8 May is celebrated as International Thalassemia Day. There is no cure for this disease, so to fight against it, it is necessary to increase awareness, so that no one is born with it. Apart from the government efforts, awareness initiatives from individuals and organisations are equally needed. The Serum Thalassemia Prevention Federation has been involved in this initiative for a long time. They plan awareness campaigns throughout the year. Street plays are one such effective means to make people aware about the disease.
This year, Pradosh Chandra Mitra alias Feluda, Lalmohan Ganguly and Topse are taking part in the street play to make people aware about the disease. People are happy to see their favourite characters mingle with them and talk about a cause. ‘Feludar Baithakkhana’ was performed at Kolkata Press Club on Wednesday.
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It is worth noting that this year Feluda is turning 60. Since its first release, this creation by Satyajit Ray has been part of nostalgia for almost every Bengali.
The play has been the brainchild of Sanjib Acharya, secretary of the Federation. He said: “If you want to convey the message of awareness, you first have to think about how people will pay attention to it.”
Earlier, Satyajit Ray’s immortal creations were used for this awareness work, which was praised by Sandip Ray himself.