GUWAHATI, Nov 6 � The 8th Annual Brajanath Sharma Memorial Drama Festival by the amateur theatre group Samahar Natya Gosthee will be held from November 7 to 13, 2014 with a seven-day programme, at the District Library Auditorium here, sources said.
Since 2007, Samahar has been organising this annual theatre extravaganza in the hallowed memory of renowned theatre personality and freedom fighter Brajanath Sharma, the initiator of the Assamese mobile theatre movement. He was the pioneer of modern Assamese theatre and was the first person to introduce co-acting on the stages of the State in 1933. Sarma also led the freedom fighters in burning to ashes the British aerodrome at Bornagar under Sarbhog Police Station.
The festival would be inaugurated by noted theatre personality Ratna Ojah and the ceremonial lamp would be lit on the occasion by Sarma�s daughter Nirmala Mishra and granddaughter Neelakshi Mishra Sarma at 5:30 pm of November 7.
The souvenir of the festival Kohinoor will be released by OIL GM (Pipeline) Rahul Chaudhury.
Staging of the first evening plays will start at 6 pm. Natyam from Puranigudam, Nagaon, will present two children plays Era Bareet Bakul Phular Gondh and Paruwar Procession. Both the plays are written and directed by Anjan Bhuyan and elements of Srimanta Sankardeva�s Onkiya Bhaona have been used in both the plays.
On November 8, at 6 pm � Odisha�s Belpahar-based SDA Mirror Theatre will present "Lal Paen� (The Red Water). The play, written and directed by Subash Chandra Pradhan, tells the story of construction of big dams, and the issue of indigenous peoples� displacement and rehabilitation.
On November 9 at 4 pm and 6 pm (two shows), Samahar will perform the maiden show of Sankat, written and directed by Dr Sitanath Lahkar. This play is on the backdrop of recent killings of innocent people in BTAD.
On November 10 at 6 pm, the Assamese translation of Habib Tanvir's famous Charan Das Chor will be staged by Pinak, Barpeta. Utpal Kumar Das has directed this satire, which narrates the story of a thief, who gave words to his guru on four issues. The peculiar thief�s attempt to keep his words takes his life.
On November 11 at 6 pm, Samahar will perform Biplovee Vivekananda (Revolutionary Vivekananda). The play, written and directed by Dr Sitanath Lahkar, is an endeavour against the feverish attempts made by some forces to project Vivekananda as a fundamental Hindu guru.
On November 12 at 6 pm, Renaissance Cultural Campaign from Agartala, Tripura will perform two plays � Swarnalipi and Kamala Sundari, written and directed by Ratan Dasgupta. The first play is on the serious issue of fake freedom fighters availing all the benefits, while the second one is based on a folklore concerning male chauvinism.
On November 13 at 6 pm, Guwahati-based Anusheelan will present Samay, Anubhabar Dukhariya Chabi. The play, written by Liyakat Ali and directed by Biswajit Ojah, is a collage of different times and feelings.
Every play will be followed by a freewheeling interaction among the playwright, director and the audience, the sources added.
