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: Arun Yumkham
Director: H. Shatananda Sharma
Group: Raag Tarang Mandal, Imphal
Language: Manipuri
Duration: 1 hr 10 mins

The Play
Desperately seeking her lost spouse, a woman reaches the bank of a river. She wants to cross the river and reach the other side. A weird boatman in a strange boat ferries her across. On the other side of the river, an occultist is performing the rites of necromancy, invoking dead souls. The woman asks the sorcerer to call upon the spirit of her lost husband. The sorcerer agrees and the spirit appears. The woman tries to talk to the spirit of her spouse, but the spirit accuses her of being unchaste, and walks away to the eternal path of dead. The woman tries to drown herself but the boatman saves her. He points his finger to the golden rays of a new day in the eastern sky.

Director’s Note
In the future is an era of chaos, a catastrophic atmosphere where unpredictability is lurking everywhere. Chastity of women is a commodity. People are machines in a decaying state of sparsely populated society. In the hearts of humans, memory and pangs of separation burn like a hellish flame. Lust is not quenched even by the physical state of men and women. They are at their ugliest, maimed and tortured. Yesterday’s truth is no longer the same because of the situation created by the unexpected, drastic changes.

The Director
Hanjabam Shatananda Sharma received training from his father in the field of traditional performing art forms (Courtyard Theatre). He learned various forms of Manipuri Dance from his aunt H. Aruna Devi (MSPA Awardee). In the field of theatre he received training from Late M. Surshen (NSD Alumnus). Under his guidance he researched on body motion and movement in the theatre for three years in FFLT. He got the opportunity to interact with FFLT director, Lokendra Arambam, participate in theatre workshops and play productions as an artist along with MC. Thoiba (Director BRT) and Shree N. Tiken (Musicologist). After a long theatrical journey Shri Sharma began his new ventures as a director.

The Playwright
Arun Yumkham, is a playwright who has been associated with various theatre groups and artists, musicians and dancers of the state. He has published two books of poetry collection in English and also a novel. He has written more than 100 radio drama scripts for educational programmes of SCERT, Manipur. Currently he is working as the Assistant Editor (Design) in local news daily Ireibak.

The Group
Raag Tarang Mandal was established in 1980 at Imphal East district of Manipur by Smt. Hanjabam Aruna Devi. Since its inception the organisation has been undertaking various cultural activities for the presentation and revival of the indigenous system of rare art forms including Manipuri folk dance and music, with its own resources. Under the leadership of H. Shatananda Sharma, a group of young talented artists, well-trained in various performing art forms, are producing stage plays for the last 10 years. The group’s play Turel Wangmada was invited to participate at the Abhinya National Theatre Festival at Hyderabad in the month of August-2016. The play has also participated in Folk Narative Art and Kangla Theatre Marathon 2017 at Uchiwa, Manipur and received the Best Director Award and bagged four awards in different categories. The organisation has been offering training courses, demonstration of Manipur classical and traditional art forms and its allied arts.

Cast &Credits
On stage N. Lokeshwor, Ch. Basanta, Th. Roshan, W. Amarjit, M. Momocha,
L. Ananta Kumar, M. Captain, L. Birjit, H. Jamuna Devi

Stage & Setting W. Amarjit / Ch. Basanta
Costume & Make-up Arun Yumkham / Ch. Thanbi
Light Design A. Madan Sharma
Music Assistant H. Shreedhar

Playwright Arun Yumkham
Music, Design & Direction H. Shatananda Sharma

Contacts
Director, Raag Tarang Mandal
Wangkhei Ningthem Pukhri Mapal, Imphal
Manipur- 795005
M: +91 9774214817
E: hshatananda@gmail.com

Playwright: Vasant Kanetkar
Translator: Vasant Deo
Director: Abhijeet Choudhary
Group: Swatantra Kala Group, Pune
Language: Hindi
Duration: 2 hrs 10 mins

The Play
Jaag Utha Hai Raigad is a Hindi translation of Vasant Kanetkar’s Marathi play Raigadala Jevha Jaag Yete. Woven within the play is an inbuilt, terse and fine sense of controlled dramatic tension. It depicts the great Maratha King, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his youngest son, Sambhaji struggling with the gap between the two generations. Shivaji’s efforts are to keep his family united, and the young descendant’s efforts are to control and consolidate the huge legacy and empire. The play unveils the rich Maharashtrian culture, and the heritage of a bygone era.

