Sayeed-A scene from the play Kalbela. — Snigdha Zaman

Noted playwright Sayeed Ahmed was remembered through staging of his play Kalbela and seminar at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Friday.
Sayeed Ahmed Foundation for Culture and Arts organised the programme marking the playwright’s birth and death anniversary. Sayeed Ahmed was born on January 31, 1931 and died on January 21, 2010.
Theatre troupe Palakar premiered Sayeed Ahmed’s play Kalbela at the Experimental Theatre Hall. Directed by Aminur Rahman Mukul, the absurd play features how the rivals unite to face disaster through the story of two hostile groups.
The beautiful stage designed by Mustafa Manwar and spontaneous acting of the artistes made the play entertaining.
Earlier, poet-playwright Syed Shamsul Haque spoke on Sayeed Ahmed, who had profound knowledge on world theatre and wrote some unique theatre of absurd in Bangla including Kalbela, Milepost, Trishna-e, Ek Din Protidin and Sesh Nawab. His plays had been translated into many languages including English, French, German, Italian, Urdu and Punjabi.
‘It is unfortunate that there is no successor of Sayeed Ahmed these days,’ Shamsul Haque in his speech said.
Cultural affairs secretary Suraiya Begum was also present at the programme.
Noted cultural personalities in the country evaluated Sayeed Ahmed’s contribution in Bangladeshi theatre.
Abus Sobhan’s keynote paper titled ‘Sayeed Ahmeder Natoke Swadesh o Antorjatikota’ was presented by professor Sakhawat Hossain as Sobhan is out of the country. Thespians Ataur Rahman, Nisuruddin Yousuff, Ali Zaker, Liaquat Ali Lucky along with artist Mustafa Manwar and singer Farida Parveen took part in discussion.