Girish Chandra Ghosh - An Appreciation Part 4

This prolific actor director had produced many dramas in a span of thirty years. Some of them are masterpieces. When Girish used to write a play, he also used to act in multiple roles so that the characters became living to him. He could smell them, talk to them, hear them and even see them. Once Swami Brahmananda saw him in a pensive mood after writing Mirkasim. When asked the reason he said that the character would not leave him in peace. He was dreaming Mirkasim and could smell the odour of onion and garlic coming from the character's mouth. He wrote 28 songs in one night for one of his plays. He was untiring in his effort and was demanding as well. His actors and actresses would have to give their best, no compromise. For them Girish was a guru, a living god, who taught them everything by picking them up from the gutter. Aparesh Mukherjee, a noted actor who later married co actor Tinkadi Dasi was one of them. Girish's influence did not go away from Bengal stage anytime soon, long after his death he was living reality to most actors and theater artists. While his social plays were full of criticisms for the contemporary social conditions as the drama Balidaan would show, his Nationalistic plays were a major cause of concern for the British. They stopped Chatrapati based on the life of Shivaji from playing. Balidaan showed the ill effects of dowry system and Shasti ki Shanti that of drinking. Of course the social plays did not go well with the conservative sections, the orthodox. Girish was scathing in his attack on social evils. His spiritual dramas were a class on its own. Bilwamangal Thakur was a classic play, sow as Nasiram and we have already mentioned about the masterpieces Chaitanya Leela and Buddha Charit, both of whom were immensely popular. During teh life time of Sri Ramakrishna he also produced Nimai Sannyas. A much later addition was Sankaracharya  followed by a play based on the life of Ramanuj. Girish had a flair for presenting Puranic stories - Pandav Gaurav and Jana were brilliant, so was Tapoval based on Vasishtha and Viswamitra's conflicts.

However Girish was a many sided diamond with such brilliance that he would often dazzle others and so was widely misunderstood. The great poet was never eulogized in public by the other great poet Rabindranath Tagore. But Girish never bothered, he got the highest. Girish was a genius - he could write plays at the drop of a hat, on demand. He could present even difficult and subtle topics in such a way as to be understood by the most dimwitted. He himself was a brilliant actor, a great director, a producer and a playwright of divine capabilities. Despite his many sided luminosity he had absolutely no pride or ego as he had given power of attorney to the Lord. Despite many sufferings his creative power did not subside. There were ebbs and tides, but Girish was a cut above the rest, the lion roaming among the jackals, without bothering about the scorns heaped on him by his detractors who were many, lesser mortals guided by jealousy and hatred for a superman.