Agarbatti - A sample event

Hindi & Bundeli Play with English Subtitles

META Festival - Samagam Rangamandal

Supported by Bajaj Beyond

To rehabilitate the widows of the massacred Thakur in Behmai, the government opened an incense stick factory. Until killing the jailed Bandit Queen of Chambal, Lala Ram Thakurian reserved the last rite ritual to liberate the ashes of her husband via water and organizing everyone while expecting help from Kalli. Damayanti initiated a discussion that why all massacred were only and only men, not women. Series of events, arguments, breakings and imputing illusion leads them to the rare truth that convicts act as if even indirectly causing crime without participation in it, is criminal. Lala Ram Thakurain gets cornered in the argument, and lastly remembering old memories of her childhood, remained as only a woman. Along with the other eight women, she mixed the ashes of her husband into the materials of the incense sticks. Just like nature's justice, the ashes of Behmai were mixed - in the incense sticks. All that remained were women, all nine of them. Liberated from caste, class and gender, remained were burning women and incense sticks.

Cast: Swati Dubey, Shrishti Pogde, Sakshee Gupta, Vanshika Pandey, Pallavi Jadhao, Harshita Gupta, Jina Baishya, Goge Bam, Utsav Hande, Vandit Sethi, Shivam Bawaria, Shivakar Sapre, Mayur Tiwari, Arpit Khatik &Himanshu Tiwari
Writer: Ashish Pathak
Director: Swati Dubey
Light Design: Ashish Pathak
Voice over: Govind Namdev & Babi Baruah