KATHMANDU, Dec 14: The country has been mired in a prolonged political transition for several decades now. As result, youths have been forced out of the country in search of better opportunities and a better future. Director Pradip Kumar Chaudhary’s short play called ‘Masaantaar’ revolves around the plot that holds political leaders responsible for driving the country to ruins. 

“I was attending a one-month-long workshop at Aarohan Gurukul in Biratnagar when eastern tarai was affected by massive floods. At that time I realized how our government is puny and it depends upon other countries for all kinds of progress. Hence, I wanted to bring out the issue that our political leaders are controlled by other countries through the play,” said Chaudhary.

The play is being showcased at Mandala Theatre, Anamnagar since December 10. 
The one-hour-long play takes the audience into an imaginary countryside called ‘Masaantar’, where some of the villagers have left the place because of ‘paranormal activities’. Nevertheless, one of the characters named Rupak, performed by Sudeep Khatiwada, returns to the village from the city. 

The plot then revolves around the contradiction between a conservative and modern mindset, where the entire village except Rupak have a blind faith on jhakri (shaman). The plot is a reflection of the Nepali society as a whole as people blindly believe on political leaders. Hence, it is metaphorical play where the shaman symbolizes political leaders whereas the ‘Masaantaar’ village is the country.

Apart from the social evil, the play also raises the issue of brain drain as more than four million Nepali youths are engaged in foreign employment. The director added that he had tried to relate imaginary village ‘Masaantaar’ to the country’s current situation, where youths are leaving the country due to lack of opportunities. 

The play is slated to conclude on December 18.