The auditorium did not feel like an auditorium anymore. Women descended to a river to collect water. Men cut paddy in the fields. A palki swayed through a wedding procession. For a few hours, a convention hall in Dhaka had become a Bengali village.

This year’s edition brought “Nakshi Kanthar Math” to the stage as a folk dance drama. The performance retold the emotional story of love and separation between Rupai and Saju.