Written and produced by Jesmin Chowdhury
Directed by Apu Chowdhury
Synopsis: ‘Ghoorni’ is a play about two young people piecing together their grandfather’s arrival in the UK from Bangladesh in the 1970s after losing everything in a devastating cyclone that played a big role in shaping the country’s history too. While the play focuses on the grave issue of climate crisis, it also shows HOPE for the future as the younger generation is more concerned about this issue and are determined to bring about positive changes. Mr. Ali is planning to build a house back home in Bhola with the money saved through a lifetime of hard work in the cotton industry. However, his climate vigilant grandchildren advise him against this explaining that he is the victim of a disastrous cycle and has unknowingly contributed to a system that is out to destroy his dreams of a happy peaceful future. It is the same system that had destroyed his life in Bangladesh more than half a century ago. The play highlights the climate injustice as Mr. Ali had left a country with little climate impact to work in a UK industry with high climate impact that would mostly damage his own home country.
Past Productions of Ghoorni
Season of Bangla Drama (Tower Hamlets)
24 November 2024
Venue: Brady Arts & Community Centre, London
2 Shows: Matinee at 5:30 pm, Evening show at 7:30 pm (included post-show dinner provided by Season of Bangla Drama
Ghoorni – A Disastrous Cycle by Ayna Arts – Performance two
Presented as the finale of the Season of Bangla Drama 2024, Ghoorni was selected to close the festival, which is co-produced by Tower Hamlets Council and Queen Mary University of London. Its inclusion marked a key moment of reflection on diasporic experiences and intergenerational storytelling, particularly in the context of climate justice. The evening event also acted as a communal celebration, bringing audiences together in dialogue following the performance. In the end, the children present the audience with a packet of homegrown ‘seeds of hope’ each and request them to plant the seeds to make our planet greener.
Higher Blackley Community Hall
17 November 2024
Following a series of 25–30 minute R&D performances in various venues and formats, I developed a full-length script for Ghoorni, now expanded to 1 hour and 10 minutes. This version adopted a more optimistic tone, focusing on solutions as well rather than solely on challenges.
In this version, the protagonist, Mr Ali—a climate migrant experiencing mental health difficulties—is supported by a psychiatrist and travels with his grandchildren back to Bangladesh where a lot of positive climate actions are taking place. There, he encounters practical, positive climate initiatives and plants a mango tree to symbolically replace the one he had lost in the 1970 cyclone that displaced him and brought him to Manchester.
The revised production includes Bangladeshi folk songs, music, dance, symbolic presentations, and an integrated climate quiz that the audience take part in as well.
Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh, Manchester
27 March 2023
At the invitation of the Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh—who had attended the Rochdale Science Extravaganza on 19 March 2023 and was deeply moved by our performance of Ghoorni—Ayna Arts was honoured to present a shorter version of the play on 28 March 2023. This special performance took place as part of the Bangladesh Independence Day celebrations, in front of an audience of foreign dignitaries and ambassadors from various countries. Although the performance was primarily in English, a few Bengali dialogues also resonated strongly with the non-Bengali-speaking audience, who expressed great emotional engagement. We were proud to have the opportunity to share our climate justice message with an international audience through this platform.
As the event coincided with the first day of Ramadan, we were unable to formally record the positive feedback received during the informal Iftar gathering. However, we were later honoured to receive a letter of appreciation from the High Commissioner, acknowledging the significance and impact of the performance.
Manchester Histories Festival
10 June 2022
Venue: Manchester Central Library
Crossing Footprints: Climate Justice at Manchester Histories Festival!
Ghoorni was performed as part of the Climate Justice series during the 2022 Manchester Histories Festival. The evening also featured a panel discussion titled “Climate Change is a Race and Migration Issue”, placing the play in direct conversation with wider discussions around environmental inequality, migration, and colonial legacy. The programme highlighted Manchester’s historic role in industrialisation and its lasting impact on global climate issues.
Purbanat Arts Residency
June 4 2022
The first R&D performance of Ghoorni was in front of a multi-cultural audience of around 50 adults and children. It was an open air performance as part of Purbanat CIC’s 3 day arts residency. Direct Feedback from creative adults and children from different arts organisations helped us to revise the script and adapt a more effective approach.
