Balram Lokonatya Gosthi stages a pala. — Snigdha Zaman

The ongoing traditional theatre festival resumed after a day break through staging of a pala presented by Balram Lokonatya Gosthi from Panchagar.
Soulful presentation of the comic storyline of the traditional pala created humour amongst the houseful audience at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Tuesday.
Troupes from different corners of the country are staging traditional art forms in the festival, which Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy organises biannually to promote the rural artistes.
In the pala titled Choddo Ghosai O Peskatar Sangsar, directed by Babul Chakraborty, 11 male artistes performed of whom six artistes enacted characters and narrated the pala featuring miserable occurrences after an already man marries second time without the consent of his first wife.
The improvisational skill of the actors to address the practice of polygyny was a real entertainer for the audience.  Through the light entertainment of the traditional pala of the North Bengal region, which is similar to sang pala of the Tangail region of the country, the rural artistes in fact presented the demerits of polygyny, which is a comoon practice in the country.  
Rest of the artistes of the troupe played traditional instruments like flute, kartal mandira and dhol.
About the production, director Babul Chakraborty, told New Age, ‘The aim of the pala is to educate people through entertainment. We have staged the performance many times in Panchagarh. And staging of the performance here in Dhaka is of course a different type of experience.’
Shahin Ahmed Jewel, a student of Dhaka University, told New Age, ‘I enjoyed their performance, though sometimes it was difficult the dialect.’ While Rahmatullah, a private service holder, said that play especially the music was very rich and soul striving.