The 75th birth anniversary of Bangladeshi playwright and theatre artist Natyacharya Selim Al Deen was observed on Sunday. To mark the day, Swapnadal, a popular Bangladeshi theatre troupe, organised festival titled ‘Selim Al Deen Birth Anniversary Festival’.
Due to ongoing venue closures, this year's celebration has been more subdued, with the traditional procession and flower offerings being scaled down.
With the slogan, “Bangla Natyer Shilpa Sakti Biswa Korbe Joy, Selim Al Deen- Rabindranath Omor Okkhoy”, the festival begins with placing a wreath at the grave of Natyacharya at Jahangirnagar University on Sunday morning.
Later, a special online session was held at 9pm on Facebook Live, featuring discussions on Selim Al Deen's life, work, and philosophy, along with a webinar titled "Selim Al Deen in Direction: The Echo of Dualism in the Playwright's Persona."
The main presentation was delivered by Zahid Repon, founder and chief secretary of Swapnadal. Presided over by Professor Rashid Harun of the Drama and Dramatics Department at Jahangirnagar University, Islam Shafiq, Ali Hasan, Fazle Rabbi Sukorno, and others attended the discussion. The webinar was moderated by senior Swapnadal member and theatre activist Juena Shabnam.
Born on August 18, 1949, Selim Al Deen was the pioneer of the neo-theatre movement in Bangladesh. His plays have been included in the curricula of the University of University, Jahangirnagar University, Jadavpur University and others. His first stage-drama titled “Sarpa Bisayak Galpa”, directed by Amirul Haque Chowdhury and produced by Bahubachan was staged in 1972.
He received different awards, namely, National Film Award in 1994, Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1984, Ekushey Padak in 2007 and others. His play ‘Hargaj’ was translated into the Swedish language, and the play has been staged in Hindi by the Indian Ranga Kormi Natyadal. He was the founder and chairperson of the Department of Drama and Dramatics at Jahangirnagar University.
He passed away on January 14, 2008.
