A visually impaired man carries a physically challenged one on his shoulder towards a promised end to their miseries. Their journey is hampered due to their differences though. Jealousy, abomination and treachery creep in and the trip ends in tragedy. This is what the play Payanihal (Passengers) by Sri Lankan group Janakaraliya is all about. It will be staged on Sunday at the Academy of Fine Arts as part of the 4th International Theatre Festival organised by Kalindi Bratyajon in Kolkata starting Thursday.

"Janakaraliya means 'theatre of the people'. The performing arts in Sri Lanka go back a long way. After 1983, the good relations between the Tamil and Sinhala populations came to an end. There was mistrust and no joint productions. A gap emerged that we are now trying to fill. Payanihal is a joint collaboration between Tamil and Sinhala thespians. The play is directed by Selvaraj Leelavathy and Ronika Chamalee. .One of them is Tamil and the other Sinhalese," Parakrama Niriella, Director, Janakaraliya, told Times of India.

The Mist, by France's Aleph Theatre, to be staged on Friday, promises to be equally interesting. The play is directed by noted playwright and actor Oscar Castro Ramirez who is on a maiden visit to the city. "I feel exotic. It seems that I am surrounded by brothers from different countries," Ramirez says in French with Alliance francaise du Bengale director Stephane Amalir acting as interpreter.

"Rarely has someone like Ramirez been to such a festival in India. His life is much like Milan Kundera. Ramirez was born in Chile and later imprisoned for two years. This was due to his theatre. He was released on condition that he would leave the country. He sought exile in France. Their theatre is studio-based. Shows end with the audience having meals with the cast and crew," said Bratya Basu, state tourism minister and director, Kalindi Bratyajon. The festival will feature several plays written by him. One of these will be Chotushkon in Hindi by Aakar Kala Sangam, Delhi.

"We picked up Chotushkon as it is translated in Hindi. Such inter-language exchanges are very important. We have added a bit of north Indian touch and five shows have already been completed in several cities," said Suresh Bharadwaj, faculty, National School of Drama and director, Aakar Kala Sangam.

Pakistan's contribution will be 'Stumped' by Napa Repertory Theatre. Directed by Zain Ahmed, it tackles the issue of corruption in the fabric of the nation through the metaphor of cricket. The action is set in the hotel rooms of a fictional national cricket team facing its toughest final match. Prachyanat of Bangladesh will stage Tragedy of Polashbari by director Azad Abul Kalam. This is based on the collapse of a sweater and knitting factory in Polashbari, Savar in 2005 that killed nearly 64 workers. Kalindi Bratyajon will stage 'Boma' by Basu that will depict a little-known controversy regarding the Alipore Bombing case. A group from Burundi will also perform 'Black Beats of Africa'.

"I really don't know where culture really belongs. Is it at the cricket ground, at malls or on television. We are a minority. We are simply striving to do more to promote good theatre," Basu said.
(Times of India)