Durgadas Smrity Sangha Key Issues and
Operational Areas, Major Activiities & Achivements
Operational Districts: South Twenty Four Parganas, Kolkata
Operational States: WEST BENGAL
AchieveMents: We introduce ourselves as a leading theatre group, named in the memory of great stage and film actor Late Durgadas Bandyopadhyay for the last 65 years in the field of drama, art and culture. Since its inception in 1945, apart from other social activities, our organisation is active in preserving and propagating the cultural heritage specially in the field of drama. This is a registered organization under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act and also affiliated to West Bengal State Drama Academy.
Till the end of 2009, the organization has produced as many as 50 full length and approximately 40 short plays. In addition, it has also been engaged in arousing consciousness in the minds of children through free of cost Drama and Recitation classes.
In 1972, the troupe had observed Silver Jubilee year. On this occasion the organisation staged the famous drama FERARI FOUZ written by Utpal Dutta. Many eminent personalities such as Debnarayan Gupta, Manmatha Roy and others were present to grace the occasion. In 1985 the new building of the institution was inaugurated in presence of Smt. Saraju Devi, who was incidentally the co-actress of Durgadas Bandyopadhyay in many films and dramas. The same year, the troupe produced BISARJAN by Rabindra Nath Tagore which was praised by many of the eminent theatre personalities of the state.
1992, the birth centenary of Durgadas Bandyopadhyay, was a special year to the comrades of the troupe which we observed through a-year-long programme. Apart from organizing theatre festival the troupe also conducted different theatre education programmes including seminars / interactive discussion sessions on different aspects of art and culture. This year the organization produced SOROSHI ââ¬â a play written by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. In 1995 ââ¬â the Golden Jubilee year of the organization, the troupe had organized a theatre festival with other allied theatrical activities like organizing seminars, and exhibition of the photographs of several remarkable theatre production of Bengal. The organization had observed centenary of Bretoldt Brechect in 2000 ââ¬â produced BATIKRAM, a play based on the original drama THE EXCEPTION OF THE RULE by Bretoldt Brechect. In order to propagate and preserve the memory of this famous actor, since 2000 we are regularly holding DURGADAS NATYOTSAB. We declare every year DURGADAS SANMAN, an award felicitated to an eminent theatre personality considering the lifetime contribution and achievement in the said field and some of the eminent personalities in this list were Sri Bibhas Chakraborty, Smt. Gita De, Smt.Maya Ghosh, Smt. Preeti Chatterjee, Sri Soumitra Chattopadhyay. We also organise every year Durgadas Memorial Lecture delivered by the famous Theatre Personality.
Currently the troupe has three full-length productions namely AASARER EK DIN by Mohan Rakesh, CHIRAKUMAR SABHA by Rabindra Nath Tagore and AMLA-MADHUR by Harimadhav Mukhopadhyay all directed by Tirthankar Chattopadhyay and two short plays namely MANANSAI and KHELAGHAR written by Ramaprasad Banik and directed by Tirthankar Chattioadhyay in its repertoire.
