Academy of Fine Arts

50 years back Utpal Dutta wrote the play wherein events took place in Germany during turbulent days of 1932-33. Play evolved with the murder of a widely respected social reformer and confusion created regarding the identity of the killer.

50 years after, we fictionalise a similar event in present day India using Utpal Dutt’s dramaturgy.

An honest police officer Basanta Karmakar was investigating a bomb blast case that killed six persons on spot. In our play the events unfold through TV channel by news anchor Pranab Goswami on studio and ground reporter hari Rakshit on field. We observe that the outcome of the ongoing investigation is very much unsettling to major section of the ruling class and they want removal of the Officer Karmakar from the bomb blast investigation and release of arrested influential individuals. On the fateful night we followed every step of officer Karmakar starting from submitting evidences against accused persons in the court to his hasty exit to a call to combat terrorists that were infesting throughout the city with their terror acts killing hundreds of innocent people. Finally, the breaking news came. Officer Karmakar is killed in the ambush by the terrorists of foreign origin.

However, ground reporter Hari Rakshit is puzzled and in doubt. He tries to convince the wife of deceased Officer Karmakar regarding the anomalies of the official version of the murder. But now she is completely opposite to her earlier tolerant views.

Next scene opens after 10 years. Lot has changed in the socio-political scenario of the country. All influential accused of the bomb blast case are acquitted by the new investigating team. TV anchors are behaving differently. Hatred is flooding the social media content. Intolerance is now order of the day. Once a martyr, a national hero, officer Karmakar is now criticised in different forums for his biased investigation of the bomb blast.

In the midst of all this we found Hari Rakshit is having a meeting with his fellow colleagues and activists in his Patrika office for arranging a demonstration against killing and nationwide detention without trial of eminent intellectuals and activists. We come to know that Hari Rakshit left TV owing to differences with editor in chief Pranab and joined his father’s Patrika as editor. He started his investigative journalism on murder of Officer Kamakar with active support from wife of deceased officer and authored a book on the very subject. He went to the house of deceased officer Karmar to hand over the book to his wife and tried to pursue her to be present in the demonstration. She was still hesitant to commit. When Rakshit was leaving two youth came riding on a motorcycle and fired. He died instantaneously in the footsteps of Karmakar’s House. Karmakar’s wife remain horror-struck.

The city erupted with protest from students, youths and activists. Karmakar’s wife, coming out of her stupor, joined with other activists. Demonstration took place on podiums lit with candles and youths dancing on the beats of dhamsa, madol, guitar and songs of tolerance.

This is our new barricade with the hope to obstruct the progress of hatred and intolerance, to bring back love and harmony.