কাগজের গোলাপ

28 Mar, 26
07:00 PM - 09:00 PM
Girish Mancha: Kolkata

Kagojer Golap unfolds during what begins as a normal rehearsal day for students of a school. They are immersed in Rupkothar Kelenkaari, a play that exposes the subtle mechanisms of capitalism – how it creates the binary between heroes and villains and distract the masses, controls their minds, and directs their actions. Suddenly, the outside world intrudes – bombs start falling. The chaos outside mirrors the growing unease within the group, and soon, they are faced with an agonizing choice: to continue rehearsing or to abandon the art they love in favor of survival. Impending threat forces them into a philosophical and emotional dilemma – how much is art worth in such a life-threatening situation? The room fills with conflicting desires – some long to go back home while some have no place to call home. This group, this theatre, is all they have. Even if they die, they want to be surrounded by people, to protect themselves from the loneliness that surrounds them. Overwhelmed with the gravity of the moment, the most internal, almost childlike wishes come up, as everyone thinks of one last thing they want to do before they die: one dreams of dancing to Disco Dancer, another just wants to recite a poem perfectly just to prove one failed attempt cannot define them. These seemingly trivial desires become deeply human in the face of death. As they struggle to make sense of what to do, they are drawn back into the world of their play. In their rehearsal, they explore the themes of the play, which focuses on how capitalism manipulates society by creating the binary of hero versus villain. These fabricated narratives
keep people distracted and docile, allowing those in power to control their thoughts, actions, and beliefs. This subversive commentary begins to mirror the very situation the group finds themselves in – unsure of what’s real and what is made up. Rupkothar Kelenkaari talks about the common mass of people, who are being controlled by capitalism. They find themselves to be similar to these people. Rupkothar Kelenkaari starts from a world we know all too well – those childhood fairy tales of kings, queens, a brave hero, and a wicked villain. We’ve been told stories where the hero’s bravery and velour is unmatched, where good triumphs over evil, and the ending is always happy. The hero wins over the princess and lives happily ever after. But this play takes that comforting narrative and provides a different perspective. Here, the hero isn’t truly heroic, and the villain isn’t simply evil. The capitalist figure, Fatkabajariya, manipulates the entire narrative, deciding who gets to be seen as a hero and who is cast as the villain. It plays with our deeply rooted beliefs, unraveling the simplistic notions we’ve carried from childhood, showing how those in power fabricate stories to control what we think and believe. How at the end of the day, everything is sellable, even our childhood stories, our simplicity, our hope of a happily ever after. At the end of the story, the capitalist ‘fatkabajariya’ was expelled from ‘Rupkotha r Desh’ (‘A country of fantasy’). As if after being expelled he has descended into this country. He is playing with the fate of people of this country now. They come to think of it, who benefits from Wars? Other than Capitalists? Is this another Fatkabajariya who is taking hold of their state now? These people relate themselves to the helpless common people who face nothing but loss and grief in the face of war, while the capitalists keep laundering money. The decision to continue the rehearsal is not an act of denial, but perhaps their only remaining defiance. Each line spoken, each movement on stage, becomes both a refuge and a rebellion. Amidst the face of destruction, there is a tender story at play. A love growing in two young hearts. Two children falling in love with each other. One of them carries a Paper Rose with him everyday, only to give it to the other. But in that particular moment, fear grips them everyday. They patiently waits for that one day, when they will overcome the fear and give the rose to the person of their dreams. But each day, each moment seems the wrong moment, so the rose remains undelivered. Then, without warning, the final bomb falls. Silence follows. Among the debris, all that remains is the lone paper rose – Kagojer Golap, leaving behind the unspoken words and the unrealized love – a symbol of all that was left unsaid, all that was left undone, a deceitful hope. The play is deeply rooted in the overwhelming emotions stirred by the struggles of children in Gaza, who are literally fighting for survival amidst a warzone. This feeling of helplessness and heartbreak haunts us, and it seeps into the art we create. It influences what stories we want to tell. Our stories become a reflection of these emotions, grappling with the questions of hope and despair.
Light : Dhanapati Mondal

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Venue: Girish Mancha

Premium @ ₹300
Stock:: 18 seats
Gold @ ₹250
Stock:: 18 seats
Silver @ ₹200
Stock:: 36 seats
General @ ₹150
Stock:: 116 seats

Venue

Girish Mancha

Baghbazar Kolkata

Organizer & Others

Organizer:Anandapur Samparka Natyodal
Director:
Writer:
Artists: Aaratrika Goswami, Arusha Ghosh, Shatabhisha Sahu, Srimoye moyra, Sneha Bhattacharya, Srijit das, Anushree Banik, Swoipatree Malakar, Ekorshi Sengupta, Aishani Basu, Tanushri Haldar, Suchetna Banerjee, Nayan Mondal, Parthiv Roy, Mayukh Majumdar, Ananda Das, Sparsha Sengupta, Brishti Samaddar, Meghboti Khan, Prama Mandal, Souvik Biswas, Rupkatha Roy, Bhumika Pramanik, Anurima Ghosh, Ananya Biswas, Rupanjali Mukherjee, Ananya Baidya