Namaste Thailand Festival Music and Cultural Extravaganza Leaves Delhi Spell-Bound

Thousands in Delhi came over to celebrate the three-day Namaste Thailand festival, which was organized by the Royal Thai Embassy from March 15 th to 17 th 2019, at Select Citywalk New Delhi. Other than the vivid cultural extravaganza on display, the festival was witnessed by Ambassador of Vietnam to India, His Excellency, Mr. Ton Sinh Thanh, and Ambassador of Myanmar to India, His Excellency Mr. Moe Kyaw Aung. Thai umbrellas, body art, clothing and jewellery, an exquisite cuisine, as well as scintillating performances left the audience
spell-bound.

Delhi | 17th March 2019: The Delhi’s date with the Namaste Thailand Festival 2019 came to a close today, with hundreds flocking to Select CityWalk to capture and celebrate the cultural extravaganza which had left Delhi dazzled in the past two days.
The three day festival, a unique initiative of the Royal Thai Embassy, which was inaugurated by His Excellency Mr. Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Ambassador of Thailand to India, on March 15th, also witnessed the presence of Ambassador of Vietnam to India, His Excellency, Mr. Ton Sinh Thanh, and Ambassador of Myanmar to India, His Excellency Mr. Moe Kyaw Aung.

“It has been exciting three days of the festival and we have experienced more people visiting us than the last year. India has had a good, peaceful bilateral relationship with Thailand. We are grateful that things are growing. We have over 300 flights between us, and flights are a great enabler in this cultural exchange. We hosted 1.6 mn Indian tourists last year and we had a projection of 2 mn tourists by 2020, which we are set to achieve this year. By 2030, we expect to have 10 mn tourists flying to Thailand. Our trade has had an increase of 30% year on year in 2017 and 2018, which is about 12 billion, but we have much more to achieve.” said His Excellency Mr. Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Ambassador of Thailand to India.
Enthused young and old people came together to experience the myriad of colours and cultural activities that were on display at the festival. While couples enjoyed donning Traditional Thai Clothing and got themselves captured, children and young women loved the body art and tattoo painting on their arms and wrists.
The centre stage saw the thick of the action where the Thai-awareness of Indian audience tested. It was surprising as how many Indians actually got the answers to a Thai quiz right in first attempts, with the winners exulting in joy.

Scintillating performances by Thai artists, who donned beautiful and decorated traditional Thai attire, mesmerized the audience as they depicted various stories including that of Ramyana on stage, and the action packed Martial arts display, which was beautifully choreographed, left the audience amazed.
The Miracle of Siam, a mythological journey through dance on stage setting Thai mood right. Dancers take the audiences on a journey to the divine
Earlier in the festival stressing on the strong love for food, culture and arts in both the countries His Excellency Mr. Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Ambassador of Thailand to India, said, “What we do have is strong cultural relations between people of both countries and we want to build on that foundation and let it deliver political and economic dividends. So that trade and investment is much larger than this. What Namaste Thailand is bringing to all is
the experience of Thai-ness. When Indians are more familiar with Thai culture, they would want to visit the country as well. The perception about India is also changing in Thailand. This festive interaction between two cultures is an initiative in that direction.”
Watching the Ambassador of Thailand to India, His Excellency Mr. Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Ambassador of Thailand to India, wielding the wooden ladle behind the stove, as he displayed his culinary skills by cooking some mouth watering Thai dishes was something really special for the audience.
Many with strained shoulders and neck enjoyed the relaxing demonstrations of Thai massages at the festival. While over 28 stores which showcased an array of Thai goodies, replicated a busy street of Thailand where people shopped to their hearts glee.
Fusing traditional Thai music with modern jazz, the renowned Asia 7 band took the audience on each evening at an all time high. As the three day event concluded, Delhiites were left wanting for more of the Thai experience.



