RUPKONWAR NATYA UTSAV 2023 |Jorhat to host fest from Jan 19

HT Bureau
JORHAT, Jan 10: The four-day long ‘Rupkonwar Natya Utsav 2023’ will commence here from January 19 to 22. The utsav will be held at the Jorhat Theatre auditorium. A total of four dramas are slated each evening.
Addressing newspersons at the Conference Hall of the Jorhat Deputy Commissioner’s office on Tuesday, Secretary of Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra Samaj, Guwahati, Sudarshan Thakur and Jorhat Deputy Commissioner Ashok Kumar Barman, said that the programme has been organised under the aegis of Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra in association with Jorhat district administration and Jorhat Theatre – a renowned cultural organisation established over 125 years ago.
Thakur said that the festival would commence at the Jorhat Theatre auditorium with the staging of the famous play, ‘Rupalim’, penned by playwright, lyricist, poet, writer and film-maker Jyoti Prasad Agarwalla. Thakur added that the drama has been produced by the ‘Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra Samaj’ and directed by the ‘Sangeet Natak Akademi ‘ award winner Abinash Sharma.
On January 20, ‘Pranoru Pranor Ganoru Ganor’ written by Prasanta  Kotoky – produced by the Jorhat Theatre and directed by Pabitra Baruah will be staged. Similarly on January 21, ‘Bibhajan’, a play in the Bengali language, directed by well-known dramatist and director Abhijit Kar Gupta, will be performed and produced by the Kolkata-based group, ‘Dakshiner Batash’.
Thakur also stated that on the concluding day (January 22) ‘Safed Lakeer’, a  Hindi play, with script and direction by eminent dramatist, director Bipin Kumar and produced by the ‘Sikkim Repertory Company’,  the Sikkim branch of ‘National School of Drama’, would be staged.
As part of the drama festival, two seminars with support from the ‘Jagannath Barooah (Autonomous) College’, Jorhat would be organised at the ‘Guna Gobinda Dutta auditorium’ of the college, on January 21 and 22.
Thakur added that the seminar, ‘Trends of Assamese stage dramas during pre-Independence’ was scheduled to be inaugurated by State Education Minister Dr Ranoj Pegu.
The Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra Samaj Secretary stated that the seminar will be conducted by noted theatre  director Nayan Prasad and would be assisted by Prasanta Sarma. Theatre personalities, Dr Arup Borthakur, Sopunjyoti Thakur, Gunakar Devagoswami, Rabijita Gogoi and Bidyabati Phukan, will be resource persons in the seminar.
Thakur further said that on January 22, the seminar on ‘Bhaona in mother tongue: tradition, challenges and possibilities’ would be inaugurated by the Satradhikar of ‘Auniati Satra’, Majuli, Dr Pitambar Devagoswami. The personalities who would be participating in the seminar are Dr Nirupama Mahanta, a noted literary critic and assisted by Satriya artiste Dipankar Dutta, who is also an Assistant Professor of Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankaradeva Visvavidyalaya.
The resources persons would be renowned Satriya Sangeet expert and researcher Dr Pabitra Pran Goswami, Sonaram Sarmah Burahbhakat, Dr Manik Saikia and Karuna Kanta Bora.
He also informed that an art exhibition in the traditional form depicting the ‘ankiya naats’ (One-Act plays) of Mahapurush Srimanta Sankaradeva and Sri Sri Madhabdev, which have been arranged by the ‘Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra Samaj’, would be held at the venue of drama festival.
Altogether 120 art works that were made under the supervision of six eminent artists of the state for the purpose will be put up in the exhibition.
Later, Sudarshan Thakur and Ashok Kumar Barman jointly released the poster for the festival.