Lalit Gupta
JAMMU, Sept 28: A unique showcase of creativity, tradition and timeless folk music and dance forms, the Natak Samagma, a festival of contemporary theatre practices, traditions and diverse cultural expressions of India, in which 600 artistes participated in 51 events concluded at the Abhinav Theatre, here today.
Organized by Sangeet Natak Akademy, New Delhi, in collaboration with J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, the highlight of concluding day was the stellar performance of an uncommon play Notes on Chai”, directed and acted by Jyoti Dogra, from Mumbai.
Striking for its creative content and form, today’s avant garde solo- play slowly glided the unsuspecting audience in exploring the unexpected dimensions of mundane through a collection of everyday characters. Deconstructing linearity of the storyline, Jyoti Dogra with her brilliant acting effortlessly transited from one to another character as if entering into their skins only to delve deeper into their physiognomy and the psychology.
Her direct address to the audience seems to collapse the boundaries between the actor, the performance and audience. Use of an astonishing repertoire of the sounds, the guttural noises, a talk become meaningless babble, emerged as a sonic texture to plays’ architecture
The last play of the evening was the play “Babuji” by Parivartan Samooh, Gwalior. Based on the story of Mithileshwar, adapted and directed by noted theatre personality Zafar Sanjari, the play in Nautanki style, depicted the internal and external struggle of one Babuji who chooses the path of art. In the end of the play Babuji was shot by a local gunda in the marriage of his own daughter.
The play came out as a testimony to the commitment of present day theatre artistes to connect with traditional theatre and performance forms like Nautanki and stage play in the same idiom.
The performances of traditional and ethnic folks forms of J&K included “Haran” by Charan Das Mangotra and party, “Gagail” by Sanjeev Shastri and party, Katra, “Shihilkul Pather” by Sultan Bhagat Theatre, Gundpora Kulgam, “Karkaan”, “Chakri” by Manzor Ahmad Shah and Abdul Rashid Hafiz. This was followed by “Kud” by Khem Raj & Party, Udhampur.
The five day festival of various theatrical dialects and performances that happened for the first time in the state and was appreciated and liked by the people of Jammu.
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