Dance-Drama Astitter Sangram (Struggle for existence)

Dance-drama “Astitter Sangram” (Struggle for existence) has been staged at Madhusudan Manch, Kolkata by Swastika Kala Kendra. Let’s go step by step of the story along with photographs as a documentary.

The little boy

Once upon a time, in the heart of a deep forest, there lived a little boy with his parents. His mother and father were hunters, and his father was the chief of the hunters’ community. They hunted animals to survive and to take care of their families.

But the little boy was different. He was kind and innocent. Little boy didn’t know anything about hunting. He didn’t even understand why people hunted animals. He loved the forest—not for hunting, but for its beauty. Every day, he would walk into the woods and sit under a big, old tree. There, he played sweet tunes on his flute.

Little boy and the deer

One bright morning, as the boy played his flute, a little deer came walking by. It was a beautiful young deer with bright eyes and soft fur. The boy was amazed. The deer stopped and listened to his tune. For a moment, they stared at each other. Then, the boy smiled, danced, and played a happy melody. The deer started dancing too. From that day on, they became best friends.

Every day, the boy and the deer played together, bantered, slept side by side, and shared fruits. The boy even made-up new tunes on his flute just for his dearest deer friend.

Hunting preparation

But one day, a hunter from the village saw them and told the boy’s father. The chief saw it as a chance to teach his son the ways of the hunters and prepare him to lead the community in the future. He spoke to the boy’s mother, and they made a plan to hunt the deer.

The next morning, the boy went to the forest as usual, unaware of what was going to happen. The hunters, including his parents, followed him and hid behind the trees. They waited silently for the deer.

Realization of struggle for existence

When the deer arrived, the boy was excited to see his friend. But suddenly, the sound of drums filled the air. The hunters jumped out with their bows and arrows, surrounding the boy and the deer.

“Father, no!” the boy cried. “Please don’t hurt my friend. We play together every day. He trusts me!”

His father came to him and gently said, “My dear, I know this is hard for you. But we must hunt to live. We need food, clothes, and shelter. One day, you will lead this community, and they will depend on you. If we don’t hunt, we will not survive.”

The boy felt a deep pain in his heart. He looked at his deer friend with tears in his eyes. He didn’t want this to happen, but he also understood the truth. Life in the forest was not easy.

Conclusion

Just then, his father shot the arrow. The deer was killed. The boy was heartbroken. He walked back home with the hunters, carrying the heavy truth in his small heart. He had lost his friend—but he had learned the hard reality of life – astitter sangram (Struggle for existence).

The Dancers of Astitter Sangram

The dance drama “Astitter Sangram” (struggle for existence) was choreographed and directed by Smt. Aparna Chatterjee, Principal, Swastika Kala Kendra, Garia, Kolkata. The other participants of the production are as follows:

Little boy: Soumitri Majumder, Deer: Moumita Sen, Chief of the hunters: Md. Kaif Sk., Mother of the little boy: Sweta Naskar, Other members (hunting community): Moumita Maity, Sanchita Raul, Baby Adhikary, Rajdeep Chatterjee, Monotosh Mondal, Riya Dhali, Diya Das, Megha Chatterjee, Samadrita Mandal, Sutapa Mandal, Saptarshi Banerjee, Sukanya Naskar, Satadipa Dani, Debapriya Saha, Anushree Mandal.