Andhra Pradesh - Ongole   

Drama competitions to be held from today

Special Correspondent

20 entries selected for the one-week event

ONGOLE: NTR Kalaparishad is sprucing up Tata kalyanamandapam here to hold State-level drama competitions for one week from Thursday.

After scrutiny, it has selected 20 entries under three categories - plays, palylets and padyanatakam - for staging during the eighth annual drama festival.

NTR Kalaparishad, floated by former MLA Eedara Haribabu, has been holding the drama festival beginning from January 18 every year since 2000 to mark the death anniversary of the veteran actor-turned-politician N. T. Rama Rao.

It became a calendar event for Ongole when several artistes, writers, directors, cultural organisations from all corners of the State throng this town to display their talent. Connoisseurs too fill the improvised auditorium giving encouragement to the artistes.

The drama festival has achieved such reputation for selection and awards that it rivaled Nandi awards.

Auditorium sought

As there is no auditorium in the town, NTR Kalaparishad had to spend a fortune every year on decoration and illumination to convert the desolate kalyanamandapam into a throbbing auditorium. Cultural organisations have been demanding that the municipality construct an auditorium to enrich the drama competitions but in vain. Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy laid the foundation stone for an auditorium in Vura tank here two years ago. But there is no progress till now.

In this background, the eighth drama competitions are beginning at 6 pm on Thursday with the staging of a play, "Viluvalu" by Velagaleru theatres (9 pm) and playlet, "Laya thappina koyila" by Modern Theatres, Visakhapatnam (10.30 pm).

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