New Delhi, October 10
The curtains went up on ‘’Rang Swarn’’, Sangeet Natak Akademi’s two-week theatre fest, showcasing a wide spectrum of contemporary and traditional Indian theatre as part of its golden jubilee celebrations here last evening with a performance of ‘’Karnabharam’’, a Sanskrit play.

The 14-day fest will have 50 shows of contemporary and traditional theatre by luminaries such as Habib Tanvir, Zohra Sehgal, Shreeram Lagoo, Naseeruddin Shah, Amrish Puri, Ratan Thiyam, Anupam Kher, Satyadev Dubey, Alyque Padamsee, Mohan Agashe, Girish Karnad, Kavalam Narayana Panicker and Vijay Tendulkar.

‘’We have made a beginning and it will prosper,’’ Akademi Vice-Chairman Shyamanand Jalan said while speaking at the inaugural function. He proposed setting up a National Museum of Theatre for the coming generations. Such a museum was a necessity as Indian theatre was vast and had different dimensions.

‘’A proposal in this respect has been submitted to the government and it has been accepted in principle,’’ Mr Jalan said. Another proposal for a festival of performing arts in Delhi on the lines of those in the West, such as the Edinburgh and Avingnon festivals, had been submitted to the Delhi Government, he added.

‘’One unusual thing about theatre is that it is dying,’’ Mr Girish Karnad said but then added optimistically, ‘’It will never die.’’Referring to political interference in theatre, he said ‘’any kind of interference is bad for theatre.’’ It requires an open society to stand up and say plainly what it wants to communicate, he added. Kavalam Narayana Panicker, director of the inaugural play, ‘’Karnabharam’’, said it was a great pleasure that a Sanskrit drama was chosen for the inauguration. Besides the plays, a separate segment focussing on the individual actor, titled ‘Actor at Play’, will be held in which one actor will perform scenes from some other plays. The festival will also give an opportunity to view the rare traditional forms of theatre like Kutiyattam, Yakshagana, Prahlad Natak, Nautanki and Jatra. The ‘’Open Platform’’ will provide a forum for exchange and interaction of ideas and viewpoints.

Several eminent theatre personalities from Bangladesh, Finland, Ivory Coast, Japan, Romania, Slovakia and South Korea are also participating in the event. ‘’Theatre in the World’’, an international seminar, will focus on issues connected with theatrical imagination and creativity. The open platform will give theatre professionals an opportunity to interact with each other and with the public.