Roktakto Prantor by Munir Chowdhury: Summary

The play Roktakto Prantor (translated as Field of Blood) is a Historical Tragedy written by the well-known playwright of Bangladesh, Munir Chowdhury. Even though on the surface, the play seems to be about the third battle of Panipath between the Maratha Hindus and the Muslims, there is actually an underlying romance involving the two main characters Ibrahim Kardi and Johora Begum.

Ibrahim Kardi is a Muslim. It is indicated in the play that before the war took place, he was appointed  in the Maratha Army by the chief Peshoba himself with due respect. He was rejected by armies of all ethnicities including the Muslims and since then he was serving for the Marathas. For this reason, he feels a moral obligation towards the Hindus in the third battle of Panipath against the Muslims, even though his religious orientation is Islam as well.

On the other hand, his wife Johora Begum was the daughter of the deceased Muslim chief. She was fighting for the Muslims under the guise of a fierce Muslim male warrior, Monnu Beg to avenge her father, who died at the hands of the Marathas. Hence, the main conflict of the play was evidently between the two main characters driven by moral obligations rather than the war itself.

Reminiscence: Play with only a single character

[The stage is dark with huge black curtains. A fake ball of light is on the left side of the stage, acting as a full moon. A fake road is to be drawn on the stage with a fenced wall on the left acting as the graveyard. There will be single streetlight at the middle of the stage in the background. The lightings on the stage should be dim to create an eerie night-time vibe. The protagonist is supposed to walk slowly from the right to the left towards the fenced wall. After entering the stage, he stops and speaks.]

Protagonist: I finally decided to meet her. It’s been two years since I last saw her. Her face had been pale and weak, guilt steaking all over it. I was angry. I did not even like to look at her. How could she do it? After all these years being together, after going through all the will and woe. Did I love her less? Did she love me less? What went wrong? Everything was going well. What happened suddenly?

[The protagonist looks at the moon and acts scared and confused.]

Protagonist: I should not have smoked the last one, especially since it was the mint flavored one. Mint always made me dizzy.

Reminiscence: Original Short Story by Afifa Farzana

I finally decided to meet her. It’s been two years since I last saw her. Her face had been pale and weak, guilt streaking all over it.

I was angry. I did not even like to look at her. How could she do it? After all these years being together, after going through all the will and woe. Did I love her less? Did she love me less? What went wrong? Everything was going well. What happened suddenly?

I shook my head to get rid of the sad memories. It was past twelve in the night. The moon was full, a bit too big for my liking. I looked at it without slowing my pace down. The street was empty except for the constant buzzing of the crickets. I did not have to think about bumping into them.

I could imagine faces on the yellow surface of the moon. Was that pity I see? Sympathy? Darn! I should not have smoked the last one, especially since it was the mint flavored one. Mint always made me dizzy.

A dog barked suddenly in the distant, shaking me back to reality. I looked up and saw two dogs on the verge of fighting. Fight. Anger. These human emotions had already begun to go non-existent in me. Maybe that’s what happened to you when you overflow with a pack of emotions at once. The last time I was overwhelmed was the last day I allowed myself to see her.