Nasiruddin Yusuf Bach’chu one of the pioneers of Dhaka Theater pays rich tribute to his peer Selim al Deen, who died Monday, at the age of 58.
In an exclusive interview with VOA Bangla Service Yusuf says that Selim al Deen was perhaps the best Bengali dramatist after the Tagore era.
His major achievements have been to be able to think out of traditional box and to open new dimensions in Drama. Selim Al Deen, says Yusuf, was unique both in characterization and in the structure of the play itself. He went beyond human characters to such an extent that his characters included different elements of nature.
Nasiruddin Yusuf mentions Selim’s street plays and his village dramas and adds that Selim al Deen was dedicated to spreading drama beyond the traditional theatrical stages. His interest for man and nature, for the long tradition of Bengali society , particularly rural society, his deep insight into newer elements in Drama made him ma dramatist with a difference.
Selim al Deen who was the founder of the Dramatist department in Jahangir Nagar University was unlike the traditional teachers and he imparted lessons outside the bondage of classrooms.
