In yet another edition of thought provoking productions and interactive sessions with seasoned theatre artists, National School of Drama(NSD), an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, unveiled the 20^th edition of Bharat Rang Mahotsav in Delhi on Friday.  

The countrywide theatre festival was inaugurated by honourable Minister of State for Culture, Dr. Mahesh Sharma at Kamani Auditorium. The inaugural congregation was presided over by Dr. Arjun Deo Charan, Acting Chairman, NSD Society. The other dignitaries that acted as Guest of Honour included Former Director of NSD, Prof. Ram Gopal Bajaj; Arun Goel, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India; and Dr. Sonal Mansingh, eminent theatre director and former director of NSD.             

The Director In-charge, National School of Drama, Shri Suresh Sharma in his inaugural speech welcomed the eminent personalities of theatre from national and international arena. He also provided details about the schedule of plays to be staged during the festival and other associated events such as ‘Master Class’ and ‘Living Legend’ to be held in five other cities including New Delhi.   

Presenting his views, the Minister of State for Culture (I/C), Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Mahesh Sharma said,“This country applauds those who give back to the society. This country of 132 crores is bound together by culture and art. Our Prime Minister once told me that rich heritage and culture is our strength. Our art is our lifeline. Theatre Olympic helped create a new identity and BRM’s spread to other cities has helped in consolidating that.”

“We often confuse ‘Natya’ with ‘Natak’. Natya is much vast that includes music, songs, dance, and drama. That is why Bharat wrote ‘Bharat Natya Shastra’. Your selfless pursuit of art will help you to excel.” added renowned classical Indian dancer and member of Rajya Sabha, Dr. Sonal Mansingh.

Shri Suresh Sharma, Director In-Charge, National School of Drama (NSD) opined, “The festival started in ending years of the 20th century has become a youth. This is a representative festival which makes it distinct from other theatre festival in India. This is not a festival for big cities only and it is important to spread this festival to cities which have potential or where the theatre is stagnated and in need of a little push. I apologize to all those who could not be accommodated this time.”  

The inaugural dialogues were followed by a musical theatrical ‘Karanth ke Rang’ based on the compositions of late Shri B V Karanth. The production was presented by Rangpurva group, Mumbai and was directed by Shri Amod Bhatt. A renowned musician, actor, and director, Shri Karanth was a legend in Kannada as well as modern Indian theatre. His celebrated oeuvres include ‘Sankranti’, ‘Huchu Kudure’, and ‘Oedipus’ that had set milestones in using songs and stylization in theatre. He used unconventional instruments such as stones and wood in music and blended contemporary, classic, and folk forms of music skilfully. An alumnus of 1962 batch in NSD, he became the director of the institution afterwards.