The seventh edition of the 11-day theatre festival titled ‘Ganga-Jamuna Cultural Festival’ (Ganga-Jamuna Sangskritik Ustab 2018) will begin today on the premises of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) in the capital’s Segun Bagicha area. Aiming at consolidating the harmony between Bangladesh and India through cultural exchange, Indian and Bangladesh Committee of Ganga-Jamuna Sangskritik Utsab Parshad have jointly organised the 11-day festival for the last six years.

Eminent theatre personality Bivas Chakraborty from India and Mamunur Rashid from Bangladesh will jointly inaugurate the festival today, while Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor will attend the inaugural ceremony as chief guest at the National Theatre Hall of BSA. Besides, veteran theatre personality Ataur Rahman, Nasiruddin Yousuff and Liaquat Ali Lucky will attend as the special guests, while convener of festival organising committee Golam Kuddus will preside over the inaugural ceremony.

The festival will feature as many as 26 stage plays from Bangladesh and four from India. Every day three plays will be staged at 7pm at the National Theatre Hall, Experimental Theatre Hall and Studio Theatre Hall simultaneously.  

On the other hand, street plays, music performance, recitation and dance performance by 63 troupes will be held at the festival on the open stage at the festival venue everyday from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. The festival has been scheduled to conclude on October 15.

Today, on the opening day, Indian troupe Dancers’ Guild will stage a dance-drama ‘Tomari Matir Kanya’ based on Rabindranath Tagore’s play ‘Chandalika’ at the National Theatre Hall of BSA, while Bangladeshi troupe Chandrakala will stage its play ‘Tontro Montro’ at the Studio Theatre Hall of BSA. l