Mysore/Mysuru: Curtains fell on the six-day Bahuroopi National Theatre Festival with the staging of plays, folk dance and theatre songs at Rangayana, here yesterday. 

Despite the absence of the Director, the officials and staff at the theatre repertory were able to organise the mega event successfully.

People were not only treated to plays and folk programmes but were also seen enjoying some of the delicacies at the stalls. Monday being the last day of the festival, the students of Rangayana’s Bharatiya Ranga Shikshana Kendra presented various theatre songs under the title ‘Yelekoralu Ulidave Kela’.

The event began by offering prayers to Lord Ganesha and songs such as ‘Ede Thotilalla’, ‘Sanga-Balya’, ‘Devi Bhuvana Manohare’, ‘Baramma Ba Sundari’ among others were rendered much to the delight of the audience.

The Kindarijogi premises witnessed traditional ‘Karaga Kolata’ performance by artiste Puneeth and troupe from Udupi followed by ‘Kangilu’ folk dance by Sugipu Janapada Kala Tanda of Sullia. City’s Rangavalli theatre group staged the play ‘Parshwa Sangeetha’ at Kirurangamandira, artistes of Akhoka Theatre of Manipur staged the non-verbal play ‘Aboriginal Cry’, Nalwadi Social, Cultural and Educational Trust, Mysuru, staged the play ‘Beralge Koral’ written by Kuvempu at Vanaranga and artistes of Sharada Arts Kalavidaru of Kasaragodu staged a Tulu play ‘Kathe Eddendu’ at Kalamandira. 

This year’s national theatre festival featured a total of 19 plays including 10 Kannada and one Tulu play and six of other languages like Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi and Bengali. Two-day National Seminar on ‘Vachana Sahitya and Theatre’ witnessed deliberations on topics such as ‘Contemporary Interpretation of Vachana Movement’, ‘Vachana Movement and Gender Equality’, Vachana Movement and Kannada Theatre’, ‘Philosophy, Technology and its Cultural Impact’, ‘Theatre and Technology’ and ‘Contemporary Theatre towards Community.’