The evening started on an optimistic note. It was another attempt at a cross-cultural experience and a reminder that conscious efforts are being made to bridge the gap that is supposedly becoming endemic to the second-glass generation of Indian immigrants in America – all this is too well acknowledged albeit, it was emphatically stressed by Roma and Kusal Chattopadhyay, the founder- members of RK Vision – the organization which took the incentive to bring renowned stage actors from Kolkata, India to host ‘Swarnavilla’, a Bengali play directed by Biplab Chattopadhyay. On 19th July, 2002, the play commenced at 8.15 EST at Watertown Middle High School Auditorium with a welcome speech by Kusal Chattopadhyay. Mr. Chattopadhyay stated that the main aim of RK vision was to incorporate more members of the Indian community in this cultural exchange and to engage in an effort to motivate increasing mumber of Indian intellectuals to come to United States and make a contribution to the concerns and interests of Indians living here.

The play highligted the age-old contradictions which have riddled the human psyche for hundreds of years and the varied ways by which men seek to grapple with them. The story is about Kalyan Ray and Sunanda Sen, two rival businessmen. Apparently, Mr. Ray is going through a major financial crunch resulting in his company, Western Indian Iron Works, being mortgaged by Mr. Sen who is based in Kolkata. Kalyan Ray lives with his wife and daughter in Bombay. Each of the members of his family have their life centered around interests and desires that they consider to be of primary priority and do not seem to be concerned about the subtle concerns that may better their worsening situation. They seem to be caught up in a web of extravagant configurations that seem to be a way of life for them. At this juncture, Mr. Ray, on his way back home from Kolkata, meets a young man who boards the train from Jamshedpur. Mr. Ray learns that this fellow is absconding and that his name is Pradipta. However, the former, through certain means, guesses that this absconding guy is the son of his rival, who had earlier placed an advertisement for his missing son in a local daily. From this point, there is no looking back for the man who feels that his pursuit of a plan to somehow engage his daughter with this guy would definitely result in a reversal of his fortune in the long term. He is successful in bringing his daughter and wife to terms with this reality, only to realize at the very end that his recognition of the guy was flawed and that all his efforts were in vain. His absolute disillusionment at this point makes him renounce all his feelings for this young man, around whom he had centered all his visions and ideas of rebuilding his life.

At the end of the play, an intelligent spectator would not deliberate much on the contents of the play. After all the dramatics, the play had cliched messages to bring into light. This is not to deny that stark truths of living life in a world riddled with complexities that always seem to be incredibly overbearing are focused. What is however impressive and deserves mention is the fact that the whole effort brought together a wide variety of Indian audience who got together to make the evening cherishable with their interaction about a lot of assorted matter – as is always the case. This sense of community which trangresses every form of transnational parameters was the most soothing feeling that I carried away from the evening. I am sure that this was what every member present at the evening felt and would love to experience in the near future. The sense of this coming together of all members of the South Asian community not only inspires a thorough sense of joy but also provides veritable food for thought.

Unfortunately, the director of the play was not very pleased in performing here, simply for technical reasons. He considers the restrictions in audio and lighting as solid barriers for complete artistic satisfaction. The members of the crew including renowned stage and film personality, Sabyasachi Chakroborty agreed to this view. All of them, however, subscribed to the view that performing out of home was not a very difficult feeling, specially because of the audience who were very responsive and encouraging. They all loved to be here and wished to come back again with a wider selection of programs. I would argue that if the community reciprocates faithfully – and by faithfully I mean with dedication to a cause that unites minds who have the same roots in a distant land – this effort would go a long way to bring minds and hearts more closer than ever before.

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