Dilip Guha ★ New Delhi : The Bengal Association, Delhi, a prominent institution promoting Bengali art, culture, and literature since 1958, marked World Theatre Day (WTD) with a spectacular theatre festival on April 13, 2025. This celebration, held at the Muktadhara Auditorium in the capital, successfully brought together 19 renowned Bengali theatre groups, showcasing the works of talented playwrights and actors as it has done in previous years. A series of miniature plays was staged throughout the day, starting from 10:30 AM and continuing until late in the evening. The theatre groups from Delhi and the surrounding regions participated, presenting their finest productions. World Theatre Day is a platform that encourages playwrights, directors, and artists to think beyond conventional theatre and experiment with new ideas.
The festival showcased the traditional richness of Bengal’s literature, art, and culture in a brief time slot of 20 minutes for each of the 19 Microplays presented. The festival featured a diverse range of Bengali plays, exploring significant themes such as Women’s issues and empowerment, the lives and struggles of the middle class, Complex social relationships, child issues, etc. The plays spanned multiple genres, including Satire and social commentary, Musicals and comedy, and Thriller suspense and romance.
The event drew a house-full audience, with many leading theatre personalities in attendance. The festival was a testament to the vibrant theatre scene in Delhi and the Bengal Association’s commitment to promoting the arts. By celebrating World Theatre Day, the association highlighted the importance of theatre as a powerful medium for storytelling, social commentary, and cultural expression.
Nineteen groups, including Prantik, Spotlight, Amra Kojon, Srijanee Socio-Cultural Association, Prarambha, Japonchitro, Horizon, Karol Bagh Bangiyo Samsad, CR Park Bangiyo Samaj, Navapalli Natya Sanstha (NNS), Room Theatre, Bikolpo, and Ichche Bitan, etc, participated.
Spotlight’s play “Alor Pothe” stood out. It highlighted women’s distinct identity, emphasising that they are not merely household caretakers but individuals with rights to live and enjoy life on their own terms—a message powerfully delivered by the protagonist, a middle-aged woman.
“PRARAMBH”‘s presentation of the non-verbal play “Aayesha” directed by Rabishankar Kar on the occasion, an educational play on environmental pollution. Play provided interesting viewing for the audience, especially for youth, who were spellbound with the enactment, and visual effects of the mask, and lighting effects, and the use of beautiful props. The presentation is where a little girl looks at the world outside through her binoculars and finds that the world is full of plastic and trash, including the ocean, as fishermen fail to catch fish, they end up with plastic trash. The little girl Aayesha realises that we are the culprits who are damaging the environment. She decides to take charge by removing all trash from the beach and encourages others to follow the same.
Srijanee Socio-Cultural Association’s play “Atho Bhut Bibaho Kotha” was a delightful production, Karol Bagh Bangiyo Samsad ‘s “AAtiyo “, a comedy, brought joy, with its comedic portrayal.
The simple yet impactful stage design by the Navapalli Natya Sanstha Theatre Group garnered significant appreciation. An attempt was made to portray the anguish of an exiled writer in a poetic and prosaic miniature drama, “E ki Nirbasan,” inspired by the real-life story of exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin. This micro play, directed and scripted by Biswajit Sinha, while talking about this innovative thought, said this micro play is presented in a new format, a narrative of the long suffering of an exiled woman writer, presented in montage. This innovative micro play portrays the long suffering of an exiled woman writer. Using a montage format, it weaves together her poetry, essays, memoirs, and diaries into a cohesive narrative of her struggles, dilemmas, and life events. Performed by Soma Sinha and Prodip Ganguly, vividly captured the anguish of an exiled woman—her mental torment, yearning for freedom, and enduring struggle for truth and humanitarian values.
In the children’s category, the talented kids from Ichchhe-Bitan performed a short play based on Rabindranath Tagore’s famous story, “Bidushak” (The Clown). The script was written by Nabanita and directed by Siddhartha. The children’s performance was outstanding. The director mentioned that training kids can be quite challenging; it requires continuous dedication to achieve better performances. He emphasised the importance of inspiring the younger generation by highlighting the value of theatre, as it fosters teamwork, leadership skills, and personal growth. Engaging in theatre helps nurture individuals to become empathetic and respectful of the emotions of others.
