Parthapratim Deb Explained

Parthapratim Deb^[1] (or Partha Pratim Deb^[2]) is an Indian actor, director, playwright, singer and music composer in Bengali theater. He is a member of Nandikar theatre group since 1986 and also runs his own theatre organization, Baghajatin Alaap, since 2005.

After graduation from the University of Calcutta, he joined Nandikar and contributed in multiple capacities to popular productions such as Nana Ronger Din, Amar Priyo Rabindranath, Madhabi, Nachni, and Panchajanya. His long-standing involvement with Nandikar highlights his commitment to the growth and evolution of Bengali theater.

Deb is known for his musical talent, which sets him apart from many of his contemporaries in Bengali theater. He is among the few actors in Bengali theater who have undergone classical vocal training and can sing on stage. A key highlight in his plays is the usage of music, folk songs and dance sequences, a unique trait in Bengali theater.

Deb joined Nandikar as a trainee in 1986. Over the years, he became a theater trainer there. In addition to his work with Nandikar. Deb founded Baghajatin Alaap, where he conducts regular theater workshops. Besides, he has trained actors all over West Bengal and teaches theater to children professionally. Some children's productions he has directed include Gorabubr Swapno, Indian Idol & Swapna Muhurte (written by Debshankar Halder), Tota Kahini, Light of Asia, Monikatha, Wazeb Miyar Biya, and others.

He frequently travels to train Bengali actors and conducts workshops in other countries, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, Kuwait, Sweden, and Oman to train children as well as adult artists in Kolkata and abroad.

Early life and education

Parthapratim Deb was born in Kolkata, West Bengal, on November 8, 1963. He completed his school education at the Sanskrit Collegiate School. Following his school education, Deb pursued higher education at the University of Calcutta, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He received a scholarship from the Department of Culture, Government of India in 1990.

In 1980, Deb undertook training in Rabindra Sangeet under Shri Goutam MItra. After his graduation in 1981, he started taking classes in Hindustani classical music under singer Pandit Sushil Bose, a student of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan in Patiala gharana. Alongside Nandikar, with the foundation of Baghajatin Alaap, Deb along with his wife Rupa, embarked on the creative journey together. Baghajatin Alaap soon increased in number and performed Bengali theatre across India.

Career outside of theater

Deb has served as a dramatics teacher of the Shri Shikshayatan School, B.D.Memorial International, Ashok Hall Group of Schools in Kolkata, and the G. D. Birla Memorial School and the Aryaman Vikram Birla Institute of Learning in Uttarakhand.

Publications

Deb has published four original plays, including Naachni, Panchajanya, Samparka, and Mufti-e-Azam. These plays are contained in three books named:

• নাচনি (Naachni) is a Bengali play written by Parthapratim Deb that centers around the miserable life of dancing girls in the Indian subcontinent. It was adapted from Subrata Mukhopadhyay's novel Rasik and premiered in 2013 at the Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata. Naachni tells the story of young girls who are condemned to a life of being sex slaves and entertaining the rich and powerful with their dance performances. The production has a rich collection of songs and dances that depict the gore, guilt, poverty, and sexual exploitation in a system controlled by degenerate men (known as rasiks). Deb directed the play and composed its music as well. Some stalwarts of contemporary Bengali theater such as Rudraprasad Sengupta, Swatilekha Sengupta, Sohini Sengupta, and Debshankar Halder.
• পাঞ্চজন্য (Panchajanya) is a Bengali play^[3] written by Parthapratim Deb, named after Panchajanya, a mythological conch of Vishnu that produced the primeval sound of creation. Woven into the storylines of Mausala Parva, Mahaprasthanika Parva, and Harivaṃśa Parva, the play is connects the various episodes of Mahabharata based on the lament of Gandhari – wife of Dhritarashtra and mother to 100 dead sons and her eventual cursing of Krishna. In the play, Gandhari accuses Krishna of leaving the path of Dharma and therefore curses his clan (the Yadavas) to death by in-fighting. The play premiered^[4] on 16 June 2016 at the Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata under the banner of the theater group Nandikar. Deb played the role of the old Krishna in its debut performance, where Sohini Sengupta played the role of Gandhari.
• দুটি নাটক (Duti Natok)
• সম্পর্ক (Samparka) is a Bengali play written^[5] by Parthapratim Deb that revolves around the lives of three generations of men who face a sudden reality check when their old deeds are come back to haunt them in the middle of a happy reunion to celebrate two birthdays. The play premiered on 5 October, 2018, at the Gyan Mancha in Kolkata. Dulal Lahiri and Shantilal Mukherjee played the lead roles along with Parthapratim's son, Rup Deb.^[6]
• Mufti-e-Azam is a Bengali play revolving around the Battle of Karbala between the army of the second Umayyad caliph Yazid I (r. 680–683) and a small army led by Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, at Karbala, Sawad (modern-day southern Iraq). Inspired from Bishad Shindhu by Mir Mosharraf Hossain, this play is yet to be staged.

Theater

As music director, associate music director, lyricist, playback singer

Notes and References

1. Spelling according to The Hindu.
2. Spelling according to The Times of India.
3. News: Basu, Arindam . Panchajanya: Nandikar's Conch of Success on Its 64th Birthday . . 2023-07-03 . 2024-06-18 . English.
4. Web site: Review: 'Panchajanya' Was a Nice Play from Nandikar . The Times of North India. 18 June 2016 .
5. News: Chakraborty, Shamayita . Baghajatin Alaap All Set to Premiere Samparka . . 2018-10-08 . English.
6. News: 2018-07-12 . Dulal Lahiri and Shantilal Mukherjee to Share the Stage . 2024-10-17 . . 0971-8257.
7. Web site: Nandikar (Bengali: নান্দীকার) - Productions . . 2024-10-17 . en.
8. News: Bhowmik, Anshuman . Ties That Bind . . 2023-07-08 . 2024-06-18 . English.
9. https://www.baat.us/kittonkhola Kittonkhola by BAAT (Bay Area Amateur Thespians)
10. https://satf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Screen-Shot-2025-05-09-at-8.00.56-AM.png