Patna: Three-day long theatre festival ‘Rangleela’ kick started at Kalidas Rangalay in Patna on January 22.
This first edition of ‘Rangleela’ theatre festival is being organised by ‘Bayaar’, one of the reputed theatre organisations in the state, and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
The festival’s inaugural evening had dignitaries including Padmashree Dr Usha Kiran Khan, Padmashree Dr Shanti Jain, Padmashree Shyam Sharma, chairman, Bihar Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, Dr Anil Sulabh, principal, Art and Crafts College, Patna, Dr Ajay Kumar Pandey and senior theatre personality Sanjay Upadhyay who inaugurated the festival by lightning the auspicious lamp.
The inaugural play ‘Gagan Ghata Ghahraani’ was staged by Nirman Kala Manch, one of the prominent theatre institutions in Patna. The play delves into the life of Kabir Das, a 15th-century poet and saint, and presented some still relevant principles of his life to the theatre lovers.
Kabir is known for being critical of power and religion. He would raise his voice whenever common people became target of people in power. In a nutshell, it can be said that the saint’s ‘banis’ are the mainstay of the play, urging people to shun greed for power and embrace love and brotherhood, dedicating fully to God.
Sanjay Upadhyay’s direction needs special mention. The play suggested one thing and that is the tremendous home work he did to make the play come alive. The choice of artistes for various characters was perfect. They did their best to keep the audience till last scene. Md Jafar Alam did justice to his Kabir character. Sanjay Upadhyay’s music played vital role in making the play more enjoyable.
The play was staged in strict adherence to COVID-19 guidelines issued by the government.
By kalasanskruti
Photo courtesy: Bayaar
