It is a joy to write the rare positive element about something very beautiful that happened in Holy City in recent days. The recently concluded ‘National and International theatre Fest’ by Bharat Rangmanch attracted enormous crowds and put city on the global map.
However, the festival remains free and open to all. School students, theatre artists, socialites, scholars, tourists all entered the gates together to be a part of the fest over ten days. The infectious energy of the organizers made festival as they worked relentlessly to run a fest.
If silence has sound then all is said by these theatre artists, they came from all over the world in the holy city on the occasions of ten days of 14th International and National Rangmanch Mahotsav. In quest of inner peace and exploration, several spectators enthusiastically rushed to the venues named Virsa Vihar and Punjab Natshala.
With the desire to take people closer to the theatre life, the tireless efforts were made. Right before the plays, the Nukkad nataks and cultural shows were shown in the premises of Virsa Vihar which was the humble tribute to Bhai Gursharan Singh who is the legendary figure of Punjab theatre.
The spectator Varinder Sohal said that the Nukkad Nataks shown half hour before the play, helps you to peep in the life of every common man. “The dedication and energy with which artists perform, reveals the real colour and soil of different traditions and culture,” he shared. He further said that these live performances forced you to explore your inner self to see the real perspective of life.
Then the plays are shown in the theatres of Virsa Vihar and Punjab Natashala respectively. These artists from different countries and states, came together to share space on the same stage. Bringing 19 theatre groups from India and Abroad, the highlights of festival were participating teams from Poland, Italy, Turkey, South Africa, Japan and Pakistan.
Ritu Behl, the student of fine Art, after watching the play ‘Looking in and out’ by the Japan’s theatre artists said that though the language was so different, but still they got everything they said. “We have always heard that art has no language, one can experience the same thing after watching these plays,” she said.
Another spectator Sukhjeet Singh said that it was the theatre in its pure form. The artists seemed to be more of research group rather than a theatre company. “More of an experiment and an attempt to break the cliché were remarkable by these wholesome artists,” he said.
Kewal Dhaliwal, local coordinator of fest and a noted artist said that city’s first time hospitality to international and national theatre artists had gained the numerous appreciation and it had proved to be the ‘turning point’ for Punjab Rangmanch. It was a rare sight with several cultures sharing the stage. “The response was awe-inspiring and it helped to rejoin all those old theatre lovers who were detached from it in ages,” he said.
By: Tanisha Chohan
(India Halla Bol)