Bharat Rang Mahotsav: All The World’s A Stage

It’s an all new January already and we hope you’re having a great start to the New Year. For theatre aficionados, the year is starting on an incredible note because the 15^th Bharat Rang Mahotsav, one of the most awaited theatre festivals in India. Kicked off in New Delhi on 5^th January, the annual NSD run festival is a two week bonanza for theatre lovers and presents some of the most entertaining, enlightening and interesting shows in the field of theatre and drama. Watch the theatre of India and the world come alive as troupes from as far as Italy, China, Sri Lanka and USA, and the best groups from Malayalam, English, Bengali and Hindi theatre present their shows this year.

Watch out for…

The 2013 festival schedule will feature amazing productions such as ‘Hanuman Ramayan’ by Suresh Kaliyath, in Malayalam, and ‘Nidravatwan’ (Solo Performance) by playwright and director Nimmy Raphel, in English on the 6^th of January. Delhi Theatre circles are sure to be buzzing after a performance of ‘A Warsaw Melody’, by playwright Leonid Zorin, in Chinese, so go get a look-see on the 7^th of January. ‘Meghnad Badh Kabya’ based on the verses of the celebrated 19^th century poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt and directed by Manish Mitra in Bengali and Sanskrit is scheduled for January 9^th and will be a memorable theatre show.

Apart from all the plays in theatre, there will also be various lectures conducted on a range of topics associated with theatre and drama. Make some time for ‘Technology and Politics in Japan’s Contemporary Performance Culture’ by Prof. Tadashi Uchino, from the University of Tokyo or ‘Ready-Made-Actors and Remote-Controlled Audiences’ by Stefan Kaegi, curator of Parallel Cities, interventions in public spaces. You will not be disappointed!

Installations are an integral part of theatre and drama events so don’t forget to attend the various performances and installations that will be part of the Delhi theatre extravaganza. Some options are:

-      Confined - an operatic song cycle performance by Younes Bachir

-      Unselfed - explores subjective ideas and propositions of parallel/multiple selves, directed by Sujay Saple.

-      Pagadi, based on the tradition of turbans in India, by Dinesh Yadav

Love to see yourself in the spotlight? Visit the installation 'Improvised Spotlight’, an interactive public space project and have your wish come true!

Parallel happenings in Jaipur

Each year the Bharat Rang Mahotsav also holds a festival of theatre and drama in a different city, running parallel to the events at Delhi. This year, the festival travels to Jaipur. The festival dates are from January 7^th to 17^th, and you can see plays in theatre venues like Jawahar Kala Kendra and Rabindra Manch. Watch out for the Sinhalese play ‘Dhawala Bheeshana’ by Dharmasiri Bandaranayake and ‘Monsieur Jor Dan and Dervish Mastali Shakh’ by playwright M. F. Akhundzadeh in Azeri.

Photo Credit: Christian Haugen / Flickr

So, what are you waiting for? Pack your bags, get on a flight, train or bus and be a part of one of the most premier events in Delhi.