Suburban Theatre Captivates Kolkata at the 2025 Aakanksha Natya Mela

News Desk, News Nation 360 : Recently, the Tripti Mitra Auditorium in Kolkata was filled with the lively energy of theatre as the much-anticipated Aakanksha Natya Mela 2025, which was organised by the youthful suburban theatrical troupe Gobordanga Aakanksha, was inaugurated. The occasion of the day was devoted to the memory of the renowned theatre figure Ratan Thiyam. Renowned journalist Sunanda Biswas and secretary of Aakanksha Tanushree Debnath (Dutta) officially opened the festival. A minute of silence was observed before the ceremonial lamp was lit, and a floral tribute was given to honour Ratan Thiyam. At the closing ceremony, Secretary Tanushree Debnath Dutta remarked that they expect the city will treat the suburban theatre with the same attention. Since they will be the ones lighting up the stage in the coming days, they want to put the younger generation at the forefront of this adventure. The festival evidently sought to establish an actual link between city and suburban theatre practice, beyond the simple staging of plays, with the Gobardanga theatre troupe establishing its singular position within Kolkata's theatre community and achieving another triumph with this year's Natya Mela. Beginning at 5 p.m., the festival offered four sequential productions, with "Ekti Abastab Galpo" (An Unreal Story) by Uluberia Avashar Natya Sanstha, directed by Chandan Saha, opening its performance space to the human conflicts within the psyche at the crossing of reality and fantasy. It was followed by "Chourjo Gatha" (Tales of Bravery), produced by South Kolkata Shine under Amit Bhattacharya's direction, which probed veiled social narratives, causing audience introspection. The third production, "Shesh Kothay" (Where Does It End) of Gobardanga Natyayan, presented the uncertain dilemmas of human survival during hard times. The festival ended with Tollygunge Swapnomaitri's "Shirdaara Unsold", directed by Indranil Mukherjee, which forcefully presented present-day societal unrest and psychological fragmentation, moving the audience profoundly. Every production provided a new approach, acting style, and creative stage design, making every performance novel and memorable.

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