Badungduppa Kalakendra remembers founder Sukracharjya Rabha on his 5th death anniversary

Guwahati, June 9: Badungduppa Kalakendra organized a day-long memorial event paying regards to their founder and noted Assamese theatre personality Sukracharjya Rabha on his 5th death anniversary on Thursday.

The day began with lighting of the ceremonial lamp, followed by Farkanti, the traditional Rabha ritual of paying homage to someone who has passed away. The ceremony was followed by Sangkirtan, or singing of religious songs and prayers.

The society paid homage to Sukracharjya Rabha by setting up a performance of the drama ‘Madaiya Musi’, which was originally written by HS Shivaprakash, and was adapted and directed by Late Sukracharjya Rabha, who is also well-known for his unique open air theatre festival ‘Under the Sal Tree’.

Madan Rabha, Managing Director of Badungduppa Kalakendra, said: “The Badungduppa family has been observing this day every year since the passing away of our founder Sukracharjya Rabha in 2018. While it is a day of immense grief for us all, it is also a day of strong determination, promise and introspection for us. This day keeps us rooted to our cause, and reminds us to carry forward the legacy built by Sukracharjya Rabha.”

Spearheading the avant-garde movement of ‘Hygiene Theatre’ since its inception in 2008, the founder of ‘Under the Sal Tree’, Late Sukracharjya Rabha - one of the widely respected theatre personalities of the region - organised the theatre festival in the midst of nature to spread the message of the importance of co-existing with nature establishing a symbiotic relationship.

Rabha, a winner of Ustad Bishmillah Khan Yuva Puraskar of Sangeet Natak Akademi, was known across the country for his unique brand of theatre. He died following a cardiac arrest on June 8, 2018. He was 41.

He founded his theatre group, Badungduppa, a rural based theatre centre at his village in 1998 and made a mark as a young talent early in life. And in 2008 he started a unique theatre movement called ‘Under the Sal Tree’ which drew global attention.

Theatre troupes from Brazil, Poland, South Korea, Sri Lanka and from other countries have participated in this unique form of theatre which has been organized at his native Rampur village of Goalpara. The artists would enact their plays under the open sky amidst the tall trees without any electronic gadgets.