Bangladesh touch for Assam’s historical icon Chilarai 

The North East Regional Centre (NERC) of the Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts (IGNCA) in Guwahati staged a Hindi play titled ‘Mahaveer Chilarai.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Assam’s bid to promote another historical icon after Ahom general Lachit Borphukan has a Bangladesh flavour. 

The North East Regional Centre (NERC) of the Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts (IGNCA) in Guwahati staged a Hindi play titled ‘Mahaveer Chilarai’, based on the life of legendary Koch general Sukladhwaja. 

Sukladhwaja was the younger brother of Naranarayan, the second king of the 16^th-century Kamata kingdom’s Kock dynasty but was more popular as Chilarai, a nickname he earned for carrying out military strikes as fast as a chila, Assamese for a kite. 

The play was the culmination of a month-long workshop and theatrical production project of the NERC. 

Scenes from the play, Mahaveer Chilarai, organised by the North East Regional Centre of the IGNCA in Guwahati.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Among the dignitaries who attended the staging of the play on July 20 was Ruhul Amin, the Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh in India. According to the organisers, Dhaka has taken a keen interest in Chilarai because his brother’s kingdom covered large swathes of present-day Bangladesh. 

The Kamata kingdom was spread across present-day Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar districts of West Bengal, areas up to Kamrup district in Assam, and Rangpur and northern parts of Mymensingh districts of Bangladesh. 

“The theatre project was part of showcasing the life and accomplishments of the legends of the northeast on the national stage. This presentation focussed on Chilarai’s multifaceted personality,” Suresh Goduka, the regional director of IGNCA-NERC said. 

IGNCA member-secretary, Sachchidanand Joshi, who inaugurated the programme, said Chilarai was one of the greatest generals in the world who many Indians are not wary of. 

“The IGNCA has undertaken the initiative for this workshop-oriented play and other such projects to ensure national limelight for the icons of the northeast such as Bir Chilarai and Lachit Borphukan,” he said. 

Himangshu Sharma, Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Award recipient, executed the workshop-oriented production project and directed the play.