Volume II,Issue IV, March 2026
Volume-II, Issue-IV, March, 2026 |
Received: 14.03.2026 | Accepted: 16.03.2026 | ||
Published Online: 31.03.2026 | Page No: | ||
DOI: 10.69655/atmadeep.vol.2.issue.04W. | |||
ঋত্বিক ঘটকের নাটক ‘জ্বলন্ত’: সামাজিক অবক্ষয়ের মর্মস্পর্শী ছবি সৌমিক মুখার্জী, গবেষক, বাংলা বিভাগ, কাশী হিন্দু বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, বারাণসী, উত্তরপ্রদেশ, ভারত |
Soumik Mukherjee, Research Scholar, Department of Bengali, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
‘Jwalanta’ is the final play written by Ritwik Kumar Ghatak. The central theme of this drama revolves around a teenage girl from a destitute family who falls victim to the miscreants of society and is raped. Subsequently, she is murdered by being set on fire. The play vividly depicts various anti-social activities—including the smuggling of stolen goods, the looting of railway wagons, and the brutalization of women. The central protagonist of the play is Bishnupriya, while the characters involved in these illicit activities are Raja, Rana, and Feku. Through this work, the playwright endeavors to expose the moral decay plaguing society. He illustrates how women have been subjected to oppression across different historical eras; in this context, he invokes the stories of Sita, Draupadi, and Shakuntala through the medium of song. The playwright highlights the inherent conflict between ancient Indian civilization and modern urban society. He refrains from situating the play within any specific historical timeframe; rather, his primary objective is to underscore the existential crisis confronting society. The erosion of human values takes center stage in this drama. He demonstrates that such anarchy was rampant throughout the entirety of Bengal, leaving the ordinary, destitute masses with no means of escape or survival—they inevitably fall victim to this relentless oppression. At the play's conclusion, following Bishnupriya's death, the playwright addresses the audience directly, asserting that the people must rise in revolt. Only through a collective uprising can a remedy to this situation be found. United public resistance remains the sole solution to this crisis; otherwise, society will plunge even deeper into darkness, and beasts like Raja, Rana, and Feku will continue to snuff out the vibrant young lives of countless girls like Bishnupriya. | ||
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