Vanhans & Six Seasons Launched Together at NSD Under ‘Shruti’ During Bharat Rang Mahotsav 2026
In a remarkable literary moment at the National School of Drama, two significant works — Vanhans and Six Seasons — were jointly launched under the prestigious ‘Shruti’ segment of Bharat Rang Mahotsav 2026.
The books were formally released by the Director of the National School of Drama, Chittaranjan Tripathy, in the presence of eminent theatre personalities and literature enthusiasts.
Vanhans – Dakshina Sharma’s Assamese Adaptation of Ibsen
Vanhans is an Assamese adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s celebrated play The Wild Duck, translated and reimagined by Dakshina Sharma.
Dakshina Sharma is a dynamic contemporary theatre practitioner — an accomplished actor, director, playwright, and translator. Over the years, she has consistently worked toward building a meaningful dialogue between Indian languages and world literature.
What distinguishes her work is her deep sensitivity to text. She does not merely translate words; she recreates emotional landscapes. In Vanhans, she carefully retains the psychological depth, symbolic layers, and cultural tensions of Ibsen’s complex dramaturgy, while making it organically accessible to Assamese readers and audiences.
Adapting Ibsen — a playwright known for his intricate psychological realism — into Assamese was undoubtedly a formidable task. Speakers at the event acknowledged that Sharma’s scholarly engagement, linguistic precision, and refined theatrical sensibility have made this ambitious endeavour a resounding success.
Guest speaker Parag Samarah particularly praised Vanhans, noting that the adaptation preserves the soul of the original while speaking authentically to Assamese sensibilities. He also read selected excerpts in Assamese, allowing the audience to experience the lyrical strength and dramatic resonance of the text firsthand.
Six Seasons – Bhaskar Chandra Mahapatra
The second book launched on the occasion was Six Seasons, written in English by noted Odia playwright Bhaskar Chandra Mahapatra.
Speakers described Six Seasons as a reflection of the expanding multilingual canvas of Indian theatre writing. By choosing English as his medium, Mahapatra situates regional sensibilities within a wider literary framework, reinforcing the evolving and interconnected nature of contemporary Indian dramaturgy.
A Celebration of Multilingual Indian Theatre
This joint launch stood as a powerful testament to the spirit of Indian theatre — where languages are not barriers but bridges.
Under the vibrant platform of Bharat Rang Mahotsav, the confluence of a Norwegian classic reimagined in Assamese and an English play by an Odia dramatist symbolised the creative dialogue between global literature and Indian linguistic traditions.
The evening reaffirmed that theatre, at its core, transcends geography and language — continually creating new meanings through cultural exchange and artistic courage.
