Playwright & Director: Binod Sharma
Group: Gandharba, Guwahati
Language: Assamese
Duration: 1 hr 45 mins

The Play
The play is based on the lives of the acclaimed Assamese singer Dipali Borthakur and fine artist Neel Pawan Baruah. The couple had lived a life of eternal love. The conjugal bliss of the couple was plagued by a rare motor-neuron disease that Dipali Borthakur had been suffering from before her marriage. After the demise of Dipali, Neel Pawan is left in solitude with an array of memories of his beloved wife. A journalist visits Neel Pawan for an interview and Neel Pawan speaks about his beloved wife Dipali, their heavenly love and life. He speaks what his art is all about, remembers great artists and eminent persons of all times for their contribution to their specific fields of work. Neel Pawan Baruah, the son of a great Assamese poet Binanda Chandra Baruah, recollects his childhood. He tells how he was fascinated towards fine arts since he was a child. The play showcases the achievements earned by both the artists in their specific fields.

Director’s Note
I have designed the play to ensure lucidity in different sequences while the scenes are being enacted by artists. A child born in Sonari of Sivasagar, a small place in the eastern part of Assam, comes in touch with the greatest contemporary artists of her time in Assam and India, and struggles throughout her life to uphold the interest of the masses in the matured stage of her life through her songs and in the long run, makes a name for herself. The characters are given original touches through their dialogues, behaviour and costumes. In many of the scenes, indigenous folk art forms are used to choreograph stage blocks.

The Director & Playwright
A graduate of NSD, Binod Sharma is currently working in theatre and films, acting and directing plays for Gandharba, a Guwahati (Maligaon) based institute of acting and music. He has had acting experience under reputed directors like Kirti Jain, Ram Gopal Bajaj, Devendra Raj Ankur, M K Raina, Anuradha Kapur and Raj Bisaria. He has worked as an actor in NSD Repertory and as an instructor in camps across the country. He has 25 plays to his credit as a playwright. Binod has received training at Kanhaiyalal’s theatre camp in Manipur. He is the founder secretary of Antaranga Natya Gosthi, Assam’s Mirza-based drama group.

The Group
Gandharba is an acting and music institute based at Boripara, Maligaon in Guwahati which was founded in 2004. It has been imparting lessons to students on music, acting and fine arts, and conducting workshops on drama including that of NSD, and pursuing research works on folk culture. Gandharba’s recent production Murta-Bimurta Neel-Dipali has been successfully staged at Baan Theatre in Tezpur, at Shankardev International Auditorium at Kalakshetra in Guwahati, and at Jonaki Kareng Naat Utsav, Nalbari in the state of Assam.

Cast & Credits
Neel Pawan Baruah (Young/Old) Jagadish Deka
Neel Pawan Baruah (Child) Suraj Das
Dipali Borthakur (Child) Harshita Das
Dipali Borthakur (Young) Dipannita Das
Dipali Borthakur (Old) Santana B Thakuria
Nabakanta Baruah Chandra Shekhar Choudhary
Tribeni Jha Bulen Bharali
Bhaben Borthakur Pradyut Bikash Das
Mukul Baruah Dhiraj Mazumder
Nirmal Prabha Bardoloi Chandamita Goswami
Rudra Baruah Dhrubajyoti Kumar
Dipika Borthakur/ Jonali Nilakshi Sarma
Sunil Pawan Baruah Prasanta Kumar Das
P.C. Goenka Gautam Kumar
Journalist Bhupen Deka
Rikshawala Hirendra Kumar Pathak

Light Dimpal Das
Music Arnab Bashistha
Projector Himjyoti Baishya,
Voice & Vocal Dr. Amarjyoti Choudhary, Hiranmoi Goswami, Bhaskar Jyoti Acharya & Rinki Thakuria Kumar
Costume Bishwajyoti Misra & Pankaj Kalita
Make-up Tibrajyoti Boiragi
Set Design Manik Kakati/Mintu Bhuyan
Concept & Design Dhrubajyoti Kumar
Asst. Director Akhilesh Hazari