Director’s Note
The Maratha Empire of the 17th century is the backdrop of this play and its key players are Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his youngest son Sambhaji. This epic is a witness to the acute and tense relationship between father and son. While the former cannot allow their dynasty to be divided, the latter is burdened by the task of a huge empire and legacy he has descended from. The situation holds true even today, with the rift in families due to greed and the choice of nuclear families. The play’s text opines that had Shivaji succeeded in keeping the royalty together, the Maratha dynasty would have ruled much longer. I have tried to recreate the glorious era of Marathas on the stage. I feel more such Marathi plays could be translated for a Hindi speaking audience. Besides Vijay Tendulkar and Mahesh Elkunchwar, regional Marathi playwrights like Vasant Kanetkar and Sanjay Pawar too have a treasury of plays that can be produced in other languages.

The Director
Abhijeet Choudhary completed his graduation from Delhi University. He did a course in direction and editing. He started his theatre journey with Arvind Gaur’s Asmita group and later shifted to Pune, where despite many hurdles and challenges he formed the Swatantra Kala Group in 2006. He has directed Hindi films Pune TC, Godse to Gandhi etc., and several full-length Hindi and English, one-act and street plays, one of which (on pirated CDs and DVDs) attracted appreciation from production houses. His play Suno Suno sketches the resilience of migrants, and another play is constructed on gathered personal and real voices and experiences of slum dwellers. Abhijeet has conducted workshops for the differently abled. He was the broadcasting editor with Zoom channel and a press reporter for DD News.

The Playwright
Vasant Kanetkar (1922 – 2000) born in Satara, Maharashtra was a Marathi playwright. His father, Shankar Keshav Kanetkar, was a well-known poet. After completing his education, Vasant was appointed as a lecturer in Nasik. His first play, Raigadala Jewha Jag Yete, was widely acclaimed and achieved recognition from audiences and the Government of Maharashtra as the best play of the year. He won the National Award for the film Ansoo Ban Gaye Phool. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1992 for his literary astuteness and writing-craft.

The Group
Abhijeet founded Swatantra Kala Group in Pune in 2006. The group focuses on contemporary and socio-political issues through its numerous performances and practices. It has performed at various public and private institutes of education including FTII, IITs and NDA. It is known for its repertoire of community-based theatre and was invited by the UK Parliament for engaging in community-service through theatre. Some of its noteworthy productions are Jis Lahore Nahin Vekhya Wo Janmeya Hi Nahin and Andha Yug,

Cast & Credits
On Stage Ashwin Sharma, Chezan Lawyer, Dhanashree Heblikar, Prem Gowda,
Hennu Khanna, Ronak Kabra, Suyash Kukreja, Krushan Doshi, Mehul Dubey, Shreyansh Sanghvi, Shivraj Zumble

Back Stage Suraaj Nikaumb, Rishabh Jain, Rishabh Sarwate, Arun Jagtap, Manshi Bajpayee, Garima Mishra, Aniket Toro, Vijay Ratna Gongle, Bunty More, Varsha Israni, Renuka Gatelwar, Rishi Bhonde, Shahrukh Shaikh
Producer Yuwaraj Shah

Playwright Vasant Kanetkar
Director Abhijeet Choudhary

Contacts
Swatantra Kala Group
Girichaya Society, HIG 4, Janwadi Gokhale Nagar
Pune, Maharashtra – 411016
M: +91 8329696186
E: krushandoshi843@gmail.com

Director: Sejuti Bagchi
Group: NSD Student Diploma Production, New Delhi
Language: Hindi
Duration: 1 hr

The Play
In Bengal, Neelkanth bird is believed to be Shiva’s friend who delivers the news of Durga’s returning after Durga Puja. Atin Bandyopadhyay’s novel Neelkantho Pakhir Khonje tells that this messenger of homecoming is lost to everybody. No character in the story finds refuge in the end.
This play has been structured by editing and extending the source novel. It is composed and presented in an alternative space, and the set and hand-props have deliberately been kept real so that the rawness of the narrative becomes an intense experience for the audience. The writing style of the novel deals with continuous painting and erasing of images which shows the immensely beautiful nature of Bengal and the gruesomeness lying under it. The play also proceeds through a thread of building and breaking of live images. It is a venture to address the politics of generosity and how insecurity leads to a false idea of a nation.

Director’s Note
When we study history in schools, we are taught to remember the political events by dates. Hence, from childhood we are made to assume that such things happen suddenly, and some immediate reason is behind all sorts of political mishaps. But the way a pressure-cooker is heated long before it whistles, the problems within a society gradually rise. We only register the impact when it bursts. Nobody tries to put out the fire beneath the pressure cooker. We struggle to avoid the boiling point and keep our next generation indifferent about the fire beneath them. A disparate society is like having a tea-party on top of a volcano and dreaming that it will never erupt. What is the point of nation-building if we don’t address the socio-economic disparities? Can a nation provide dignity and freedom to every citizen? Are we building nations and losing homes?

