18 plays to mark Natrang's 'Silver Jubilee'

Jammu, July 13 (UNI) Natrang, a highly acclaimed local theatre group, is all set to create history of sorts by performing a series of its 18 nationally and internationally recognised plays from July 18 to mark its 'Silver Jubilee' year.

''It will be the first time in the country when a single theatre group will be staging 18 plays in a row,'' Mr Blawant Thakur, a renowned dramatist and director heading the Natrang told UNI in an interview.

Starting from July 18, this mega theatre event will feature 15 major productions in addition to three open-air plays of the Natrang, which has participated in more than a 100 national theatre festivals since it was established in 1983, he informed.

Mr Thakur has been a guide to several village-level and raw artists, who have left the mark of success at the national and international platforms.

He said the Dogra region of Jammu, Himachal Pradesh and north Punjab has a rich cultural heritage, which unfortunately remained suppressed. ''I used the traditional folklore and music in my plays, like in 'Baba Jitto' and 'Ghumayee', and I'm happy that the theatre lovers all over the country have realised the power of hill music.'' ''This 'Silver Jubilee' celebration is a recap of our (Natrang's) commitment to theatre and a resolve to take new departures towards its ultimate destination to create Jammu as the most happening theatre place of the country.

''I have a mission to make Natrang an ultimate destination of artists, writers, intellectuals and art lovers, '' Mr Thakur, a Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee for direction in theatre, said.

Natrang shot to the national fame with its Dogri language play 'Baba Jitto' a fifteenth century farmer saint of Jammu who fought for justice against the greedy landlord two decades back.

It has produced 87 plays in Dogri, Hindi and English languages, and has a distinction of staging dramas with larger group of participants.

With its popular plays 'Aap Hamare Hain Kaun' and 'Mere Hisse Ki Dhoop Kahan Hai', which have been performed more than sixty times each, the Natrang has shown a new vision to the Children's Theatre in the country.

During the ensuing 15-day-festival, the Natrang will be staging nine Hindi plays besides, four Dogri, one Hindustani and one in English language.

Mr Thakur, however, expressed his anguish over the new trend of producing ''below the belt'' stuff. ''It is very sad that an art is being sold like this, just for the sake of earning money,'' he said.

Theatre, according to the dramatist, requires devoted art lovers with a tough mental level.

UNI