Playwright & Director Binod Sharma

Contacts
Director, Gandharba (Acting and Music Institute)
Boripara, Maligaon, Guwahati, P.O. Pandu
Dist. Kamrup (Metro) Assam 781012
M: +91 9864133245, 9365343195
E: gandharba2004@gmail.com

Playwright: Jyoti Prasad Agarwala
Director: Himangshu Prasad Das
Group: Guernica Creatovista, Kamrup (Assam)
Language: Assamese
Duration: 1 hr 5 mins

The Play
Manimugdha is the central character of our version of Rupalim, a timeless play written by Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, one of the torch-bearers of the literary and cultural field of Assam. Originally, Rupalim is a play based on the love story of a pure hearted young girl, Rupalim, who becomes a victim of the complexity of relationships and its outcome, and is brutally put to death for being in the quagmire of love, obduracy and humiliation. Battered between the psychological dilemma of good and evil, the multi-dimensional character, Manimugdha, is one of the best creations of Jyoti Prasad Agarwala and has been widely discussed. We have made an effort to cast a glance around our surroundings through the dilemma of Manimugdha.

Director’s Note
We have made an effort to depict the core theme along with a few additional scenes rather than staging the original one as it is. New dialogues have been incorporated considering the need of the hour. All the plays of Jyoti Prasad Agarwala are famous for their abundance in song and dance. We are trying to maintain the footprints of his direction in our play Manimugdha. The music has been composed with the salient features of his songs as the backdrop. We have made a sincere effort to capture the verse-like feature in the scene depiction, complying with Jyoti Prasad’s literature.

The Director
Himangshu Prasad Das is an alumnus of the National School of Drama. He is known for his progressive outlook and varied approach. He has tried to strike a balance between works of critical acclaim and mass appeal. He is associated with the street-play movement and has done a thousand shows of a play in various locations in a single day. A popular play written and directed by him is Moi Shah Rukh Khan Hobo Khuju. Himangshu has conducted many workshops and training sessions through the length and breadth of Assam. He has established a theatre village in Mirza, 50 kms from Guwahati. In 2007 he formed his own drama group Guernica. Along with theatre excellence, he also has to his credit published volumes of poetry and regular contribution to newspapers on topics of social interest.

The Playwright
Jyoti Prasad Agarwala was a prominent modern Assamese literature writer in the pre-independence era who created history for Assam by writing, directing, filming, editing and producing the first Assamese film Joymoti in 1935. He wrote a number of plays including Sonit Kunwari, Lovitaa, Karengar Ligiri, Nimati Koina etc. He composed a unique style of songs in which every song starts with the same note. This is now known as ‘Jyoti Sangeet’. A humanitarian, and harbinger of new and modern thought, he is popularly known as ‘Rupkonwar’.

The Group
Himangshu Prasad Das started his own theatre group Guernica in 2007. This group has done quite a few plays, some of which are its original productions. A very successful production of the group is Moi Shah Rukh Khan Hobo Khuju. The group performed one thousand shows of a street-play in various locations in a single day. The group has a theatre village where the students have residential quarters, library and classrooms where various courses in theatre are pursued by students.

Cast & Credits
On Stage Narayan Baishya
Apurba Barman
Rupamjyoti Das
Pradip Kalita
Pranabjyoti Das
Ayub Ali Sarma
Paramananda Saikia
Anamika Sarania
Pranami Bora
Bandita Sarma
Mamata Das
Puja Kaibortya
Sikha Thakuriya

Off Stage Pranab Kalita, Jyoti Prasad Das, Prasanta Bora
Design & Choreography Pranami Bora
Music Design & Operator Arnab Bashistha
Light Design & Scenography Mintu Bora

Playwright Jyoti Prasad Agarwala
Director Himangshu Prasad Das

Contacts
Director
Guernica Creatovista
Amranga, Borihat, Distt. Kamrup
Pin – 781125, Assam
M: +91 9101255217, 8638260589
E: pranami18@gmail.com