The Director
Born in Kolkata, Sejuti Bagchi completed M.A. in English Literature and worked for nine years in the theatre group Uhinee Kolkata and a few other Bangla theatre groups as an actor, dramaturge, costume and light designer, and workshop instructor. During and after her diploma course in NSD (2016-19), she had been associated with set, costume and light design in several productions directed by nationally celebrated directors as well as directors from abroad. After her diploma production Neelkanth Pakshi Ki Khonj Me in NSD, she has directed one more Hindi play Khabri for Khwabida, Gurugram which is being performed in different states of the country. She is also one of the conceptualisers and guides in the theatre workshop project Understanding Theatre, and is teaching elementary theatre designing in several different states. Presently, she is practicing theatre as a director-designer in Kolkata.

The Group
This play is a part of National School of Drama’s graduate showcase of class 2019. It aims to provide a platform to encourage emerging theatre practitioners to share their work with a wider audience.

Cast & Credits
Manindranath
(Pagla Thakur) Som
Badi Bahu Aditi Arya
Shachindranath
(Chhote Karta) Abhishek Koushal
Shamsuddin Sayan Sarkar
Malti Ashwini Makrand Joshi
Isham Salim Mulla
Jalali Snehalata Tagde
Fatima Prerna Joshi
Tista Aditi Arora
Chorus All Actors and Bhushan Patil

Art Direction & Set Execution Mayangbum Sunil Singh
Costume Assistant Bhumisuta Das, Ashwini Makrand Joshi
Property Assistant
& Floor Manager Aditi Arya
Make-up Bhumisuta Das
Music Sagnik Chakrabarty
Sound & Projection Saras Kumar Namdeo
Poster & Brochure Som
Light Operation &
Production Design Sejuti Bagchi

Dramaturge Team- ‘Neelkanth Pakshi Ki Khonj Me’

Direction Sejuti Bagchi

Contacts
Sejuti Bagchi
M: +91 9836262371
E: shonarmachhi@gmail.com

Playwright: Shib Mukhopadhyay
Director: Arna Mukhopadhyay
Group: Natadha, Howrah
Language: Bengali
Duration: 3 hrs

The Play
The period of fourteen years of exile is over for the Pandavas. It is the time for the law to take its rightful course; Duryodhana is supposed to hand-over the land of Indraprastha to his cousins. He denies returning the rightful share. Draupadi urges the Pandavas towards war. At this moment of crisis, the Pandavas seek Krishna’s advice. Krishna agrees to come to Hastinapur for discussion. He meets Bhishma Pitamaha, Karna, Shakuni and Gandhari and requests them not to wage a war. Duryodhana agrees to return the land but there is a mass upsurge against returning the land to the Pandavas. War becomes inevitable.

Director’s Note
Man desires everything for himself. He wishes to possess not only that which is his but also that what is not. In this greed he forgets that he too has a past, he too has kin and kinsmen. Slowly and steadily man moves towards decadence where everything is denuded and only the ‘me’ remains, isolated in the abyss of time. We have tried to understand the pulse of the modern times in the mirror of the mythology. We have tried to convey the stereotypes of human reality in the characters of Duryodhana, Krishna, Draupadi, Arjuna etc. We delved deep to understand the changing facade of modern urban civilization and were amazed to find that Mahabharata is so contemporary!

The Director
Arna Mukhopadhyay is an actor and director with an M. Phil in Dramatic Arts. He started directing plays in the year 2007. Some of the plays directed by him are Ebong Socrates, Caesar-O-Cleopatra, Eka Tughlaq, Bishkaal, Shesh Rakshya, Aleekbabu, Athhoi, and Mahabharat 2. He has also acted in all the plays directed by him, as well as in many plays produced by other popular groups of Kolkata. He has been an actor-trainer imparting theatre training to the youth.

The Playwright
Shib Mukhopadhyay has written more than sixty plays. He has adapted the plays of Tennessee Williams, Bertolt Brecht, Jean Paul Sartre, Anton Chekhov and William Shakespeare. The first part of Mahabharata written by him ended with the Pandavas going to exile. This presentation is a sequel to the same.

The Group
Natadha was established in 1974, and besides performances and training, the group conducts social activities, festivals and publications on theatre. Natadha runs a regular theatre centre at Howrah, West Bengal. It publishes Natyamukhapatra, the only Bengali theatre newspaper which has been published every Thursday for 23 years. The group has staged Raktakarabi for almost forty years.

