Message of social reform to take centre stage at Natya Rang Utsav

New Delhi: A young girl's defiance against the practice of selling Muslim girls in Hyderabad or the courage and social reforms within the colour-dying community of Rajasthan, are among the stories that will take centre stage at Natya Rang Utsav here, starting Thursday.

The three-day theatre festival, organised by Rama Theatre Natya Vidya Sansthan (RATNAV), will be held at the Shri Ram Centre in Mandi House.

The event will stage three plays directed and performed by theatre veteran Rama Pandey, all questioning the problems faced by women in modern society.

The festival will open with "Yam Putra", written by writer Vikas Kumar Jha. It is a story of discrimination revolving around a boy from the Mahapatra community and adopted by a Hindu Brahmin family.

The second day of the theatre festival will host "Shaista", a compelling narrative told through a defiant girl's struggle against oppressive practices in some Muslim communities in Hyderabad and Shekhawati. The play underscores the principles of women's empowerment, the transformative potential of digital technology, and the fundamental constitutional rights of all individual.

"Theatre is the reflection of our society, it should be preserved at all cost. The Time has come when the young brigade of India should start considering theatre-going as an essential part of healthy grooming of mind as it encompasses many forms of arts, especially communication, and expressions,” Rama Pandey, founder of RATNAV said in a statement.

The festival will come to an end with "Sultana" on October 7.

"Sultana" is a story about the courage and social reforms within the colour-dying community of Rajasthan. It portrays a young woman's struggle for freedom and justice in the face of oppressive societal norms.

Writer and poet Ashok Chakradhar will also be awarded 'Aajeevan Rang Seva Puraskar' at the event for his work in theatre.