Bhubaneswar: ‘Bidyakanak Srujananusthan’, one of the premier cultural organisations in the state, is all set to organize ‘Natya Lahari’ from September 15 to September 19 at Bhanjakala Mandap in Bhubaneswar.
During these five days, theatre lovers will be treated to a bouquet of plays staged by reputed groups from across the state at 7 PM every day.
The festival will kick off on September 15 with the host institution presenting a play titled ‘Ashant’, penned by Pranabandhu Kar and directed by Jagadish Prasad Maharana.
The following day, theatre group ‘Swara’ from Sambalpur will stage a play titled ‘Karubaki’, written by Saroj Kumar Toppo and directed by Natyashree Manas Ranjan Mishra.
On September 17, Rourkela-based theatre group ‘Natyamebah Jayate’ will present ‘Amar Gatha’, scripted and directed by Debanand Nayak.
The spotlight then shifted on September 18 to Bhubaneswar-based theatre group ‘Panchadhwani Natya Parishad’, which will stage ‘Jatha Goutamasya Ahalya’, authored by Panchanan Dash and directed by Prakash Maharana.
The curtains will fall on September 19 with theatre group ‘Karund Kala Manch’ from Bhawanipatna staging ‘Bhinna Pathe’, written and directed by Pradeep D Majhi.
This year, the host institution is adding a new dimension to the event: a day-long discussion session on September 17 (10 AM-6PM) will witness stalwarts of Odia theatre walk down memory lane and share their artistic journeys.
Among those gracing the session are Ramchandra Mishra, Ramesh Prasad Panigrahi, Manmath Kumar Satpathy, Niladri Bhushan Harichandan, Panchanan Dash, Ramaraman Padhy, Mihir Kumar Meher, Hemendra Kumar Mohapatra, Bijay Kumar Satpathy, Sanghamitra Mishra, Nabin Kumar Parida and Samar Mudali.
Since its inception in 2015, ‘Bidyakanak Srujananusthan’ has carved a niche in Odisha’s cultural calendar. Besides its theatre festival-like event in September every year, it hosts a National Theatre Festival in May and musical soirees on January 1 and July 4.
According to secretary Subhakant Padhi, the organization plans to organise two workshops-one for children and another for technicians in the coming days.
Helmed by president Sudhakar Patri and secretary Padhi, the organisation has earned accolades for showcasing its plays at festivals across the state.
With ‘Natya Lahari’, it once again promises to entertain theatre lovers.
