In a farce entitled "Budo Shaliker Ghare Row" (New Hairs on the Neck of an Old Bird) written in 1860 by the famous Bengalee poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt, a landlord named Bhaktaprasad is out to revolute the chastity of the wife of his person Muslim tenants Hanif. The attempt is jointly resisted by Hanif and his Hindu Brahmin neighbour Bachaspati. Here is an admirable effort to uphold fraternity and communal harmony along with ultimate human values.

In the famous play "Neel Darpan" (story about the plight of indigo cultivators) written in 1880, the author Dinabandhu Mitra depicts a relation between a rich Hindu peasant Sadhucharan and a poor Muslim tenant Torap. The relation transcends religious and other baniers. In a scene described by the author, the Muslim tenant Torap stakes his life to save a Hindu woman from the greedy clutches of a rogue indigo planter. The entire play revolves round united efforts by Hindu and Muslim indigo cultivators in resisting the terror and repression let lose by the planters.

Similarly, the play "Zamider Darpan" (story of Landlords) written by Mir Mosharaf Hussain tells the story of united resistance by Hindu and Muslim peasants against terror and torture unleashed by the landlords.

Since the beginning of the 20^th Century the people of India started growing increasingly impatient and angry against the exploitation and the rule perpetuated by the imperialist British rules. Rising above religions and other differences, the people of India began building up a strong and united struggle to snatch freedom from the unwilling hands of the British raj. The year 1905 saw Lord Curzon, the then Governor General, trying to divide Bengal into several provinces. A strong and united protest and resistance movement swept Bengal. National awareness and patriotic sentiments ran high. Naturally, the situation and the feelings generated by that found emotive expressions in Bengali theatre also. This, on its part helped spreading and consolidating patriotic and nationalist consciousness. Characters depicted as national heroes in plays were made to utter dialogues rousing the people’s ire against the imperialist unless. Hindu authors never hesitated for a moment to a Muslim character the prime of place and honour in plays written by them.

The famous actor and playwright Girishchandra Ghosh, in his plays "Sirajuddaula" and "Mirkashim" presented Muslim characters as patriotic nationalist leaders equally respected by Hindus and Muslims. Another famous playwright and poet Dijendralal Roy, in his play "Mebar Patan" (The Fall of Mewar), set a bright example of Hindu-Muslim amity through the relation between Amar Singh, a Hindu prince and Mahabat Khan, a converted Muslim. Another famous author Sachindranath Sengupta depeited, in his play entitled "Sirajuddaula", Siraj as a hero extolling the virtues of Hindu Muslim unity and amity which was necessary to build up hatred and resistance against the foreign British attackers.

The year 1946 witnessed bloody communal riots which not only took human lives but also cause grave wounds in the psyche of the people of the country. People were sad and pained at seeing the fratricide instigated by communalist forces from both Hindu and Muslim sides. In 1947 India achieved independence. But the jeopardy of Hindu-Muslim conflict continued. Sporadic clashes took place from time to time. The Bengalee playwrights took upon themselves the duty to propage Hindu-Muslim amity and harmony through their plays. Communal harmony and human values constituted the main part of the themes depeited in plays. Digindrachandra Bandyopadhyay, in his play "Bastuvita" (The Ancestral Homestead) written in 1947, presented a story where a Hindu school teacher Mahendra Master was about leave his ancestral homestead permanently as it fell within the then East Pakistan. But following the intervention and persuasion by his Muslim neighbour Amin Munshi, Mahendra abandoned his play and stayed back. He was very much impressed and felt inspired by the feeling of harmony and fraternity reflected in the gesture by Amin Munshi. In another play "Mashal" (The Touch) written by the same another in 1954, at a time when a communal riot broke loose, Lalita, a Hindu Widow who lost her son in the riot gave shelter to a Muslim boy Joynal. But she could not save the boy and this sad event left a lashing impact on her motherly feelings. Another play written in 1947 by Tulsi Lahiri entitled "Dukkbir Iman" (the Honesty of a Poor Man) depicted a glorious story upholding communal harmony, where Dharmadas a poor man had to undergo unspeakable hardship and humiliation when he tried to support the family of his Muslim neighbour Damal facing very hard days. The sufferings and indignity hurled upon him could not deter Dharmadas from helping his neighbour. This set a bright example of communal amity and fraternity. In "Chhera Tar" (The Unstnek String) written by Tulsi Lahiri in 1950, a Hindu man Mahim stood by and offered solace and succor to Rahimuddi, his Muslim neighbour when the latter was in deep troubles serial, economic and family matters. This too, was an encouraging presentation of Hindu-Muslim amity and brotherhood. In "Banglan Mati" (The soil of Bengal) the same another wrote in 1954 a golden saga of communal harmony. There we find Kalibabu a Hindu residing in the then East Pakistan, being constantly harassed by fundamentalist communal forces. But he gets solid support and encouragement from his Muslim neighbour Abu Mia who believes, "Whether we are Hindus, or Muslims, or Buddhist or Christians by faith matters little as because we are all Bengalees firsts’, what an inspiring presentation of communal amity and fraternity!

Salil Sen, in his play "Natun Ihudi"(The New Refuses) presents a story where in spite of an atmosphere of hatred and enmity created by the communalist forces of the then East Pakistan, the relationship of mutual help and understanding between Hindu Manmohan and Muslim Moulve Mirza Shahib stands out as something leaving a permanent mark in memory lane.

Ritwik Ghatak, the famous playwright and actor and film director wrote "Dalil" (The Deed) in 1951 wherein the people living in East and West Bengal feel sad and agitated because their motherland has been partitioned. In a letter Kalimuddin inspires Gopal, "They could truncate own motherland but they will never be able to cut our hearts apart." A soul-stirring plesentation of communal brotherhood!

In a play "Manush" (The Human Being), written in 1954 in the background of on going communal violence, the author Kabir Chaudhury has shown the heights human can achieve transcending the baniers of communal hatred.

The famous playwright and actor Utpal Dutt wrote "Itihasher Kathgaday" (On the Derk of History) in 1965 Wherein Dutt shows that communal disbelief and hatred generated by the outbreak of War between India and Pakistan gradually weaken and fade away. Instead, a new bridge of communal fraternity in built.

In his play "Gulshan" Shyamaltaru Dasgupta presents a story where a Muslim woman from Delhi comes to Calcutta and immediately violence. Ultimately she finds safety and shelter in a Hindu family. It worths mentioning "Kabir" (1989) by Arun Mukhopadhyay; "Bish Kuan"(1991) by Anjan Biswas; "Dharmarajya" (1991) by Kuntal Mukhopadhyay.