Theatre
Sirajuddaula
সিরাজদ্দৌলা
Sachindranath Sengupta · 1938
Synopsis
In the middle of the eighteenth century, Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent nawab of Bengal, finds himself surrounded by the intrigues of his own court and by the ambitions of the English merchants of the Company. The play makes of him a patriot, alone among his own people, who sees the clouds of the storm gathering over Bengal and sends out across its countryside a call to sons who are asleep.
Context
The play appeared in 1938 and was performed throughout Bengal, on the stage and in jatra, the itinerant theatre. Kazi Nazrul Islam wrote its songs and set them to music. A line about the clouds gathering in the sky of Bengal has remained famous, and the play is still performed in Bangladesh under the title Nabab Siraj-Ud-Doula. A study with the original text appeared in Dhaka in 2009.
Who it is for
A declamatory historical play. It is better to know the history of the English conquest of Bengal. No French translation.
Prizes and reception
The most popular play by its author, and one of the great successes of Bengali theatre and jatra.
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