KATHMANDU, Feb 18: The play ‘Kalapatthar Mathi’ being staged at the Mandala Theater begins with the Lamas beating traditional drums and their chanting. A group of Lamas shaking their bodies and chanting is certainly an attention grabber. Director of the play Pradip Kumar Chaudhary has tried to depict rural settings and mountain life in his creation. 

The play revolves around a mother who doesn’t want her only living son to climb mountains, despite his strong will to do so, because her husband and elder son had died climbing mountains. Her son, however, insists that he has to climb mountains because it was a part of their communal identity and also because it was their only source of income. 

Though the setup of mountains is challenging, the stage has been designed in an interesting and realistic manner. However, the lighting and acting make little impact when the characters are moving in different places. The director's effort to connect his play with the landscapes and ethnicities of Nepal is commendable.

Artists Nisha Pakhrin, Patrika Ghimire and Prasna Dangol have played lead roles in the play and all of them have done a laudable job. Though some of the artists do not resemble their characters’ ethnicity in anyway, the hour-long play is a decent watch. It has funny moments and music by Bikash Ghising.