Cast & Credits
Gandhari Sadhana Mukhopadhyay
Dhritarashtra Koushik Chattopadhyay
Uttora Upabela Pal
Arjuna Arpan Ghoshal
Abhimanyu Rishav Basu
Draupadi Sohini Sarkar
Draupadi’s attendant Anurupa Sen
Nakula Milan Kundu
Sahadeva Sarthak Ash
Bheema Sumit Panja
Yudhishthhira Joydev Ghosh
Kunti Saptadwipa Chattopadhyay
Krishna Rudrarup Mukhopadhyay
Dushshasana Sourav Samanta
Duryodhana Arna Mukhopadhyay
Bidura Subir Goswami
Shakuni Ritam Sarkar
Bheeshma Saumen Bandopadhyay
Drona Susanta Chakraborty
Bhanumoti Swagata Rit
The father Subrata Chattopadhyay
Ambassador of Virata Tufan Singharoy
Sanjaya Sayam Das
Karna Anujoy Chattopadhyay
Bohitra (Attendant to Dhritarashtra) Saheb Dutta
Budhhika (Attendant to Gandhari) Tanuja Dey
Young Duryodhana Tathagata Pal
The Warrior Arup Chakraborty
The People Madhuparna Hatua, Shrabanti Saha, Shrutakirti Rooj, Anupurba Goswami, Amit Das, Pushpendu Sardar, Souvik Mohanta, Sourodeep Mukherjee.

Set Milan Kundu
Assisted by Sarthak Ash
Set Making Subol Maiti
Lights Jayanta Ghosh (Kalyan)
Music operation Bandan Misra
Costume making Bimal Maiti
Paintings Susanta Chakraborty
Make-up Joydev Ghosh
Dance Movements Sumit Panja
Publicity material Sourav Samanta
Teaser Saikat Chattaraj
Logo Design Subrata Chattopadhyay
Production control Sadhana Mukhopadhyay

Playwright Shib Mukhopadhyay
Music & Direction Arna Mukhopadhyay

Contacts
Director, Natadha
7/2 Nabakumar Nandi Lane,
Howrah, West Bengal- 711101
M: +91 8240280700, 9674943774
E: natadha74@gmail.com

Playwrights & Directors: Kevin Duvall & Taylor Brewerton
Group: The Central Scrutinizers, USA
Language: English
Duration: 1 hr

The Play
When two boorish government lackeys working in a nuclear facility accidentally launch a nuclear weapon into the stratosphere, the chase is on! The mismatched duo’s quest to save the world from nuclear annihilation hurls them from a decrepit bunker, down a sketchy roadside, through the clouds, and down to the very depths of Hell itself. Their journey, of course, culminates in a valiant duel against the king of demons. This critically-renowned screwball comedy has toured across America in 2019, and has been hailed as a “master-class in mime and physical comedy”. Live Nukes! is a truly international play, performed without the use of props, set, or real words of any kind!

Director’s Note
We believe that theatre can be a universal art form. When we began working on what would become Live Nukes!, we set a few strict rules for ourselves in the hope of creating a performance which could be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of their native language or national origin. The rules were as follows: no props, no set, and no real words. Chicago is a city of immigrants, and in order to bridge the real gap that exists between the theatre community and Chicago’s very diverse population, we needed to make a comedy which transcended language and culture. In the spirit of silent cinema, tinted with the apocalyptic concerns of our contemporary political climate, we devised a play which, we hope, will poke fun at our increasingly-grim global outlook.

The Directors
Kevin Duvall and Taylor Brewerton are a physical theatre duo who have been collaborating as actors, directors, and writers for over a decade. Together they have developed work in myriad theatrical forms, from a devised farce, to an adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s short story The Prophet’s Hair, the high tragedies of Shakespeare and Euripides, environmentalist game shows, and beyond. They have performed at many venues across the United States and Canada. Kevin and Taylor both hold Masters from the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre. They are honoured to be given the opportunity to present their wordless, absurdist pantomime Live Nukes! at the Bharat Rang Mahotsav.

The Group
The Central Scrutinizers is not a theatre group in the traditional sense, but is an ensemble of a duo, Kevin Duvall and Taylor Brewerton who collaborate on script, performance and direction.

