The first permanent Natyamandir (theatre hall) was built in the ninth or tenth decade of the last century on the Latasil playground at Uzanbazar Guwahati, in the house of Jitendranath Bujarbarua. The Natyamandir was located on the same campus along with the PWD and Municipality offices. The whereabouts of this house is not known now. Rehearsal of Assamese plays was regularly done in that Natyamandir.
All the available plays of that time like Sitaharan, Raban Badh, Bhramranga, Harichandra and Keechak, written by Purnachandra Sarma of Dibrugarh, were enacted several times and received very good response from the audiences. The acting was supervised by Padum Barua. He was the son of Phatik Chandra Barua and nephew of Manik Chandra Barua. He was an actor, artist and stage decorator. Parikshitor Brahmashaap, written by Padum Barua, was enacted several times in Guwahati as well as other places of Assam. The role of Fox Saheb in the play Mohory by Majinder Barua enacted by late Ananda Kumar Barua and the role of Makori Mam was played by late Daivaki Bora. The British officers of that time also enjoyed these plays. Late Rupeswar Bujarbarua and late Gopalkrishna Dey entertained the audiences immensely by enacting the role of �Kolimon� in the play Bhramranga. Despite being a Bengali, Gopalkrishna Dey was a well-wisher of Assam. He not only took part in the Assamese cultural programmes, but also composed song and essays in the Assamese language.
The noted actors of that time were novelist Rajanikanta Bordoloi, Harnarayan Bora (editor of Mou), Rupeswar Bujarbarua, Kanaklal Barua, Gopalkrishna Dey, Bapuram Bhuyan, Lakshi Prasad Barua (grandfather of playwright late Satya Prasad Barua), Lakshminath Phukan (father of Mahendranath Dekaphukan), Krishna Chandra Chaudhary (father of Manik Chandra Chaudhary), Mukhyadakanta Bhuyan, Late Srikantha Barua, Debendrasen Barua, Jugal Das, Samudra Pathak, Dhiru Bhuyan, Khiroda Kanta Bishaya, Ishan Barua, Sonadhar Das, Probodh Das, Mina Bordoloi, Bhubaneswar Bujarbarua, Sashi Kanta Goswami, Tilak Das, Sarbeswar Chakraborty, Rabindra Lal Baruah, Jogendra Nath Borkakati, Jogendra Nath Bordoloi, Pampu Singh, Niren Baruah, Bimal Medhi, Manabendra Sarmah, Dilip Kr Hazarika, Madhab Talukdar and many more.
The play Sabitri-Satyabaan, written jointly by Kanaklal Barua, Rajanikanta Bordoloi and Gopalkrishna Dey, was staged several times. It is a matter of concern that the play is not found anywhere now. Another play Joymoti, based on the historical figure Joymoti, jointly composed by Karmabir Nabin Chandra Bordoloi and Dr Radhanath Phukan, was enacted in Guwahati. Bordoloi enacted the role of �Godhadhar� in the play. Boidehi-Bichyed, written by Devanath Bordoloi, was also successfully staged. The role of �Ram� in that play was played by Annada Chandra Bhattacharjya (the second Assamese to receive the MA degree) and the role of �Lakshman� was enacted by Kamal Chandra Kakati. Bhairab Chandra Barua played the role of �Sita�.
It is sad that the first permanent theatre hall of Assam collapsed during the big earthquake of 1897 and from then on the theatre artistes of Guwahati had to roam about from one place to another for several years. All the assets of the theatre hall were auctioned and the land was transferred to someone else. A pool near the house of Bujarbarua remains as the remnant of the theatre hall. After that, for some years the youngsters practised drama in the wide courtyard of Radhanath Barua Tachildar (father of Durganath Barua and father-in-law of Dharmeswari Barua Phukanani) of Uzanbazar on the bank of the Brahmaputra. At that time, many actors actively performed in the plays in Guwahati. Some of them included Durganath Barua, Mukhyada Kanta Bhuyan, Kaliram Barua, Pampu Sinha, Dandiram Barua, Lilaram Das, Nabin Chandra Barua, Bhairab Chandra Barua, Bipin Ch Bordoloi (brother of Nabin Ch Bordoloi) and Naranath Sarma.
The Assamese people and the Bengali community together established the Arya Theatre (natya mancha) at Panbazar towards the end of the 19th century.
Later the theatre hall which was situated on the bank of the Brahmaputra, near the Sukreswar Ghat, was demolished as the land went under the possession of the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital authorities. The land on which the theatre hall and the PWD office were built was donated by Manik Chandra Barua. The Phukan family of Bharalumukh and Chidananda Choudhury of Panbazar played a prominent role in building this theatre hall.
Although at that time the population of the Assamese people was less in the Panbazar area, several Assamese plays were staged in the Arya Theatre. Amongst the actors of that time, Indreswar Bordoloi, elder brother of Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi, was prominent. He passed away at a very young age.
Within a short span of time, the great Assamese Natyamandir was established. The theatre hall had several paintings by Shyamapoda Das, an artist from Dhaka. On the drop-scene of that stage, the �Samudra-sayan� scene of Ramchandra was drawn. Later, two beautiful paintings � Upaban and Green Assam � by Mahendranath Dekaphukan added to the elegance.
This was the time of the emergence of the present day Kamrup Natya Samiti. Along with that, the Assam Club was also shifted to that place. Most of the members of the Club took the fellowship of the Natya Samiti. Sasadhar Chaudhury Peskar, elder brother of Lakhyadhar Choudhury, took the lead for the campaign to raise money. He was assisted by Jogendra Nath Barua, Shisir Kumar Barua, Umesh Chandra Chaudhary, among others.
After the completion of the new Natyamandir, the Kumar Natya Samiti came into existence in the year 1915. Gopinath Bordoloi was the chief secretary. Bordoloi was the then headmaster of the Sonaram High School, after completion of his MA abroad. Raghunath Chaudhary was the stage secretary while Mahimuddin Ahmed and Ambika Prasad Goswami became the assistant stage secretaries.
However, because of its own theatre hall, the Kamrup Natya Samiti prospered within a few years. Several new drama artistes emerged. Earlier, only a few plays were staged in a year, especially on the occasion of Durga Puja. Nowadays, new plays are staged frequently.
The centenary celebrations of the Kamrup Natya Samiti commenced with the hoisting of its flag on November 10, 2013.
