নিমাই সন্ন্যাস/Nimai Sannyas

This video is a presentation on the cultural and religious impact of the 16th century Bhakti saint, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu on the socio-cultural and religious history of Bengal. The film looks at the transformation of Chaitanya from Nimai (born under a neem tree) to Mahaprabhu through a play performed by Nabodaya Opera in West Nalchar, a small village in Tripura. In this village which is inhabited by the Bengali community in large numbers, the Chaintanya Mahaprabhu play, Nimai Sanyas is enacted with great passion. The villagers assemble in great numbers in a small courtyard to watch the play. The actors and musicians all belong to the local community and put up the night-long play with great enthusiasm. The villagers are mostly from the poor artisanal or labour class and for them it is not simply a matter of watching a play, for them the experience is in itself deeply spiritual.