Cast & Credits
Performers & Directors Kevin Duvall & Taylor Brewerton

Contacts
The Central Scrutinizers
1517 W Hollywood Ave, Chicago, IL
United States- 60660
M: +1 8048373327
E: livenukeslivenukes@gmail.com

Playwright: Ravindra Tripathy
Director: Suresh Sharma
Group: NSD Repertory Company, New Delhi
Language: Hindi
Duration: 1 hr 50 mins

The Play
Pehla Satyagrahi is about the life and struggle of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, known as Mahatma Gandhi around the world. This is the story of Mohandas’s journey of truth and non-violence as well as the story of the independence of India. He fought a political war for almost twenty years in South Africa and when he returned to India, he, through his non-violent crusades like Quit India movement, Champaran Satyagraha and Dandi March, made it difficult for the British government to rule India.
Gandhi had said, “My life itself is my message.” What kind of life did the Mahatma lead, what were the challenges he faced, and what were the difficulties he encountered, is what we have attempted to express and showcase through this play. Gandhi’s life is larger than life and his personality quite dramatic. He was a walking and fasting saint-politician. He was spiritual and religious. And his death too was dramatic.

Director’s Notes
While working on a production for the 150th birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, I thought of a play which brought to light incidents from his life about which we have often heard but haven’t seen being presented earlier, and the younger generation of our country doesn’t know about.
Ravindra Tripathy and I discussed this project. What finally emerged was a narration of the story through Sonia Schlesin, Mahadev Desai, Pyare Lal, Colin Bach and Joseph K. Dock. The first three were associated with Gandhiji as his assistants, Joseph wrote Gandhiji’s first biography, and Hermann Kallenbach was a very close friend.
I have to confess that one of the scenes in this play is fictitious (the creative liberty we are allowed to have). It is in the end where Gandhiji is interviewed by Gandhi and answers some unanswered questions to himself; the questions which till date are buried deep somewhere under the rubble of history.
The play is the story of the making of Mahatma from Gandhi. It isn’t just history but also today’s voice and necessity of being ‘Swadeshi’ and ‘human’.

The Director
Suresh Sharma did PG diploma with specialization in Acting from National School of Drama in 1985.
In 1987-88 he established the only non-government repertory in the district of Mandi (Himachal Pradesh). From 1996-98 he worked as the Artistic Director of Sri Ram Centre for Performing Arts, Delhi. In 1998 he established the first non-government fully residential Theatre Academy in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. Mr. Sharma has been felicitated by Sahitya Kala Parishad. Sangeet Natak Academy awarded Mohana, a play written and directed by him, under the Young Director’s Scheme.

Playwright
Ravindra Tripathy is a senior print and TV journalist, cultural critic, playwright, satirist, documentary film-maker, columnist and editor. Tripathy has directed two documentary films and scripted a popular news-satire show Pol-Khol for Star News and ABP News. He is currently associated with Swaraj TV as consultant. He was awarded Sahityakar Samman by Hindi Akademi, Delhi in 2001.

The Group
Established in 1964 with just four members, the Repertory Company of NSD is the regular performing wing of the school. It was set up with the dual purposes of establishing professional theatre on one hand and continuing with regular experimental work on the other. Over the years it has produced a variety of plays ranging from stylized musicals to realistic contemporary Indian drama to translations and adaptations of foreign plays. In addition, several eminent persons of national and international repute have worked with the Company, and it has performed over one hundred and eighty one plays by ninety-eight playwrights and has worked with ninety directors. Quite a few of its actors have emerged as celebrities in theatre, cinema and television. The Company has toured extensively in India and abroad.

Cast & Credits
Gandhi-1 Shanawaz Khan
Gandhi-2 Raju Roy
Mahadev Deep Kumar
Pyare Lal Parag Baruah
Sonia Schlesin Aparna Menon
Meer Alam Rahul Kumar
Attendant/Duda Bhai/ Muslim Sikandra Kumar
Train Officer, Kallenbach Shubham Pareek
Mr. Duke Jitu Rabha
Rajkumar Shukla Ashutosh Banerjee
Aabha Ben/ Dani Ben Suman Purty
Manu Ben Anamika Sagar
Sushila Ben Sakshi Sharma
Kasutrba Gandhi Shruti Mishra
Brij Kishore Vishveshvar M. Gondhali
Multi-Character (Female) Sampa Mandal
Multi-Character (Male) Naveen Singh Thakur
Chorus Sampa Mandal, Sikandra Kumar, Aparna Menon, Rahul Kumar,
Sakshi Sharma, Shubham Pareek, Ashutosh Banerjee, Anamika Sagar,
Virendra Singh, Snehalata S. Tagde, Suman Purty, Manish Dubey,
Vishveshvar M. Gondhali, Jitu Rabha, Palak Jasrotia

