By Bidikshan Soni,Kathmandu, Feb. 8: Nepal Bharat Rang Mahotsav has begun at the Nepal Cultural Corporation with great enthusiasm, bringing together Nepali and Indian theatre artists from February 5.
The festival will stage six plays—three from Nepal and three from India—over the course of seven days.
The festival opened with Sunil Pokharel’s play Gachhami, followed by Deeya Maskey’s Katha Kasturi on the second day.
Other plays to be staged include Joon: Parikatha Matra Hoina, Maee Ri Mai Ka Se Kahoon, Baboojee, and Tajmahal Ka Tender.
Organised by the Nepal Academy of Music & Drama in collaboration with the National School of Drama, India, and supported by the BP Koirala India-Nepal Foundation, the festival runs until February 12.
It serves as a platform where theatre unites people, creating moments of shared experience through the universal language of emotion.
Katha Kasturi, the second play of the festival, was staged on Thursday.
By 5 pm, the theatre doors opened to a steady stream of attendees, filling the hall with warmth and energy on the second day.
With free entry, the seats were quickly occupied, creating an atmosphere of excitement. Laughter spread through the aisles, accompanied by whistles of anticipation. When the performance began with a striking solo dance, the audience erupted in cheers, adding to the vibrancy of the moment.
Adapted from Nayan Raj Pandey’s Sarpadansh, Katha Kasturi is directed by Deeya Maskey.
The play delves into the world of serpents, exploring ancient rituals, silent struggles, and the shadowy forces of power that shape their existence. It was brought to life with remarkable passion by the students of the 26th batch of Actors Studio.
After the performance, director Deeya Maskey shared her initial nervousness about staging the play but expressed her deep gratitude to everyone involved. The event concluded with Maskey receiving two awards for her play.
The festival, which began at the Nepal Cultural Corporation Auditorium on February 5, will continue until February 12.
The Rising Nepal
