সৈয়দ ওয়ালীউল্লাহ্‌র নাটকে মানবিক অস্তিত্ব ও সমাজবাস্তবতা : ‘বহিপীর’, ‘তরঙ্গভঙ্গ’, ‘উজানে মৃত্যু’/ Human Existence and Social Reality in the Plays of Syed Waliullah: ‘Bahipir’, ‘Tarangabhanga’, and ‘Ujane Mrityu’

Abstract

Syed Waliullah (1922–1971) occupies an important and distinctive position in the history of Bangla dramatic literature. His plays profoundly portray human existential crises, social inequality, contemporary social structures, religious orthodoxy, conflicts of power, and the individual’s aspiration for an independent self. The playwright’s humanistic perspective is particularly reflected in Bahipir, Tarangabhanga, and Ujane Mrityu. This research paper explores the nature and distinctive features of Waliullah’s dramatic art through an analysis of the themes, characters, conflicts, and dramatic techniques employed in these three plays. In Bahipir, the playwright exposes religious hypocrisy, superstition, the abuse of social power, and human helplessness. In contrast to the imposition of authority in the name of religion, the play highlights individual humanity, conscience, and the assertion of women’s freedom. Tarangabhanga focuses on human inner conflicts, tensions in relationships, conflicts between desire and reality, and changing perceptions of life. On the other hand, Ujane Mrityu gives particular significance to human struggle against adversity, the struggle for survival, the conflict between human beings and fate, and existential crisis. Across the three plays, conflicts between desire and reality, the individual and society, belief and reason, and life and death are expressed in various dimensions. Waliullah’s plays are not merely representations of the social realities of a particular period; rather, they engage with the perennial crises, aspirations, and questions of human existence. The primary objective of this research is to explore the distinctiveness of Syed Waliullah’s dramatic creation, his humanistic philosophy, and his modern consciousness of life as reflected in Bahipir, Tarangabhanga, and Ujane Mrityu.