Thai Cultural Extravaganza Enthralls Delhi Residents at 2019 Namaste Thailand Festival

  • Festival reshapes Thailand-India Cultural Bonds in Delhi
  • Three-day festival from March 15th to 17th is the third edition of the annual cultural event
  • Participants enjoys fusion of Thai Art, Culture, Music and food

New Delhi, March 16, 2019: It was a treat for Delhiites in real sense. The Thai cultural fest featuring music, dance, craft, cuisines and a host of other activities played host to the people of Indian capital at the Royal Thai Embassy
in New Delhi on the second day of the Namaste Thailand Festival 2019. Hundreds of local residents who participated in the festival were treated with musical and dance performances by Thai artists. The popular Thai band Asia-7 enthralled the audience with its powerful performance at action packed evening.
“In terms of bilateral relationship, India has had a good, peaceful relationship with Thailand. But we are still in the early stages. Our trade has had an increase of 30% year on year in 2017 and 2018, which is about 12 billion, but
we have much more to achieve. What we do have is good people to people cultural relation and we want to build on that foundation and let it deliver political and economic dividends. So that trade and investment is much larger
than this. Namaste Thailand Festival is an initiative in that direction,” said His Excellency Mr. Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Ambassador of Thailand to India.
The Thai cultural festival was first organised in 2017 with an aim to strengthen bilateral ties, and increase cultural exchanges and people to people contacts between the people of two great nations.

The Cultural exchange is one of the cornerstones of evolving relationships between any two countries. This especially becomes relevant when India and Thailand have a shared history and cultural heritage.
To strengthen the bond of friendship and people to people contact, the Namaste Thailand Festival organized by the Royal Thai Embassy, has played a crucial role in bring the people of two nations closer than ever.
The festival, organized at Select CITYWALK in New Delhi, showcased the diverse and exquisite culture of Thailand, its mouthwatering food and many attractions that people across the age-group can enjoy.

The Thai cuisines are an absolute must if one is visiting the Thai fest. The festival, beginning at 3 pm on all the three days from 15 th to 17 th March, also features renowned Thai restaurant Nueng Roi by Radisson Blu.
The biggest attractions of the festival were the Ambassador of Thailand to India, His Excellency, Mr. Chutintorn Gongsakdi, cooking traditional mouthwatering Thai cuisine.
There are 28 stores from Thailand at the festival showcasing an array of fun workshops and an exciting shopping experience. Other key attractions of the festival includes art and handicraft, ceramic, clothing line including silk and
cotton, paper flowers, women clothing, jewels, aroma herbs, spa products as well as souvenirs from northern of Thailand.
The festival also offers a series of Thai craft activities including photo booths with Thai costumes, mulberry paper mini umbrella making, fan painting, personalized mini umbrellas. These traditional umbrellas are rich with colour and designs being famous world over. The tradition of these umbrellas goes as far back as 5,000 years
and has been a key feature of Thai Royals, religious leaders, and other dignitaries. The participants tried their hands at another-Fan painting- which is much loved by one and all.
The cultural fiesta ends in Delhi on Sunday, 17th March, 2019.



Namaste Thailand: Delhi Gets a Date with Thailand’s Beautiful Culture & Mouth Watering Cuisine

Namaste Thailand Festival 2019 Celebrates 72 years of Indo-Thai Diplomatic Relations

His Excellency Mr. Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Ambassador of Thailand, inaugurates the festival at the Plaza, Select Citywalk, Saket, New Delhi
The three-day festival is the third edition of the annual cultural event aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and cultural exchanges

New Delhi, 15th March 2019: From scrumptious Thai food to impressive couture and mesmerizing Thai music! It was a date to remember for the residents of Delhi who were treated to a splendid evening of Thailand’s beautiful culture on the opening day of the Namaste Thailand Festival 2019, organized by The Royal Thai Embassy.
The Namaste Thailand Festival 2019, that marks 72 years of Indo-Thai Diplomatic Relations, was inaugurated this evening by His Excellency Mr. Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Ambassador of Thailand to India. The three day festival will introduce the people of Delhi to the unique and diverse culture of Thailand, a country that shares centuries of close bonds with India. The festival was first rolled out in 2017 with an aim to strengthen bilateral ties, and increase cultural exchanges and people to people contacts between India and Thailand.
“In terms of bilateral relationship, India has had a good, peaceful relationship with Thailand. But we are still in the early stages. Our trade has had an increase of 30% year on year in 2017 and 2018, which is about 12 billion, but we have much more to achieve. What we do have is good people to people cultural relation and we want to build on that foundation and let it deliver political and economic dividends. So that trade and investment is much larger than this. Namaste Thailand Festival is an initiative in that direction.”, said His Excellency Mr. Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Ambassador of Thailand to India.

The festival included interesting features and stage performances by Thai artists including the much popular Thai band Asia-7. The fusion folk-jazz band from Thailand is much popular in India having performed at a series of festivals and shows including the Delhi International Jazz Festival.

