Guwahati: The 5th edition of the Adingiri Rashtriya Natya Utsav 2024 was officially flagged off today with a three-day format and will continue till the 3rd of March. The event has been organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. This year the event will be organized in two locations of the city, ie. 1st and 2nd March at Abhigyanm Natyakhetro in Adingiri Hill, Sankardev Nagar, Maligaon and 3rd March in Pragjyoti ITA Centre, Machkhowa. The first four editions of the event were organized only at the Abhigyanm Natyakhetro in Maligaon.
Renowned actor Pranjal Saikia attended the opening event as the chief guest. Several other dignitaries including Jilmil Hazarika, Sarada Choudhary, Dhurga Khatiwodi, Anup Hazarika and Bhagirathi Baikadam were also present for the ceremonial lighting of the lamp to mark the beginning of the event. Two workshops were also conducted on the initial day alongside the presentation of Oza Pali ahead of the event.
Speaking on the occasion, Pranjal Saikia said, “I have been associated with this event since its very inception. The organizers have done a brilliant job to promote both theater and preservation of nature. On the behalf of Abhigyanm, I want to invite everyone for all three days of the festival.”
16 students from the Jagiroad College and 7 students from the Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Regional Government Film and Television Institute are also taking part in this event as volunteers. They will be residing at the venue for all three days and taking part in the event.
Speaking on the occasion, Festival Incharge Ranhang Choudhury said, “We are glad to announce the opening of the 5th edition of the Adingiri Rashtriya Natya Utsav 2024. We have worked tirelessly for the past few days to ensure that everyone who visits the festival can take back some good memories with them. We also want to invite each and everyone to the event and make this event a success.”
The event started with a workshop on filmmaking, soon after the welcome address. The organizers felicitated two noted personalities from the cultural arena for their contributions towards the Assamese culture and traditions. Abhigyanm presented the Late Debabrat Choudhary Memorial Theatre Personality Award 2024 to noted theater critique Atul Mazumber and the Late Barnali Choudhary Memorial Loka Silpa Sadhana Sanman 2024 to Borbihua Rantu Saikia.
‘Menaka’ was the opening play of the festival to entertain the audience. Menaka is based on Homen Borgohain’s Matsyagandha. It was presented by BA and written by Pakija Begum and Jimoni Choudhury while Pakija Begum directed the play. The theater presentation was presented at 6 PM today.
Two plays will be presented on the second day of the event. The first one will be ‘To Kill or Not to Kill’, a play based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Medea. Presented by Arnav Art, Delhi, this will be a solo act by Jilmil Hazarika and has been directed by Ovliyakuli Khodjakuli from Uzbekistan. This play will start at 5:30 PM on Saturday, March 2. The second play of the day will be ‘Gandhi vs Godse’ presented by Abhigyanm. It has been written, designed and directed by Ranhang Choudhury and the presentation will begin at 7 PM.
On the third day of the event, which is on Sunday, March 3, one play will be presented by the organizers at 6 PM. ‘Tritiyo’ by Abhigyanm, which has been written, designed and directed by Ranhang Choudhury.
A total of four plays and several workshops on theater acting and related arts will be organized as a part of this edition of the event. The workshops aim to make theatre enthusiasts aware of the art of theatre in an open setting as well as to provide masterclasses for the enthusiasts by experts in the field. Popular film editor Jhulan Krishna Mahanta will take a class in Editing. Avik Bhattacharya from Kolkata will take a class on World Theatre. Nayan Prasad will take a class on Script Writing, while Jilmil Hazarika, Mahendra Das, Dhananjoy Debnath and Rupjoti Mahanta will take masterclasses on Acting. Festival organiser Ranhang Choudhary will take a class on Theater Art during the festival.
The first and second-day events, on March 1 (Friday) and March 2 (Saturday), will be organized at the Abhigyanm Natyaketra while the day 3 events, on March 3 (Sunday), will be organized at the ITA Machkhowa. On behalf of organizers Abhigyanm, we would like everyone to come and enjoy the plays and attend the workshops on all three days of the event and make the 5th edition of the Adingiri Rashtriya Natya Utsav 2024 a success.