Story: Ernest Hemingway
Director: Sahidul Haque
Group: Orchid Theatre, Nagaon
Language: Assamese
Duration: 1 hr 10 mins

The Play
As the play opens, the audience is acquainted with the fact that the protagonist of the story, the old fisherman Vodai, has gone 84 days without catching a single fish. ‘Vodai’ is considered the worst form of misfortune. In fact, this fisherman is so unlucky that his young apprentice, Rongmon, has been forbidden by his parents to sail with the old man, and been ordered to fish with more successful fishermen. Still dedicated to the old man, however, the boy visits Vodai’s hut each night, hauling back his fishing gear, getting him food and talking to him about his life journey and stories from his past…

Director’s Note
The Old Man is a dramatic adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s classic The Old Man and the Sea in Assamese. The mighty Brahmaputra with its tributaries flows through Assam, a state in the North Eastern region of India. It is the lifeline of the people of this valley. The river is witness to the several ups and downs in the life of people living in and around it. People in the valley earn their livelihood and are dependent on the river directly or indirectly, either as fishermen, boatmen or as daily wage labourers. We humans have destroyed nature for our greed. Nature has begun to show its anger in return in the form of disasters. This region around the Brahmaputra River faces frequent floods. This conflict between humans and nature goes on year after year.
Loneliness is a complex and usually unpleasant emotional response to isolation. Loneliness typically includes anxious feelings about a lack of connection or communication with other beings, both in the present moment while also extending into the future. As people grow old, loneliness begins to get manifested in their lives in different forms. At some point in time, this feeling becomes synonymous to existence as one grows old. But, even as this situation seems hopeless, life gifts one with the will power to push oneself mentally, beyond the powers of reasoning, towards a stronger, more positive and optimistic world view.

The Director
Sahidul Haque, an actor, director, designer and painter, belongs to the beautiful land of Assam. He was an active practitioner of folk theatre till college, and then love for theatre led him to HCRFTA, Himachal Pradesh. He then joined the NSD TIE Co. as an actor-teacher for 7 years. He directed more than 35 plays in Hindi, English, Assamese, Non-verbal, Tiwa and Rabha and participated in many national-international theatre festivals like Bharat Rang Mahotsav, Poorvottar Natya Samaroh, Natasurjya Theatre Festival etc.

The Writer
Ernest Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist and short-story writer. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. He was noted both for the intense masculinity of his writing and for his adventurous and widely publicized life. His succinct and lucid prose style exerted a powerful influence on American and British fiction in the 20th century.

The Group
Orchid Theatre was established on September 2, 2005 at Nagaon, 100 km away from Guwahati, Assam. Guided by famous theatre personality Janada Borah, it was established by Sahidul Haque with the help of 50 energetic young workers of Nagaon. Around 10 villages of Nagaon district are actively attached with the group. Orchid Theatre is engaged in training theatre, dance, music, drawing and painting and holds workshops and activities.

Cast & Credits
On Stage Chanku Niranjan Nath, Barnali Medhi, Bikash Bangthai,
Himangshu Dewri, Sahidul Haque

Music Sonmoni Sharma
Light Tapan Baruah
Costume & Make-up Barnali Medhi
Voice-over poem Chanku Niranjan Nath
Set Sahidul Haque

Assamese Adaptation Dikha Moni Bora
Story Ernest Hemingway
Director Sahidul Haque

Contacts
Director, Orchid Theatre
Dhepajan Morikolong
Nagaon – 782101 Assam
M: +91 9650068254
E: sahidulhaq@gmail.com,
orchidtheatreforum@gmail.com

Playwright: Nabajyoti Bora
Director: Moni Bordoloi
Group: Rangamancha, Assam
Language: Assamese
Duration: 1 hr 10 mins

