GANGA-JAMUNA THEATRE AND CULTURAL FESTIVAL
Curtain rises on ten-day event today
Dedicated to Syed Shamsul Haq; three plays on opening day
DL reporter
The curtain will rise on the fifth edition of Ganga-Jamuna Theatre and Cultural Festival (Ganga-Jamuna Natya O Sangskritik Ustab 2016) today on the premises of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) in the capitals Segun Bagicha area. This year, the festival has been dedicated to late writer-author Syed Shamsul Haq who passed away last month. In this connection, written by Syed Shamsul Haq, the plays titled Payer Awaj Paua Jay, Tora Sob Joyodwani Kor and Macbeth will be staged at the festival. Presided over by convener of festival organising committee Golam Kuddus, Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor will inaugurate the festival at the National Theatre Hall at 6pm today. Director of Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre Jayashree Kundu, noted theatre personalities Ramendu Majumder, Anwara Syed Haq, Liaquat Ali Lucky, Jhuna Chowdhury and Hasan Arif will be present as special guests on the occasion.
Besides, noted Indian theatre personalities Debshankar Haldar and Probir Guha are expected to attend the inaugural ceremony of the festival.
Aiming at consolidating the harmony between Bangladesh and India through cultural exchange, Bangladesh Committee of Ganga-Jamuna Natyautsab Parshad has organised the ten-day festival in association with Cultural Ministry of Bangladesh, India-Bangladesh Foundation and BSA.
The festival will feature as many as 30 stage plays from Bangladesh and India, besides nine street plays, nine music troupes, nine recitation troupes and nine dance troupes. The play will begin every day at 7pm. Apart from staging play, performance of street plays, rendition of songs, recitations and dances will be held on the open stage at the festival venue everyday from 4pm to 6:30pm. The festival has been scheduled to conclude on October 30.
Today, on the opening day, Indian troupe Ha-Ja-Ba-Ra-La will stage their play Ipsa at the National Theatre Hall while local troupe Prangonemor will stage Irsha and Konthashilon will stage Ja Nei Bharotey at the Experimental Theatre Hall and Studio Theatre Hall respectively.
To note, Ganga-Jamuna theatre festival has been organised by Indian theatre troupe Aneek (Kolkata) since 1998. Ganga-Jamuna Natyautsab Parshad, in association with Aneek, took the initiative to bring the Bengali theatre groups together from all across West Bengal, Bangladesh and various other states of India since 2012. Besides staging the play, the festival included performances of street plays, rendition of songs, recitations and dances from the last year that renamed to Ganga-Jamuna Theatre and Cultural Festival.