The festival put together by the Ministry of Culture of Thailand brings a number of Thai artists and cultural ambassadors to showcase the diverse and exquisite culture of Thailand. When it comes to Thai culture, the food is an unmissable aspect of it. Renowned Thai restaurant Nueng Roi by Radisson Blu, brings forth a mouth watering experience of Thai cuisines as part of the festival.
Among other attractions at the three day festival are stalls that offer unique and exquisite Thai jewelry, aroma herbs, textiles and fashion garments, handicrafts, spa products as well as souvenirs from northern of Thailand.
The festival also offers a series of Thai craft activities including mulberry paper mini umbrella making and fan painting, personalized mini umbrellas, body paint, button badge making and photo booths with Thai costumes.
The cultural fiesta ends in Delhi on Sunday, 17 th March, 2019.



16th Natsamrat Natya Utsav opens in the Capital 6th March ’19

Natsamrat is one of Delhi’s oldest and most consistent theatre groups. Since its inception in 1998, Natsamrat has presented 1265 shows of 35 renowned plays. Ably led by Actor, Director and Visionary Shyam Kumar, whose philosophy has really been not only to evolve his own group but also to create space for all other theatre groups which are battling heavy odds to survive in theatre. Thus 16 years ago, when Natsamrat was barely four years old, he started the Natsamrat Natya Utsav so that other theatre groups also get a platform to perform. Three years ago, again Natsamrat widened its landscape by starting a Natsamrat Mahavidyalaya Natya Utsav, a student theatre festival, providing a parallel platform for the upcoming theatre generation to evolve and grow. Thus despite limited resources such a grand festival has evolved and grown. Natsamrat theatre festival thus begins with a bang on 6th March 2019 at 6.30 pm with the first performance of Waiting for Godot. The schedule is given above and the synopsis of the plays are given below.
On 9th March, at the same venue, Natsamrat will award the Thespians  who have been supporting Theatre as Practitioners, on Stage, off stage and as promoters and critics. Read more about elsewhere
1.    WAITING FOR GODOT
Translation by Krishna Baldev, Witten by Samuel Beckett and Directed by Mohit Tripathi
On 6th March, 2019 at 6:30 p.m.
The plot of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot is simple to relate. Two men, Vladimir and Estragon, meet near a tree. They converse on various topics and reveal that they are waiting there for a man named Godot. While they wait, two other men enter. Pozzo is on his way to the market to sell his slave, Lucky. He pauses for a while to converse with Vladimir and Estragon. Lucky entertains them by dancing and thinking, and Pozzo and Lucky leave. After Pozzo and Lucky leave, a boy enters and tells Vladimir that he is a messenger from Godot. He tells Vladimir that Godot will not be coming tonight, but that he will surely come tomorrow. Vladimir asks him some questions about Godot and the boy departs. After his departure, Vladimir and Estragon decide to leave, but they do not move as the curtain falls. The next night, Vladimir and Estragon again meet near the tree to wait for Godot. Lucky and Pozzo enter again, but this time Pozzo is blind and Lucky is dumb. Pozzo does not remember meeting the two men the night before. They leave and Vladimir and Estragon continue to wait. Shortly after, the boy enters and once again tells Vladimir that Godot will not be coming. He insists that he did not speak to Vladimir yesterday. After he leaves, Estragon and Vladimir decide to leave, but again they do not move as the curtain falls, ending the play.
2.    CHAMKOUR KI GARHI
Wriiten by Dr. Harcharan Singh and Directed by Harjeet Singh Sidhu
On 7th March, 2019 at 6:30 p.m.
‘Chamkour di Gadi’ play Regarded as one of the most important battle of the Sikh history. It was against the Mughal army led by Nahar Khan; the Muslim commander was killed, while on Sikh side the remaining two elder sons of the Guru – Ajit Singh and Jujhar Singh, along with other Sikh soldiers were killed in this battle.
3. SAIYAN BHAYE KOTWAL
Wriiten by Vasant Sabnis and Directed by Sanjay Bhasin
On 8th March, 2019 at 6:30 p.m.
Saiyan Bhaye Kotwal is a translation of famous Marathi folk play Vichha Majhi Puri Kara, which was written by Vasant Sabnis. The story of the play is focused on the king and his scheming prime minister. As per the hierarchy, the present Havaldar have to be promoted to that post. However, the wronged Havaldar and hi girl Mainavati, a dancer, plans to frame the new Kotwal. The play is based on traditional tamasha and is a slapstick comedy which brings out the political undercurrents of nepotism.
4. GORAKHDHANDHA
Wriiten by Jayvardhan and Directed by J.P.Singh
On 9th March, 2019 at 6:30 p.m.
When money becomes the be all and end all of one’s existence, when money becomes one’s religion then all relations, all ethics and morals are rendered meaningless. When one’s sole aim is to accumulate wealth then the person’s conniving mind keeps on scheming towards that end. There are some people who are adept at extracting something out of nothing. The protagonist of this play is such a character who will resort to any means to hoodwink people out of their money. While seemingly he is being helpful and charitable towards others, however, all he is doing is helping himself in the guise of helping others. He believes that there is a certain honesty to his dishonesty. In his games of deceit, he is forced to tell lies after lies till in the end he is so caught up in his web of untruths that he is neither able to give up nor get out. Gorakhdhandha is a fictional play based on true stories. Its dialogues and anecdotes don’t just tickle our funny bone but rather force us to break out into bouts of laughter.
5. SANDHYA CHHAYA
Wriiten by Jaywant Dalvi and Directed by Sudesh Sharma
On 10th March, 2019 at 6:30 p.m.
Sandhya Chhaya is a story about an old couple, an aged couple who spent their lives in the upbringing of their children and they are the ones who live alone and long for the love, affection and togetherness of their children. It is a story about a man and woman fondly called Nana, Nani respectively and it deals with the emotional turmoil the parents have to go through. In spite of having being deprived of love from their children, they still have the courage to fight the melancholy and pathos of their lives. They support and love each other and as the play unfolds, the audience also falls in love with them. Older people who are not so useful in today’s materialistic age bear the brunt of the changing values. They get lonelier and lonelier. This play is entertaining and simultaneously it tells us about old age and Loneliness. It is a great play, which can be very easily called a classic of Modern times. They have two sons, Deenu (the elder one) and Nandu (the younger one). Deenu is settled in USA and Nandi is in the Air Force. Deenu very rarely comes to meet his parents. He just sends money at regular intervals, meanwhile as the play progresses, they get to know that Nandu has been killed in the war. The whole play revolves on the nuclear families’ concept where in the parents are left alone and their children are settled somewhere else. The whole play is poignant collective mixture of emotions portrayed by an old couple, be it happiness, loneliness, love for kids, their childhood etc. On the whole, the play stresses on the fact and asks the society a very straightforward question that parents who have been there for us the whole life, do they deserve such a lonely old age? Do they really?
3rd Mahavidyala Natya Utsav
 