Set Design Rajesh Bahl
Set Execution Ram Pratap, Manoj Kumar, Brijesh Sharma
Light Design & Operation Govind Singh Yadav
Assistance Md. Suleman, Pradeep Aggarwal
Costume Design C.S. Bhatia
Costume Coordinator Sampa Mandal, Anamika Sagar
Sound Operation Mukesh Kumar
Sound Design Rajesh Singh
Properties In-charge Moti Lal Khare
Video Design Sourav Poddar
Music Kajal Ghosh
Tabla Om Prakash
Harmonium Naveen Singh Thakur
Key Board Kishore Kumar Malhotra
Flute Anurag Sharma
Sitar Matluf Husain
Tabla, Percussion Pankaj Banai
Dholak Sanjeev Kumar
Make-up Sikandra Kumar, Shruti Mishra
Assistance All Repertory Artists
Stage Manager Govind Singh Yadav
Production Coordinator Sukumar Tudu
Special Thanks for
Dance Choreography Bharat Sharma
Associate Director Pravin Kumar Gunjan

Playwright Ravindra Tripathy
Design & Direction Suresh Sharma

Contacts
NSD Repertory Company
Bahawalpur House
Bhagwandas Road
New Delhi – 110 001
Ph: 011 23383420
W: www.nsd.gov.in

Playwright: Parthisubba
Director: Keremane Shivanand Hegde
Group: Sri Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana Mandali, Karnataka
Language: Kannada
Duration: 1 hr 30 mins

The Play
The performance starts with the traditional invocation Poorvaranga to lord Ganesha with dance and music. Sri Rama moves to the forest, with wife Seeta and brother Laxmana. The sages of the forest complain about the demons and solicit his protection. Rama assures to help them.
Shoorpanakha, Ravana’s sister, smells the odour of human flesh and approaches Rama’s hermitage. Looking at Rama, she gets attracted by him. Using her magical powers she transforms herself as a beautiful damsel and expresses her desire to marry him. Rama, for the sake of fun, advises her to marry his brother Laxmana who is younger, more handsome and yet to be married. With lust and desire, excited Shoorpanakha runs to Laxmana. Laxmana becomes angry, scolds her for her behaviour and asks her to bring proof from Rama. Rama writes on her back, suggesting Laxmana to chop off her ears and nose. Laxmana sees Rama’s orders, and cuts off her ears and nose. Angry Shoorpanakha takes a vow that she will take revenge.

Director’s Note
This episode is selected from the Aranya Kanda of the Ramayana. Happenings in Panchavati is a crucial part of Ramayana and forms a basis for abduction of Seeta. Traditionally, this play was limited to the conversation based Taalamaddale. I have tried to explore new possibilities, besides already existing traditional theatre elements, music and rhythm, in enhancing the portrayal of the characters and the story. Breaking the barriers of language through simple narration and direction, without losing the framework of impromptu dialogue delivery, dance and narrative motives of Yakshagana, has made this play successful in and abroad India.
The depiction and dance of many rishis being choreographed into a single song, the depiction of intimacy of Seeta and Rama, entry and transformation of Shoorpanakha, the dramatic usage of the tere (traditional curtain), expressions of internal emotions, Rama and Laxmana’s determinations are some of the notable parts of directions and choreography of the play.
One can see a spectrum of moods, other than the popular Veera, Raudra, Hasya in Yakshagana, i.e. Shringara, Bhayanaka, Karuna and Adbhuta as well.

The Director
Sri Keremane Shivanand Hegde is the present director of this Yakshagana Troupe. He is also Guru and director of a Yakshagana Training Center – Srimaya Yakshagana Ranga Shikshana Kendra in a remote village of coastal Karnataka. Sri Hegde is a fifth generation Yakshagana artist in Keremane family. He has studied and practiced many classical and folk-dance forms apart from Yakshagana and has toured all over the globe heading the Yakshagana Mandali. He has been conferred with many awards (Aryabhata International Award, Kuvempu Deepa Award, Ajithashri, Kusumashri, Chittani Awards etc.) and titles (Yakshagana Kalashekhara, Yaksha Sarathi and Nritya Param). Currently, he is a member of the executive board of Sangeeta Nataka Akademi, New Delhi; the chairman of Folk and Tribal Community of SNA, New Delhi; academic council member of Karnataka State Dr. Gangubhai Hangal Music and Performing Arts University, Mysore; and a member of many other renowned organisations.

The Playwright
Yakshagana poet Parthisubba, believed to have lived in about 1600 AD, is a celebrated composer of many Yakshagana Prasangas (or poetic episodes). Subba is believed to be the originator of new regional style, the Tenkutittu, the ‘Southern School’ of Yakshagana. He is also believed to be the author (probably the compiler and editor) of Sabhalakshana, a collection of songs used for the preliminary (Purva Ranga) of Yakshagana.

