Two-day lit fest begins with dialogue on theatre development in Amritsar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 14

Majha House in collaboration with VR Ambarsar Mall today hosted two sessions of the Amritsar Literature Festival. The two-day festival would host writers, poets and theatre persons from Amritsar to shed light on several subjects related to literature and theatre.

In a session on theatre and its relevance, theatre director and actor Rajindeer Singh said, “The folk theatre of Punjab needs to be revived and promoted on a large scale to keep the traditions alive.”

Tracing the history of theatre from the Greeks to bhands and marasis of Punjab, he stressed that there was so much to the folk theatre of state that was lost in time.

“It is a known fact that Bhai Mardana belonged to a marasi family and that’s where the popularity of the particular form of art began,” he said. People from marasi community are not allowed to sing gurbani but in Pakistan they are allowed. They were basically expected to generate humour and laughter that comprised shrewd and astute observations of social relationships, he said.

Arvinder Chamak, an artiste and poet, highlighted the invaluable role of Norah Richards in bringing theatre into daily life of Punjab, especially in Amritsar, and then into classrooms through inclusion in syllabus.

He also appreciated the role of icons and path breaking artistes Zohra Sehgal and Uzra Butt in changing the face of theatre in this part of the world. He emphasised on the need of changing face of drama to make it appealing to the youth by including songs and dance.

In the same session, Amita Sharma, actor and director and an NSD graduate, said funds had to be invested in theatre as it was done in the western countries, which had their loyal patrons.

She shared her experience at the NSD when she brought out how technology and archive could be used in theatre to bring an immediacy to the play. “These make the audience gain an instant connection with the play and the playwright,” she said.

The initial session of the day, based on Punjabi poetry, poems about the plight and aspiration of women and the modern woman versus the stereotypical concept were shared with the audience. The panel included noted Punjabi poets Artinder Sandhu, Jasmeet Nayyar, Seema Grewal, Bachanpal Singh and Simranjot Maan.

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