1.    BEEMAR
Wriiten by Saadat Hassan Manto and Directed by Prince
On 6th March, 2019 at 8 p.m.
2.    DJINNS OF EIDGAH
Wriiten by Abhishek Majumdar and Directed by Aadhar
On 7th March, 2019 at 8 p.m.
3.    CHETNA
Wriiten and Directed by Team
On 8th March, 2019 at 8 p.m.
4.    THE SHADOW BOX
Wriiten by Michael Christopher and Directed by Chandan Kumar
On 9th March, 2019 at 8 p.m.
5.    EINSTEIN
Wriiten by Mohan Maharishi and Directed by Abdus Ansari
On 10th March, 2019 at 8 p.m.

 



11th Natsamrat Awards, Stagebuzz Editor Manohar Khushalani and Theatre Director Feisal Alkazi honoured amongst others

Natsamrat is one of Delhi’s oldest and most consistent theatre groups. Since its inception in 1998, Natsamrat has presented 1265 shows of 35 renowned plays. Ably led by Actor, Director and Visionary Shyam Kumar, whose philosophy has really been not only to evolve his own group but also to create space for all other theatre groups which are battling heavy odds to survive in theatre. Thus 16 years ago, when Natsamrat was barely four years old, he started the Natsamrat Natya Utsav so that other theatre groups also get a platform to perform. Three years ago, again Natsamrat widened its landscape by starting a Natsamrat Mahavidyalaya Natya Utsav, a student theatre festival, providing a parallel platform for the upcoming theatre generation to evolve and grow. Thus despite limited resources, such a grand festival has evolved and grown. Natsamrat theatre festival thus begins with a bang on 6th March 2019 at 6.30 pm
On 9th March, at the same venue, Natsamrat will award the Thespians who have been supporting Theatre as Practitioners, on stage, off stage and as promoters and critics. The awards have been well established as these were started 11 years ago. This is the 11th edition of Natsamrat Theatre awards and are looked forward to as an acknowledgement to decades of creative efforts put into Theatre. The Awardees this year are:

