Assam: Polash Loying-directed ‘Oiya’ selected for National Theatre Festival

A CORRESPONDENT

GOLAGHAT: Renown artiste Polash Loying-directed drama ‘Oiya’ has been selected for the 8th National Theatre Festival of Kolkata organized by the Information and Cultural Affairs Department, Government of West Bengal.

‘Oiya’ reimagines Rabindranath Tagore’s classic short story Postmaster through the lens of Assamese cultural sensibility. The play tells the tale of an urban postmaster sent to a remote village, where he forms a tender bond with a young orphan girl, Yakashi. Their connection, simple, fragile, and deeply human, unfolds in the rhythm of nature, silence, and daily life.

Polash Loing’s dramaturgy retains the soul of Tagore’s narrative while infusing it with a poetic Assamese voice, folk imagery, and theatrical experimentation. The relationship between the Postmaster and Yakashi is not merely one of dependence or care—it becomes a reflection on loneliness, memory, belonging, and the universal search for love and home.

Through ‘Oiya,’ Polash Loing offers a unique Assamese perspective on Tagore’s timeless story. The play is not just an adaptation but a cultural dialogue between literature and theatre, between the urban and the rural, and between Tagorean philosophy and indigenous sensibility. By using rhythm, silence, and poetic symbolism, ‘Oiya’ becomes an exploration of human longing, where separation is as essential as love itself.

The play has been staged by the SHIPAABHOOMI theatre group and continues to resonate with audiences for its lyrical form, emotional depth, and cultural rootedness.

Also read: Abhinav Theatre of Lakhimpur to stage play in National Drama Festival