Back to roots

For most youngsters bangaliana is a cultural baggage they have to negotiate everyday. After all haven’t we all been subjected to it— the ambivalence of the Bong identity.  The dilemma of being a ‘typical’ bong or not being bong enough. When you return from a weekly sojourn to the bazaar your grandma chides you for not knowing your pabda from your parshe but in the middle of a heated debate about the relevancy of reservation in modern India,someone will scorn your political inclinations and snigger: “Spoken like a true bong.”

The Bengali Theatre Festival which was held at the St Xavier’s Collegiate School this Monday,was probably an attempt to confront this very ambivalence. “As students brought up in an English medium environment things tend to become very confusing. At one hand we encourage these youngsters to embrace Western ideas and philosophies,at the other we chide them if they act too westernized. How do we expect them to understand their own culture if we don’t help them to do so?” asks Jolly Bhaskar,a teacher of Bengali at the school and also a member of the organizing committee of the Festival. “The festival was organised to help us understand our culture and language better. We hardly ever use our mother tongue nowadays; leave alone pursue creative thoughts in it. The festival also encouraged creative writing and original plays,” says Animik Roy,a class 12 student of St Xavier’s Collegiate School.

Twelve leading English medium school of the city participated in the festival where Somshuvro Banerjee,a student of St Xaviers, was adjudged the best actor. The best director’s trophy was won by another Xaverian,Saunak Bhattacharya,while the best playwright’s trophy was won by Loreto House.