The Play
Jetuki Bai is a character in a famous song of Late Rudra Barua. Jetuki lives in a village situated at the bank of a river and her presence is a must on every occasion. She takes responsibility of everything from weaving on the loom to singing marriage songs. Young Naren and Tileswari were in love but their parents were opposed to their relationship. Jetuki, to whom Tileswari was like her daughter, persuaded both their parents to agree to their relationship.
But Jetuki Bai has a past… When she was a young girl, Jetuki fell in love with Bolai when he came to their village for fishing. They got married. One day Bolai went somewhere for a few days and did not return. She tried to find him but there was no information of his whereabouts. Jetuki gave birth to a girl child Sonpahi. After a while there were floods in the village and she lost her child too. From then on, Jetuki started working and helping all the families of the village, and spreading the spirit of humanity among the villagers.

Director’s Note
Jetuki Bai (sister) of the river-bank village is a known name in every household of Assam. Jetuki, whose husband has been missing for long, performs all the jobs including singing, dancing and cooking in almost all the family functions of the village. Everyone is fond of her in the village because of her selfless and ever-helping attitude. Jetuki shares the agony and joy of the villagers with a desire to help them especially at the time of distress. In doing so, she faces both obstacles and acceptance. She establishes the essence of eternal love and harmony of human being.

The Director
Moni Bordoloi is a prominent actress of theatre, TV serials and films. From 1980 to 1987 she was an actress in the Mobile Theatre of Assam. She has produced 26 episodes of a sponsored serial Karagaror Diary for DDK Guwahati, under her production house Anajori Films, for which she received the best serial award from Jyotirupa Oil India Joint Media Award. She has also produced fiction and documentary films for DDK Guwahati, and PPC (NE). Mrs. Bordoloi is also a drama artist of All India Radio, Guwahati. She received the Senior Fellowship in 2017 from the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India. She also received the National film Award, Rajat Kamal, for the best voice-over/narration in 2012.

The Playwright
Nabajyoti Bora was born in 1978 at Marangial Gaon of Nagaon, Assam. Till date he has penned nearly twenty one-act and full length dramas. At present Bora is working as a script writer and director of Rang Channel. He has written the screenplay of serials like Dahan, Abelir Ramdhenu, Ragini and Runjun. Some of his famous one-act plays are Phatajalar Mach, Deutar Paduli Uduli Muduli, Aa Bhaba Gahana Bana, Mahakabyar Alikhita Pristha, Jot Khusura Hoi Jiwan, Thupali Godhuli Rupali Banhi, and Charialit Eti Prasnabodhak. He has also written the story and screenplay of an Assamese feature film Ajanite Mone Mone.

The Group
Rangamancha, a cultural organization, was established in the year 2000 by a group of active theatre workers. The group has staged several plays in Assam and participated in the Northeast Theatre Festival 2016 at Gangtok. Some of the group’s popular productions are Mogribor Azan,Upahar, Akal Bodhan, Ajak Jonakir Jilmil, Thikana, Upapath, Lalukxula, Moi Jen Ek Rodor Bilap, Kakhyapath, Jibanar Ramdhenu, Bhupali Godhuli Rupali Banhi and Hayera Jetuki Bai.

Cast & Credits
Hebang Upakul Bordoloi
Naren Nilutpal Baruah
Bhola Chandan Baruah
Bolai Mantu Gogoi
Boiragi Upamanyu Bordoloi
Jetuki Moni Bordoloi
Lakhimai Moon Saikia
Tileswari Atlanta Sarma
Sonpahi Barsha Gohain
Soru Jetuki Chayanika Bora

Art Direction Nuruddin Ahmed
Assistant Nilut Pal
Costume Ragini Bordoloi
Make-up Prasanta Bora
Assistant Bakul Bora
Light Design Tapan Kumar Barua
Property In-Charge Amshuman Sarma
Team Leader Ram Krishna Sarma
Music Direction Upakul Bodoloi, Yachinur Rahman

Playwright Nabajyoti Bora
Director Moni Bordoloi

Contacts
Rangamancha, Guwahati
C/o Manmath Barua, House No.13,
Uttanayan Path, Eachal, Six-Mile,
Guwahati – 781022 Kamrup, Assam
M: +91 9435559404, 8638210564
E: monibordoloi05@gmail.com

