Bhopal, Dec 4: On the 3rd evening of ongoing seven-day drama festival organised by Directorate of Swaraj Sansthan in association with Vanya Prakashan, a theatre organisation "Nirman Kala Manch" of Patna (Bihar) staged the famous play "Dharti Aaba" on Tuesday at Bharat Bhawan.

The theme of the play Indian Freedom Movement is the same of all the plays staged and to be staged in the coming days but Dharti Aaba sheds light on the role of a tribal hero in Indian independence struggle, Birchha Munda. The play has been written by Rishikesh Sulabh and directed by Sanjay Upadhyaya. The play tells about Munda, Ho, Uraon and Santhal tribes are found in the forests of Chhota Nagpur.

These tribes have much intimacy with the nature. They believe in their age-old traditions and beliefs so they call the land as Dharti Aaba meant the land is their mother and they regularly worship it. Sanjay Upadhyaya in the first part of the play depicts the personality of Birsa Munda, how he gradually proves himself a dashing and daring hero among his tribe persons by providing protection to their lives and their goods.

These people are innocent, sentimental and naïve enough. This is the reason why they are exploited by the civilised and so-called cultured society even the British also heaped atrocities upon them. The second part of the play opens chapters of Birsa Munda's fighting against local Jamindars and Englishmen. Birsa was not only one such hero rather Siddho-Kanu and Tilka Manjhi also fought against the atrocities, which was done on innocent tribes by the societies elite class and the Britishers.

The small scenes were impressive with dialogue delivery and suitable costume designing. Sanjay evinced his directorial skill by designing the entire scene is not only in sequence by emotive. Those, who played role in the drama with heart and honesty included Suman Kumar, Shaista Rashid, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Laxmi Mitra, Manoj Kumar, Anjarul Huq and Brijesh Sharma. The lighting seemed weak in a few while music, make-up stage decoration all were according to the need of the play.