11th Natsamrat Theatre Award (2019)

1. Best Director – K. Madavane
2. Best Actor – Mohit Tripathi
3. Best Actress – Mona Chawla
4. Best Writer – Danias Iqbal
5. Best Critic – Prof. Manohar Khushalani
6. Best in Back-Stage – Himanshu B. Joshi

7. Lifetime Achievement Award – Feisal Alkazi
8. Best Theatre Promoter – Lalit Jaiswal

Awardees in all previous years starting from the first are listed below

1st Natsamrat Theatre Award

1. Best Director – Lokendra Trivedi
2. Best Actor – Banwari Taneja
3. Best Actress – Suchitra Gupta
4. Best Writer – Dr. Narendra Mohan
5. Best Critic – Kavita Nagpal
6. Best in Back-Stage – Harish Kholia
7. Lifetime Achievement Award- Mohini Mathur

2nd Natsamrat Theatre Award

1. Best Director – Shekhar Vaishnavi
2. Best Actor – Govind Pandey
3. Best Actress – Harvinder Kaur
4. Best Writer – Rameshwar Prem
5. Best Critic – Jaidev Taneja
6. Best in Back-Stage – Amarjeet
7. Lifetime Achievement Award- Naima Upreti

3rd Natsamrat Theatre Award

1. Best Director – Arvind Gaur
2. Best Actor – Suman Vaidya
3. Best Actress – Bharti Sharma
4. Best Writer – Kusum Kumar
5. Best Critic – Diwan Singh Bajeli
6. Best in Back-Stage – Ramesh Manchanda
7. Lifetime Achievement Award- C.D.Sidhu

4th Natsamrat Theatre Award

1. Best Director – Bhanu Bharti
2. Best Actor – Sita Ram Singh
3. Best Actress – Hema Singh
4. Best Writer – Asgar Wajahat
5. Best Critic – Sangam Pandey
6. Best in Back-Stage – R.K.Dhingra
7. Lifetime Achievement Award- Reoti Sharan Sharma

5th Natsamrat Theatre Award

1. Best Director – Bapi Bose
2. Best Actor – Mahendra Mewati
3. Best Actress – Chitra Singh
4. Best Writer – Tripurari Sharma
5. Best Critic – Dr. Utpal K. Banerjee
6. Best in Back-Stage – Ved Pohoja
7. Lifetime Achievement Award- Sushma Seth

6th Natsamrat Theatre Award

1. Best Director – K.S.Rajendran
2. Best Actor – Ravi Taneja
3. Best Actress – Sohaila Kapur
4. Best Writer – J.P.Singh
5. Best Critic – Yograj Tandon
6. Best in Back-Stage – Kajal Ghosh
7. Lifetime Achievement Award- Arun Kukureja

7th Natsamrat Theatre Award

1. Best Writer – Smt. Meera Kant
2. Best Director – Sh. Satish Anand
3. Best Actor – Danish Iqbal
4. Best Actress – Dakshina Sharma
5. Best Critics – Satyendra Kr. Taneja
6. Best in Back-Stage – Raghav Prakash Mishra
7. Lifetime Achievement Award – Smt. Salima Raza

8th Natsamrat Theatre Award

1. Best Writer – Suman Kumar
2. Best Director – Prakash Bhatiya
3. Best Actor – Suresh Sharma
4. Best Actress – Anamika Tiwari
5. Best Critics – Ravindra Tripathi
6. Best in Back-Stage – Moti Lal Khare
7. Lifetime Achievement Award – Rama Shankar Nishesh
8. Best Theatre Promoter – Tapan Sen Gupta

9th Natsamrat Theatre Award

1. Best Writer – Pratap Sehgal
2. Best Director – Avtar Sahni
3. Best Actor – Tikam Joshi
4. Best Actress – Anu Jaitle
5. Best Critics – Manjari Srivastava
6. Best in Back-Stage – Gautam Bhattacharya
7. Lifetime Achievement Award – Aziz Qreshi
8. Best Theatre Promoter – Gyantosh Kumar Jha

10th Natsamrat Theatre Award

1. Best Writer – Ashok Lal
2. Best Director – Surender Sharma
3. Best Actor – Amitabh Srivastava
4. Best Actress – Sajida
5. Best Critics – Mahesh Anand
6. Best in Back-Stage (Music) – Anil Mishra
7. Lifetime Achievement Award – Kusum Haidar
8. Best Theatre Promoter – Vishav Deepak Trikha