The Group
Yakshagana is a rare 500 year old operative art form which belongs to our rich Indian heritage originating in Karnataka. It is a combination of dance, drama, music, dialogues and stories taken from Indian epics and mythology. Sri Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana Mandali, Keremane® was established in 1934 by Sri Hegde’s grandfather. This mandali is a non-profit NGO, and the performing unit of the organization has toured extensively in India, USA, England, Spain, Bahrain, France, China etc. Many awards and recognitions have been conferred to the mandali from all over the world; the prestigious ‘Raja Mansingh Tomar Award’ conferred by MP Govt. being the most recent.

Cast & Credits
Shri Rama Keremane Shivanand Hegde
Rushi Muni Timmappa Hegde
Shoorpanakha 1 Ishwar Bhat Hamsalli
Maya Shoorpanakha 2 Sadashiv Bhat Yellapura
Laxmana Vighneshwar Havgodi
Rushi Muni Seetaram Hegde Mudare, Shridhar Hegde Keremane, Ganapati Kunabi
Poorvaranga Chandrashekar N.
Seeta Maruti Naik Bailagadde
Poorvaranga Nakula Gouda

Tere Krishna Marathi
Tere &
Green Room Helper Mahaveer Indra Jain
Bhagawata (Singer) Ananta Hegde Dantalige
Chande Player Krishna Yaji Idagunji
Maddale Player Narasimha Hegde Mururu

Playwright Parthisubba
Director Keremane Shivanand Hegde

Contacts
Sri Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana
Mandali Keremane
At & P.O: Gunavante, Tq: Honnavar
Dist. Uttara Kannada, Karnataka- 581348
M: +91 8387234188, 9480516300
E: idagunjimela@gmail.com

Playwright & Director: Plaban Basu
Group: Moulali Rangashilpi, Kolkata
Language: Hindi
Duration: 2 hrs 10 mins

The Play
It becomes an obsession with young Syed, a painter, to paint the portraits of his lady love, Jamila.
By a strange quirk of fate, Jamila arrives at Syed’s hillside village as a bride of Sadiq, Syed’s elder brother. Everyone takes it for a case of love marriage, which it is not. Defeated by Jamila in a horse-cart race, Sadiq abducts and forcibly marries and brings her to the house. Jamila tries her level best to reconcile with the situation by being dutiful to all the members of her newly acquired family. But her self-respect gets wounded at every step. The responsibility of selling crops falls upon Jamila’s shoulder in a nearly market. There she meets a meek and outwardly weak person, Daniar, and discovers a strong sense of self-dignity in his character. A new chapter of life unfolds itself heralding the dawn of a new journey for Jamila.

Director’s Note
To me Jamila is not just a play, it is a journey of self-search, not just Jamila’s but of all the oppressed women out there. As a director I faced several challenges from this novel. The story is written in such a way that it has a lot of cinematic elements. So to build a play was a big challenge. Jamila, for me, is a story of redemption, liberation of love from social bondage. It is a play about a woman’s struggle to earn the freedom to express her love. Therefore to be able to work as the director of this play was truly a rewarding experience and an accomplishment.

The Director & Playwright
Plaban Basu is an actor and theatre director who is active in media as well. He is a science graduate and practices martial art. In 2004, he formed a theatre group Rangashilpi. Plaban has worked with eminent directors like Usha Ganguly, Tim Supple, Habib Tanvir, Abanti Chakraborty, Kanhaiya Lal, Biplob Bandyopadhyay, Maloy Roy and many others. Plaban has also been working with children at railway stations and streets and with people with disabilities. He has written and directed plays focused on the rights of disabled children and on various other human rights. He has also acted in several Bengali and Hindi serials and films.

The Group
Rangashilpi was established in August 2004. In the past 15 years the group has experienced a journey of Bengali & Hindi productions of theatre, either on the streets or on stage, and concerning various subject matters ranging from social issues, factual facts of history, to the fragrance of folk culture.
The group has restlessly engaged in theatre workshops with disabled women, railway workers, schools, street children and village youth. Rangashilpi has been working with various non-government organisations, to improve their mental and social condition through theatre. Rangashilpi organizes regular events like Mukho Mukhi, Musafirana and Salam Safder to sustain the cultural practice. Rangashilpi productions have been staged successfully at various prestigious festivals.

