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The hills are alive...

Veterans, youngsters, amateurs and professionals, got together for the Uttarakhand Lok Natya Mahotsav-2007.



Poignant A scene from “Dhol Ke Bol”

Comitted to the propagation, preservation and enrichment of Uttarakhand’s art, literature and culture, Akhil Garhwal Sabha Dehra Dun organised the Uttarakhand Lok Natya Mahotsav 2007 in Dehra Dun recently.

It featured 10 plays from different districts, highlighting the deeds of folk heroes as well as the struggle of hill people to create a better world to live in. Dedicated to the memory of the late Beer Singh Thakur, the event displayed the hill people’s love of drama and the natural histrionic talents of performers.

One of the important aspects of the festival is that veteran theatre artistes, graduates from the National School of Drama who hail from the State and local amateur directors participate.

The participation of experienced and trained stage directors enhances the artistic quality of the festival and provides a model for amateur artistes. Unfortunately, the new State has done little to promote theatre.

It has not even built a modest auditorium in Dehra Dun. The festival was held in an auditorium poorly managed by the local municipal corporation. It is people’s sheer love of theatre and their dialects that draws them to theatrical activities. Pandit Uday Shankar Bhatt, the sabha’s Secretary – Literature and Culture lamented that the State Government had not yet sanctioned a grant for the event.
The nose ring

As for performances, Yug Manch, Nainital, presented “Nath” (Nose Ring) a potent symbol of social status in the region. A poor man is forced to mortgage his wife’s nath to a moneylender.

She is desperate to get it back and financially exploits her husband’s brother-in-law in the name of providing for his son, who is staying with the family. There is another strand to the story: the moneylender, who is old and sick, marries a young girl from a poor family.

In the play written and directed by Neeraj Shah, the use of folk music rendered by a chorus reinforces the mood.

On the concluding evening two plays were staged. It began with “Chaupat Raj - Jakhak Takhi” by Devanchalam Rangmandal, Lucknow. Based on the late Sati Thapliyal’s seminal Garhwali work “Prahlad”, it is conceived and directed by his grandson Urmil Kumar Thapliyal.

“Chaupat Raj – Jakhak Takhi” includes satirical elements from the original which highlights the prevailing dichotomies in public administration, judiciary and education.

Interestingly, the antagonism between the ruling class and the people is seen through the mythological confrontation between Harinakashyap and his son Prahlad.

The production is remarkable for its imaginative direction, austerity, telling gestures of the performers and slickness.

The actors perform without any make-up and in simple white costumes. It offers hilarious movements to the audience while exposing the anti-people acts of various branches of the state. The musical score by the director himself is full of life.

From Delhi, Kala Darpan presented “Dhol Ke Bol” under the direction of Suwarn Rawat, an NSD graduate. The play is based on Hindi fiction writer Mahaveer Rawalta’s short story.

In the original “Nain Da” is the protagonist and the story ends on a nostalgically wistful note. In Rawat’s stage version, Gokulya, Nain Da’s grandson, is the protagonist. Rawat has also created a few characters to give the stage version a proper dramatic shape.

The play ends on an optimistic note. Its central theme is the plight of traditional drum-beaters in Uttarakhand who have to beat drums on all occasions from birth to death. The original story depicts their exploitation by upper castes.

Rawat’s stage version shows the change in the life of the third generation of Nain Da. Gokulya’s dream of becoming a famous guitar player comes true. Rawat’s adaptation imparts it the right kind of dramatic format. The cast gives an impressive performance.