19th Natyamela inaugurated at Rabindra Sadan

Kolkata: The 19th edition of Natyamela was inaugurated at an event in Rabindra Sadan on Tuesday evening.

Eminent theatre personality and state minister for Biotechnology Bratya Basu was present at the programme, along with other dignitaries.

Arpita Ghosh, chairperson, Sishu Kishore Academy and theatre personalities Usha Ganguly, Gautam Mukherjee and Gautam Halder were also present. Naytamela has been organised by the West Bengal Natya Academy, under the Information and Cultural Affairs department.

Multiple plays will be held as part of the event till December 6 at Rabindra Sadan, Sisir Mancha, Open Art Theatre close to Charukala Mancha, Madhusudan Mancha, Girish Mancha, Minerva Theatre, Tripti Mitra Natyagriha, Open Art Theatre close to Natya Academy, Ajitesh Mancha Dum Dum and Rabindra Bhavan, Dum Dum.

Many youngsters are taking lessons and are attending theatre workshops which are held throughout the city regularly. Drama, which has played a major role in the cultural life of Bengal, got new momentum under the leadership of Girish Chandra Ghose, who is called the father of modern Bengali theatre. Matinee idol Uttam Kumar and Soumitra Chatterjee became associated with professional stage theatre as well. Along with the professional stage, group theatre also became very popular in subsequent years and several groups rose to prominence.

Acclaimed theatre personalities like Utpal Dutta, Ajitesh Bandyopadhyay, Rudraprasad Sengupta, Keya Chakraborty, Manoj Mitra and Ashok Mukhopadhyay became associated with group theatre, taking the art form to its peak.

After coming to power in 2011, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has given special emphasis on reviving the popularity of drama. Shows under Natyamela are held free of cost so that more people can come and watch the performances.