Bharat Rang Mahotsav

Bharat Rang Mahotsav
Name	Bharat Rang Mahotsav
Location	New Delhi
Founded	1999
Founder	National School of Drama
Dates	January (annual)
Genre	Theatre festival

Bharat Rang Mahotsav is an annual theatre festival founded in 1999 and organized by the National School of Drama in New Delhi. The festival presents productions from across India and abroad, showcasing classical and contemporary theatre traditions. Over time it has become a platform linking practitioners from cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad with international ensembles from United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, and Brazil. The festival's programming often features collaborations involving institutions like the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, and academic bodies including Jawaharlal Nehru University and the University of Delhi.

History

The festival was instituted by the National School of Drama under the leadership of figures associated with institutions such as the Sangeet Natak Akademi. Early editions included productions from regional hubs like Lucknow, Varanasi, Jaipur, Patna, and Bhopal. Over succeeding years the festival expanded to host troupes linked to personalities and entities such as Ebrahim Alkazi, Girish Karnad, Habib Tanvir, Kishore Kumar, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, and ensembles related to the Delhi Public Library cultural movement. International guests have included companies from Royal Shakespeare Company, Comédie-Française, Berliner Ensemble, Kabuki troupes from Tokyo, and performers associated with festivals such as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Avignon Festival. The event has evolved in response to shifts in cultural policy influenced by offices like the Ministry of Culture and dialogues with cultural missions from nations represented by embassies including the British High Commission, French Embassy in India, and German Embassy in India.

Organization and Format

Programming is curated by teams drawn from the National School of Drama, including directors and faculty with links to institutions like the University of Calcutta and the Film and Television Institute of India. The format typically includes evening productions, daytime workshops, panel discussions and masterclasses featuring artists associated with Satyajit Ray, Raja Ravi Varma scholarship circles, and critics from publications tied to outlets such as The Hindu, Indian Express, Times of India, and Frontline. Venues and schedules are coordinated with municipal bodies like the New Delhi Municipal Council and cultural centers such as the India Habitat Centre and Kamani Auditorium. The festival often commissions new works through collaborations with organizations including Prithvi Theatre, Rangashankara, NCPA, and universities like Jamia Millia Islamia.

Notable Productions and Participants

Notable productions have involved directors and playwrights connected to luminaries such as Euripides-inspired adaptations, works by William Shakespeare companies, and contemporary pieces by dramatists in the lineage of Girish Karnad, Badal Sircar, Vijay Tendulkar, Mahesh Elkunchwar, and Farrukh Dhondy. International participants have included ensembles linked to Peter Brook, Ariel Dorfman, Bertolt Brecht traditions from the Berliner Ensemble, and modernists tied to Samuel Beckett and Anton Chekhov. The festival has presented companies featuring performers associated with theatres such as Royal Court Theatre, Teatro alla Scala, Shakespeare's Globe, and experimental groups from Seoul and Beijing. Collaborations have brought together artists who have worked with institutions like the National School of Drama (New Delhi), the Tata Theatre at the NCPA, and creative personnel trained at the National School of Drama and FTII.

Venues and Geographic Reach

Primary venues include the Kamani Auditorium, the PTCC Complex, and the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi, with satellite events extending to cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Lucknow, Varanasi, Jaipur, Bhopal, Guwahati, Panaji, and Thiruvananthapuram. International touring and guest exchanges have involved institutions in London, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, São Paulo, New York City, and Moscow. Outreach programs have been organized in partnership with cultural wings of the Ministry of External Affairs and consular networks including the Consulate General of France in Mumbai and the British Council.

Awards and Recognition

The festival has been recognized by bodies such as the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the Ministry of Culture, and state cultural departments of Delhi, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Karnataka. Productions showcased at the festival have gone on to win national honors linked to the National Film Awards crossover projects, theatre awards connected to the Bengaluru Theatre Festival, and accolades from organizations such as the Habitat Centre cultural awards and critics’ prizes conferred by publications like Outlook and India Today. Individual artists associated with festival productions have been recipients of honors including the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and fellowships from the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Impact and Criticism

The festival has influenced repertory practices in institutions such as the National School of Drama and regional theatre companies in Bengaluru and Kolkata, contributing to transnational collaborations with groups from United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan. Critics and scholars from universities including Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)-affiliated departments have debated the festival's role, addressing concerns raised by commentators in The Hindu and The Indian Express about programming diversity, funding priorities involving the Ministry of Culture, and representation of indigenous performance forms such as Kathakali, Yakshagana, and Nautanki. Debates have also considered the festival's balance between mainstream companies associated with entities like Prithvi Theatre and grassroots troupes rooted in regional traditions from Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Assam.

Category:Theatre festivals in India