Natak Samagra Vol 2

The volume starts with Bishnu Dey's intrdocution titled Manoj Mitrer Biswaser Jagat that prepares the reader for the collage that awaits them in two sections - Purnanga Natak and Ekanka Natak, the later containing one-act plays while the former complete dramas.

It starts with the famous Sajano Bagan and Bancha its protagonist whose passion for his garden that he had designed from a small patch of land rejected by the owner of the land. But the garden under his loving care flourishes to such an extent that it becomes the matter of envy to the next owner who tries several ways to snatch it from Bancha. Several humourous sequences abound, but the drama carries an underlying message for the love of the land that will be remembered whosoever reads it or watches it. In the next Aswatthama, a mythological play based on the titular character of Mahabharata and set in the last chapters of the Kurukshetra war, it tries to sketch the events in a different light. The mood swings to a lighter note with Rajdarshan, where a materialistic man transforms to a rationale self, thanks to his adventure that Providence allowed him to experience. Then comes the eerie Nekre, the apparition that stalks the evil and fear of the werewolf permeates in the minds of the beholders until the climax that is even more engaging than the plot. In Darpane Saratshashi, the exploitation of women in drama has been narrated set on the day's of Girish Ghosh. Again this excellent compilation lightens the mood but touches on the plight of the poor in Siver Asadhyi, where the Almighty Siva and his family beholds the right and the wrong among the mortals during the festive season of DurgaPuja.

The one-act play section is even more engaging, starting with Sandhyatara, that deals with the everlasting disrespect to the parents by their children whose only interest in the elders remains focussed on the wealth they will be leaving and who doesn't care to give a damn for their sentiments. But the interesting twist in the final pages will no doubt make the reader enjoy this among the rest. Tapur Tupur deals with a more personal issue where a couple tries to evade disgrace in the face of their wretched finances. In the next the Chokhe Angul Dada is brought to trial in the Heaven where the Almighty shows his own faults to which this man was blind so long as he spent the days in Earth just by noting the shortcomings of others. Kaalbihanga is another social drama which seems too short for its completeness but no doubt can convey the message home. A humorous Two-in-One, is not so good as a plot but is only enjoyable due to its unique comedy. Next comes the perfectionist in the bachelor Madan whose humorous plight as he travels to seek fortune from his village leaving his ailing family to the city is narrated by his own lips in Aami Madan Bolchi is both enlightening and enjoyable. Prabhat Fire Esho is a wonderful drama that consists of several stunning twists that shows evolution of characters and the mask they possess.

The entire volume is enjoyble but for the content page that contains several gross mistypes which must be rectified as early as possible.