The Author
MAHESS RAMJEEAWON
Born: 23 March 1952
Graduated form National School of Drama, New Delhi, India.
Written and published poems, short stories and plays.
Written and directed more than 25 plays.
Awarded Best Director in 1974- Ministry of Youth & Sports.
Created Academy of Film and Theatre 30 years back. Directed and toured India several times.
Participated in Bharat Rang Mahotsaw Organized by National School of Drama and Port Louis Theatre organized by IMMEDIA.
Participated in the Henrik Ibsen International Theatre Festival 2006 with GHOSTS in Pakistan and Bharat Rang Mahotsaw in 2007
Participated and conducted Drama Workshops in Rodrigues, Reunion Island Lesotho ,Botswana and South Africa.
Actually attached as Senior Arts Officer at the Ministry of Education Culture and Human Resources.
Email-mramjeeawon44[at]yahoo.com
Website-http://Mahesh.ramjeeawon.info
Directors Note
There was a time when television, radio or newspapers were not widespread. In that period grand parents used to tell countless folk tales. Those memorized tales were narrated and sung; they not only provided entertainment but also but also educated the young generations. This tradition fulfilled the role of inculcating the right instructions and morality.
Each story was so artistically narrated that hearers were spellbound and deeply touched. Narrators of such stories have not only decreased in number but are also running the risk of extinction like our Dodo. In the storehouse of the past, scattered among so many is this tale of Seet Bassant. This tale must have probably come to us, together with a lot of other tales, from Ara,Chapra or other villages of India and have been exposed in every village in different ways.
The invasions of science and technology have caused so much harm to these tales that only a few people know these tales, or about hem. Whether these old folk tales can be interpreted by the modern generation and presented in new forms remains a big question.
Seet Bassant while accepting this challenge has in its story love,hatred, jealousy, maternal and paternal love as its theme and no nation or country exempted from the emotions therein.
Before writing down this text, I had the opportunity to sit with and listen to many senior persons and I collected different versions of this story. Also, I was inspired by Mr. Ramdeo Dhurundhur who Radio played this theme and it is mainly through these influences that I am presenting you this play. I wish to express my gratitude to all of them. To give folk tales a stage version and experiment therewith is quite widespread all over the world and especially in India. One ring of this experimental chain is Seet Bassant is being presented to you. However,inspite of which, this country being doted with numerous such stories. Much work is still to be done as far as research, experimentation, adaptation and dramatization is concerned.
