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Linking Young Minds Together
     Volume 2 Issue 147 | December 13 , 2009|


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Feature

A slashing attack on political hypocrisy

Sarah Z H

NORTH South University Cine and Drama Club (NSUCDC) staged Henrik Ibsen's The League of Youth on 18 November. The play aptly translated by Prof. Abdus Selim was adapted on the basis of Ibsen's first open venture in realistic comedy of satirical content. The translation having Syed Shahadat Hossain, an overly ambitious young advocate as the central character, setting his eyes on money and fame resembles the original protagonist of the satire, Stensgard.

Shahadat covets to be the Mayor of the city and plans on using marriage as a lever to wealth, station and influence. Meanwhile Munshi, whose source of wealth remains unknown and Bahauddin Chowdhury, another wealthful contender in the scene are at rivalry. The play evolves to show Shahadat's elusive quality of magnetism leading to the formation of a new political party called 'The League of Youth'.

The characters conveniently given Bengali names like Chowdhury, Munshi, Tahia, Rangana, Salma, Abdul Latif, Hajari and not the least Shahadat kept the audience keenly interested in the play as they watched on. The artistic value of the comedy is greatly enhanced by these characters. The audience received some outrageous entertainment when Shahadat who is known to be courting Munshi's daughter Rangana abruptly decides to marry Chowdhury's daughter Tahia.But the story turns out that, Shahadat is left without any prospective partner in marriage.

'The League of Youth' basically dealing with the fuss and wrangle of politics is a slashing attack on political hypocrisy. The play stops to show that Shahadat who stakes his claim to a public career is one moment this and the next moment that; meaning at the same time he tries to be the big brother of the poor and the little brother of the rich. Later, all the toil of gathering a new party around him and his election plans fail and the audience is left to see his pitiable undoing. The first performance of 'The League of Youth' was on 18 October, 1869 at Christiania theatre.

NSUDC feels honoured to be able to present this flaming political play. NSUDC is also expected to hold a public performance at Shalpakala Academy very soon.

 

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