek Theatre Group

Also outstanding is Soumen Chakraborty, 25, a rising star in the Bengali theatre scene who plays young Panchanan Karmakar in Aksharik. Roots in Midnapore, he came to Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata to study theatre, joining the Aneek group about four to five years ago. He breathes life into Panchanan Karmakar with his eyes, facial expressions, and hand and body movements. He sculpts alphabets onstage with a hypnotic rhythm, his shoulder muscles quivering with every bang of the hammer on his chisel. Goosebumps is a poor word to describe the range of emotions he evokes in every scene, supported superbly by the play’s 30 other actors.

Soumen Chakraborty’s expressions and body movements breathe life into Panchanan Karmakar | Photo courtesy Aneek Theatre Group
Soumen Chakraborty’s expressions and body movements breathe life into Panchanan Karmakar | Photo courtesy Aneek Theatre Group

Holding it all together is the background score produced by Dhruba Mukherjee. He tells the story of an extraordinary Bengali youth through plaintive, poignant songs. The music takes you back to 18th-century Bengal, poised on the brink of a turbulent, revolutionary chapter of its history.

Aksharik’s journey to Ranchi for the NSD festival is important not just as a hat tip to Aneek the group, Debashish the director, or Soumen Chakraborty the actor. It’s a signal that Bengali theatre, which went through a lull 10-odd years ago, is on a resurgent flight path. And it is zooming past memories of its old glory to achieve new heights. All this despite the fact that theatre remains what Arup Roy called “a minority art”, with negligible government support and zero private sponsorships.

“Theatre, however, remains the most powerful performance art form. Young people are joining not because they will earn good money but because they love theatre and that makes me hopeful,” Roy said. “Bengali theatre is out of the boondocks. The future is positive.”

Aksharik is proof of that and of the enduring power of theatre as a medium of storytelling–even in an age dominated by digital distractions.

(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)

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