The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Way cleared for NSD centre

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 05, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Way cleared for NSD centre

Staff Reporter

`Peking Opera' enthrals audience at Ravindrakalakshetra

MEMORABLE PERFORMANCE: A Chinese artiste performing at the inauguration of the Gubbi Veeranna National Drama Festival organised by the National School of Drama in Bangalore on Wednesday. — Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

BANGALORE: The Government is willing to permit the National School of Drama (NSD) to go ahead with its proposal to launch its theatre activities in the city. It has suggested the use of Gurunanak Bhavan in the city for the purpose on a temporary basis.

Presiding over the inaugural session of the fortnight-long Gubbi Veeranna National Drama Festival organised by the regional resource centre of the NSD here on Wednesday, Deputy Chief Minister M.P. Prakash said the Government is keen on providing permanent infrastructure to the proposed centre. Establishing a full-fledged regional centre of the NSD has been a long cherished dream of theatre lovers in the State. The NSD can utilise the existing facilities available at the auditorium until the Government makes a permanent arrangement, Mr. Prakash said.

Apologising for his delayed arrival and cutting short his speech as the packed auditorium at Ravindra Kalakshetra was waiting with anticipation for "Peking Opera", Mr. Prakash said: "We are enacting a political drama everyday without make- up."

Inaugurating the festival, nonagenarian professional theatre artiste and singer Enagi Balappa said the immediate responsibility of those associated with Kannada theatre is to work together to create an audience committed to the theatre. That will be possible with the emergence of people fully committed to the cause of theatre, he said.

NSD Director Devendra Raj Ankur urged the Government to provide adequate infrastructure, including land, for the establishment of the regional centre of the premier theatre institution of the country. Establishment of the regional centre in the State is important because the State has played a vital role in the history of the NSD. One of the leaders of the modern Indian theatre, the late B.V. Karanth was the first to graduate from the NSD and it was not a coincidence that a majority of its graduates hail from the State.

Upgrading the existing regional resource centre as a full-fledged one will be appropriate in the light of the history and development of Kannada theatre. The "Peking Opera", a composite dance ballet portraying multiple aspects of China such as history, culture literature, essential characteristics of Chinese punctuated by the feats of martial arts and acrobatic skills, staged by a Chinese theatrical troupe, stole the show at the inaugural session.

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