Bhubaneswar: The five-day-long 27th National Kalinga Natya Mahotsav, organised by Satabdira Kalakar, one of the premier theatre groups in India, at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar concluded on Wednesday.
After the customary lighting the lamp ceremony attended by guests like Manoj Kumar Mohanty, senior journalist Shreeram Das, editor of Banichitra Bhaskar Jena and theatre personality Prof (Dr) Bijay Satapathy, some eminent persons associated with theatre were felicitated.
While Sakaleswar Pattanayak was awarded with the lifetime achievement award, actor/director Ramchandra Sasamal and actor/director Ramesh Chandra Maharana were felicitated with Pramila Pratibha Samman and journalist Jitendra Kumar Nayak was awarded with Satabdira Kalakar Samman.
On the concluding evening, the artistes of Kalakar Theatre, a Bhubaneswar based theatre group, presented ‘Dhara’, written by Dr Nibedita Jena and directed by Hara Prasad Pattnaik.
‘Dhara’ is a play about how the definition of love has changed over the years since the time of Adima and Satarupa, how the present generation is worshipping at the altar of sensual satisfaction.
This reviewer found the play completely fell flat before it coming to its climax with failing in taking the audience along with it. The group needs to focus on all sections.
However, the saving grace was, some actors were excellent in portraying their characters.
The other four plays the festival witnessed this year were Odia play “Mahasangramara Mahanayak” by Satabdira Kalakar, directed by Dhira Mallick and written by former Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Biswabhusan Harichandan on the inaugural evening, Assamese play “Dronacharya” by Purba Ranga, an Assam based theatre group, directed by Gunakar Devgoswami and written by Mrinmaya Bhuyan on the second evening, Sambalpuri play “Sadhana” by Shree Cultural Association, Sambalpur, directed by Satya Ranjan Behera and written by Ashis Sonar on third evening and a Hindi play “Karnagatha” (Hindi), by Bharatendu Natya Akademi, Lucknow, directed by Oasis Sougaijam and written by Asif Ali on the fourth evening.
