To mark the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations of Russia and Bangladesh, two Chekhov plays, A Malefactor(Bhar) and The Proposal(Paigam) were recently presented at the Russian Cultural Centre. The translation and stage versions were done by Abdullah Al Rashed and Sirajur Rahman.

Mamunur Rashid, theatre personality, speaking at the function, said that Chekhov, with his plays, Cherry orchard, Three sisters and Uncle Vanya has a special place for theatre lovers in Bangladesh. He said that Chekhov, though a playwright of earlier times, is relevant even today. Dr Shajedur Rahman, another theatre enthusiast, said that Russian litterateurs had shown Bangladeshis the way.

Speaking to director Abdullah Al Rashid, one gathered that he was fascinated by stage plays as a Jahangirnagar university student. Later, as an NGO worker, he came upon the existing Gorky Theatre at the Russian Cultural Centre in 1998, and changed it to the present name, as there was already a theatre group by the same name in Kolkata.

Bhar is based on a short story A Malefactor which deals with a social problem. The plot consists of a passerby, Hatim Ali, who loosens a part in the railway engine in order to make a fishing bait. The lineman takes him to court although the mishap is unintentional. Earlier on, when political activists had removed the line no action had been taken against the political activists. Similarly, he did not complain against thugs who had earlier attacked the train with gunshots. Now, just to appear in the good books of the railway authorities, the lineman takes Hatim Ali to court. The judge concludes by saying the weight (bhar) of the decision is on him, and sentences him to jail.

In contrast is Paigam, a slapstick comedy,

represents two feudal families, who resort to low level intrigues.. They end up having conflicts over their pet dogs. The plot moves around the marriage proposal of Mohabbat (Rubupof in the original) and Dilbahar (Natasha in the Russian text). The plot reveals the quirks in the families such as the flirtatious habit of one of the personalities. Despite all odds the amorous feelings of the loving couple prevail and the play has a happy ending.

The earlier plays presented by the Chekhov Theatre include Aniya and After the ball dance by Maxim Gorky), Chekhov's Marriage day (translated by Ajitesh Bandyapadhyay), Salim Al Din's Shangbad cartoon(written in 1973), a satire in the form of street theatre. They also had a workshop on "Beauty, cruelty, Tolstoy and we".

The group, which has seven years to its credit, practices on three days of the week at the Russian Culture Centre premises. The props in the plays belong to the group. The group provides its own costumes and lighting. There are 20 voluntary actors. So far they have produced seven plays.

The plays went down well with the audience, specially Paigam in the Old Dhaka dialect.