Playwright & Director: Pranjal K Saikia
Group: Team Indipity, Guwahati
Language: Assamese
Duration: 1 hr 30 mins

The Play
A retired teacher of Chengpung village of Assam and Nagaland border, Mr. Dharmeshwar Bora has a small happy family – his wife, a goat and a dog. Although Mr. Bora has had a dream to be a car owner since he was young, his dream became stronger with the provident fund money he received on retirement. On being a car owner, he realised that it is not easy to survive in a bordering village, due to car-lifters, militant’s etc. Day by day Mr. Bora became very possessive about his car, to the extent that the fear of losing his beloved car took away his sound sleep. The story takes a turn when Mr. Bora tries to save his car from such circumstances (Border miseries seem to have no end…..).

Director’s Note
Every border (national or state) has its own stories to tell. Living in a village of Assam and Nagaland border, I have experienced the border that has fear, relentless mountains and way-faring rivers. The border that has tasted blood, militant movements, illegal arms, cannabis (Ganja), banned pseudoephedrine tablets etc. The common and innocent people of bordering villages have endless miseries; their dreams are meant to be shot. This play deals with the struggle of their survival, aspirations, dreams and downfall.

The Director & Playwright
Pranjal K Saikia is a commerce graduate from Guwahati University and holds a diploma in Dramatic arts from the Himachal Cultural Research Forum, Mandi (Himachal Pradesh). Since then he has worked as an actor, theatre director, script writer and also theatre trainer in different parts of India including Delhi, Bhopal, Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura. Few of the important plays that he has acted in are Lower Depths, Andher Nagari Choupat Raja, Gaatha- the 1st text, Ashaad Ka Ek Din, Yatra Subha Houk etc. His major directorial works are Badal Sircar’s Ballavpur ke Rupkatha and self-written Bhumura, Status Complicated, Indipity, Bhou, Kiri Daloi (Jaintia Play) etc. Apart from these he has worked with different NGOs on different social issues in Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Tripura. One of his plays Indipity was selected for the 8th Theatre Olympics, 2018, and his Play Bhou was selected for the inauguration of 20th BRM, 2019 at Dibrugarh. Both of these plays were written & directed by him.

The Group
Established in 2012 at Guwahati, Assam Team Indipity is a group of young and energetic Theatre Artists. Team Indipity conceived with the idea of raising consciousness about social and psychological issues through meaningful theatre activities. Right from its inception the group also conducts theatre workshops, street play in all over north-east. The group is dedicated towards establishing new practices of art forms in the drama world and to articulate talents both physically and mentally. The group has performed in various theatre festivals including 20th Bharat Rang Mahotsav.

Cast & Credits
Dharmeshwar                               Bora Monuj Saikia
Sakuntala                                     Rimjhim Deka
Naga Militants                              Arup Jyoti Rabha, Gokul Mipun, Utpal Hazarika
Goat                                             Monalisha Rajbongshi
Dog                                              Suraj Das
Villagers/Body Movements          Abhijit Chutia, Abhijit Roy, Kulumoni Bharali, Rijumoni Deori                                                                      Jyotishman Kaushik, Sanjiv Das Rakesh Bora, Bhaskar Dutta, Rinku                                                           Bora, Bidyut Bikash Borah, Desh Adhikari, Nandini Das, Achurjya Bora

Light                                            Tapan Borua
Music                                          Mandeep Mahanta
Costume                                    Rijumoni Deori
Production Manager                   Achyut Saikia
Assistant Director                      Gokul Mipun and Bhaskar Dutta

Playwright & Director                 Pranjal K Saikia

Contacts
Director, Team Indipity
Ivy Enclave, Flat No – 404, Bye Lane No. 9
Dr Zakir Hussain Road, Sorumotoria
Down Town, Guwahati – 781006
Assam, P.O- Dispur
M: +91 8638846349, 8638002401
E: teamindipity@gmail.com