How to stage kids’ shows in a block where kids have all grown up and left the city for further studies? Why, rope in children of caretakers, who have as rich a talent pool and are a crucial part of the neighbourhood. CD Block staged a dance medley and drama Bankubabur Bandhu, starring a cast comprising almost entirely of children of caretakers, on Navami.
“This year, the dance has 13 children, which is way less than it used to be before the pandemic. But most kids have grown up now and are reluctant to take part either due to studies or because they have left town for college,” said Taniya, the cultural convenor who taught the steps.
Another resident Soumya Mukherjee was looking to direct Bankubabur Bandhu, an adaptation of Satyajit Ray’s short story about an alien. “But I wasn’t getting any actors! So Taniya suggested I take a pick from her dancers.”
Mousumi Halder played the alien. “I wore a blonde wig and silver make-up,” said the Class XI student of Laban Hrad Vidyapith For Girls. She and her friend Sayani Roy, who played a villager, look forward to cultural programmes in the block every puja. “It makes us feel part of the community,” Mousumi said.
Since girls outnumbered boys, they played most of the male roles too. Rahul Kanjilal, a Class V student of DPS New Town, was one of the few male actors, in the role of Bankubabu.