To raise awareness of Bengali literature among the younger generation and to engage them in cultural activities, another two noteworthy performances deserve mention: Nobopollob Children’s Theatre presented “Thik Bolini,” and Bikolpo Group showcased “Bujhte Deri,” both featuring talented child artists. Both shows were performed by well-prepared child actors who exhibited remarkable talent and provided endless entertainment.
Japonchitro, a well-known theatre group, presented a play on a pressing issue that highlights the struggles faced by parents of children admitted to schools. Titled “No Admission,” the play addresses the challenges of child education in urban settings, portraying the concerns and difficulties the parents encounter. It concludes with a poignant note: a newborn, just one day old, is unable to secure a place in a prestigious school in Delhi because his parents did not reserve a seat during the early stages of pregnancy.
The short drama uniquely ended with the distribution of sweets to all attendees, celebrating the homecoming of the newborn. Suhan Basu, the writer and director, stated, “At Japonchitro, we always strive to highlight social issues in our productions. There are two primary ways to engage the audience: through entertainment and by reflecting social life. ‘No Admission’ aims to shed light on the challenges within the school admission process and other related institutions, which are crucial for a child’s development.”
Media In-Charge of Bangal Association Raja Chatterjee, said, “WTD provides an opportunity to motivate young artists, and most importantly, to bring back audiences to theatre halls. In this spirit, the Bengal Association, in collaboration with the cultural organisation “PeSuEv,” an organisation working to promote Visual and Performing art forms, organised a “Theatre Canvas Poster Design” unique competition titled “Stage Stroke,” for all participating theatre groups. The competition aimed to create high-quality posters that could quickly capture the attention of a target audience and leave a lasting impression.”
“It aims to focus on reviving the art of poster design to celebrate the essence of theatre. This initiative aims to connect the technical expertise and creativity of Delhi’s theatre artists with the younger generation, fostering talent and innovation.”
Delhi has a long-standing tradition of Bengali theatre. Prominent theatre personalities and accomplished artists from the city have previously showcased their exceptional talent by capturing the essence of plays through posters. Renowned names like Digbijoy Ghosh, Pratap Sen, Achintya Chatterjee, Tarit Mitra, and Niloy Sen are noteworthy contributors to this heritage.”
He further elaborated, “The importance of this competition is that in an era where the charm of poster design is fading, we aim to reignite its allure and empower designers to create impactful communication artwork. It helps in reviving the art of poster design and celebrates the essence of theatre. We can support our plays and artisans both by showcasing talent and creativity through this competition, which marks the beginning of a movement to bring back the magic of communication design.”
He informed that this is the second time the Theatre Canvas poster design competition of this kind has been held outside of Bengal, and it is highly appreciated by all. It was thought to preserve Bangla art and culture, which our Bengal Association thrives on. “This competition aimed to revive the art of poster design and support plays and artisans,” he added.
Srijanee Socio-Cultural Association won the Theatre Canvas Poster Design competition, while Naba Pallav and Navapalli Natya Sansthan were runners-up. The young lady Krithika Roy (Khushi) of Srijanee Theatre received a special mention for her paintings used in their poster.
Rabishankar Kar, a distinguished theatre artist and director based in the capital, has been dedicated to reinventing the stage as an artistic space since 1998. Speaking on the significance of World Theatre Day, he emphasised that theatre, as an enduring art form, remains inseparable from the lives of its artists worldwide. Reflecting on the state of Bengali theatre in Delhi, he noted that while the festival’s success underscores its growing appeal and popularity, it is troubling that, for most of the year, auditorium halls remain largely empty or occupied only by the organisers’ close circles of family and friends. He urged greater efforts to inspire young people and organise more theatre workshops to nurture future talent.
The day passed with one play after another, making it a joyful experience of an annual gathering of theatre enthusiasts!
Featured Image : Bidushak by Icche Bithan Group
