Theatre in Manipur alive and kicking: Abhigyana Shakuntalam for Patna fest
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 07, 2011:
Kshetri Jugindro's play, Abhigyana Sakuntalam' has been selected for participation in the 26th Patliputra Natya Mahotsava festival to be held in Patna next month.
The play is a Manipuri adaptation of Kalidas' Sakuntalam and has blended some characteristics of Manipuri culture and tradition.
The six-day festival starting on March 2 is a National multi-lingual drama and folk dance festival cum competition and Abhigyana Sakuntalam is among six plays being selected in the non-competition section.
"I am so happy with my new play being selected for the prestigious festival.
Our troupe will leave Imphal on February 28 for the show slated for March 4 ," Jugindro (52) said.
A resident of Singjamei, Jugindro got his diploma from the National School of Drama, New Delhi in 1986 and since then he has acted in over 40 plays and directed 34 plays.
Kshetri Jugindro has written over 15 plays also participated in hordes of International theatre festivals in erstwhile USSR, Edinburgh, Scotland, Netherlands, Belgium, China, Japan, USA, New Zealand, Germany and Dublin.
A State Akademi awardee, Jugindro puts all sorts of traditional Manipuri folk music and costume in Abhigyan Sakuntalam.
It took four months to train his artistes to enact Abhigyana Shakuntalam and it was successfully staged for the first time at Jawaharlal Nehru Manipuri Dance Academy at Imphal on August 8 last year, Jugindro, who has also newly set up his own theater complex at the historic Langthabal Kunja in Imphal West, said.
"Movements of folk music, martial art form, Pung Cholom and Nat Sankritiana and classical dance are also put in my play," Jugindro , who established his own theater group 'Manipuri Ensemble" way back in 1986, said.
The inner theme of the play as well as the characteristics of the deep romance of the main protagonists of the play Sakuntala and King Dusyanta are not doctored, he added.