Angina Jure Bhor Spotlights Gomira Dance and Traditional Folk Arts

In Angina Jure Bhor, the spotlight is on the dying art of mask theatrical dance form, “Gomira” from South Dinajpur, West Bengal. A young research scholar named Nafeez visits Joydeb DebSharma, the owner of an imaginary dilapidated theatre hall, RadhaRani Mancha, located somewhere in North Kolkata. Joydeb, an octogenarian, lives with his blind wife, Damayanti Sen, who is suffering from mild cognitive impairment. He initially shows no interest in helping Nafeez with his research project, but after much persuasion, he finally gives in and starts narrating his story to Nafeez who is immediately drawn into the journey of Joydeb, a young Gomira Dancer from a small village of Khagail in Dinajpur to Kolkata theatre. As Nafeez navigates through the many mysteries of the old theatre hall, and the unparalleled love of Joydeb for Gomira Dance and his ancestral roots. Joydeb has resisted corporates and promoters who have been after him to give up this place for building multiplexes. The promoters, with the help of local goons, set fire to the auditorium with Joydeb within. Nafeez manages to escape from the fire and decides to save the Gomira dance form, honouring the sacrifice made by Joydeb.

Director

Dr. Gaurav Das is a multi-faceted theatre artiste and arts researcher. He also works as a drama therapist with disabled children and provides his services to organizations like Santoshpur Anuchintan performance collective, which also consists of artistes belonging to queer and marginalized communities; and Anuchintan Art Centre to provide opportunities to artists from marginalized backgrounds. Gaurav’s formal training in theatre began with theatre doyen late Smt. Usha Ganguly, and has dedicatedly learnt various indigenous forms of the region. His plays have been staged various national and international festivals. He is a recipient of the prestigious Gender Bender Grant 2023 by Goethe Institute Max Mueller Bhavan, India for his ground-breaking work on gender in theatre.

Director’s Note

Angina Jure Bhor, translates to “dawn across the courtyard,” discusses the courtyard as a sacred space of performance for our folk and traditional artists for hundreds of years, before colonial rule redirected our gaze to the proscenium theatre. Under the influence of Western art, the space is slowly fell into oblivion. In this play, we bring many such rare folk-art forms, especially from the Dinajpur district of West Bengal, which had long been neglected, like the wooden mask dance “Gomira,” the musical theatrical tradition of “Khon Palagaan,” and the “Halua Haluani,” along with the Jatra tradition of Bengal. The production is a story of hope that a new dawn will usher in and light up the courtyards that had been partially overshadowed by darkness.

Group

Aneek was established on 28 December, 1988. It has produced several plays, audio dramas, and special productions that regularly participate in the festivals organised by State Drama Academy and department of Culture (West Bengal), Zonal Cultural Centre (Govt. of India) and in the festivals organised by different group-theatres throughout the country. Aneek has participated in the International Theatre Festivals of Bangladesh since 1999. The group organises an International Theatre Festival – Ganga Jamuna Natya Utsab, various other theatre and cultural activities, seminars, and have received various awards and accolades.