Cast & Credits
On Stage                     Sushil Kanti, Ashok Chakroborty, Bimal Chandra Dey, Partha Sarathi Basu, Shakti Chakroborty, Tarun Kumar Nath, Subanti Banerjee, Dalia Pramanick, Shraboni Bonik, Ruposree Majumdar, Kathanjali Pramanick, Suchandra Bhattacharyay, Sabaree Sen, Bishwabandhu Choudhury, Saibal Sarkhel, Writtick Basak, Madhusudan Dhar, Saikat Roy, Shanta Swarup Mukherjee, Ritabrato Naskar

Light Operator               Sashankha Mondal
Music Operator             Biswajit Biswas
Light Assistant              Brindaban Das
Make-up                        Pijush Ghosh Choudhury

Story                             Chingiz Aitmatov
Playwright
& Director                      Plaban Basu

Contacts
Director,
Moulali Rangashilpi
90B, K. G. Bose Sarani,
Kolkata- 700085
M: +91 9836368767, 9062159118, 9770642782

Playwright: Vasant Deo
Director: Jagdish Sharma
Group: Anveshan Theatre Group, Sagar (M. P.)
Language: Hindi & Bundeli
Duration: 1 hr 10 mins

The Play
Lord Krishna’s friend Sudama Sharma and his wife Savitri are living a difficult life of poverty. Sudama’s wife urges him to go to Dwarka and seek Krishna’s help. Sudama goes to Dwarka. On hearing of Sudama’s arrival, Krishna leaves his throne and runs towards his friend and embraces him. Sudama receives great hospitality in Dwarka and after a while Krishna bids him farewell but without offering any help. Angry Sudama gets back home to find that his hut is transformed into a palace now and his house is filled with riches. On asking his wife as to how this happened, she tells him that Lord Krishna appeared himself and gave them this prosperity. Sudama has many doubts and expresses his distrust. What next…?
The purpose of this play is to convey a contemporary version of the legendary tale, and not to undermine the pleasure that it is supposed to bring you.

Director’s Note
Sudama Ke Chawal is a narrative of the contemporary human situation and is a satire on today’s man, his double standards and polluted mind. The age old tale and its characters have been used only as reference. The protagonist of the play is Krishna who cries at the sight of poor Sudama, his childhood friend. Krishna is an epitome of friendship and his love for Sudama is exemplary. Krishna does not appear on stage but he pervades the play throughout. Sudama of this play is used as a medium to convey the hypocritical human of today. The language of the play is Hindi, blended with Bundeli, and the performance is made richer with the blend of Bundeli folk songs and Dhimaryai, a traditional folk dance.

The Director
Born on 20 Jun 1965, Jagdish Sharma has been active in theatre for more than 25 years. He formed Anveshan Theatre Group in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh in 1992. He has been an actor and director of this group. Some of his popular productions are Andha Yug, Sudama Ke Chawal, Bhagam-Bhag, Aadhe-Adhure etc. Jagdish has worked with the famous film director Shyam Benegal. He has acted in many TV serials and written scripts for a few street plays and the film Acharya.

The Playwright
Prof. Vasant Deo was a teacher by profession and had taught for many years at Bundelkhand University, Jhansi. During this period he wrote scripts in Hindi blended with Bundeli. Sudama Ke Chawal was written sometime in the 90s. Strangely enough, even after a lot of search, his whereabouts today are not known.

The Group
Anveshan Theatre Group was established in Sagar (M.P.) in 1992. In the past 26 years Anveshan has not only produced plays but has also organised many theatre festivals, workshops, seminars and conferences. It has organised production based workshops with renowned thespians like B.V. Karanth, Habib Tanvir, Govind Namdeo, Sunil Sinha, Mukesh Tiwari and Ishtiaq Arif Khan. The group has performed in numerous theatre festivals at Bhopal, Jabalpur, Balaghat, Indore, Ujjain, Khajuraho, Delhi, Chandigarh etc. The artists of Anveshan are now serving in prestigious institutions in different parts of the country. Many of them have established themselves in films, journalism, theatre and other fields.

Cast & Credits
Sudama                            Jagdish Sharma
Savitri                                Deepganga Sahu
Dwarpal 1                         Atul Shrivastava
Dwarpal 2                         Manoj Soni
Dwarpal 3                         Kapil Nahar

Shadow Play                     Nitin Dubey, Rishabh Saini
Folk Songs
& Dance                             Liladhar Raikvaar
Instrumentalists                  Amar Raikvaar, Khemchand Sen, Ranjeet Raikvaar
Scenography                      Rajeev Jat, Satish Sahu
Lights                                 Santosh Dangi, Akash Vishwakarma
Sound                                Praveen Kaimya
Make-up                            Karishma Gupta

Playwright                          Vasant Deo
Direction                            Jagdish Sharma

Contacts:
Anveshan Theatre Group
Sagar (M.P.)
M: +91 9818324311
E: mayamaze@gmail.com