Theatre festival to promote environmental concerns in Assam

GOLAPARA - The Badungduppa theatre Group has organised a traditional theatre festival to promote environmental concerns in Assam’s Golapara District.

The research-orientated theatre organization, whose main motive is to raise concerns about nature, organised the festival among Sal trees in the forest.

Sukracharya Rabha, the director and founder of the Badungduppa Kalakendra, said the objective of holding the festival was to spread awareness about local legends through theatre.

“We have made the stage under the sal trees. We did this because we want to make people realize through theatre that how can we make a relationship between human being and nature,” said Rabha.

“Since after becoming civilized, we have become more technical, and because our human behaviour has also disturbed the nature. So, that is why I think how we can make changes through theatre and change the human perspective,” he added.

The Badungduppa Kalakendra gets assistance from the Holland Theatre Embassy and the group was invited to perform in different parts of the country and the world.

“We are based in Amsterdam and we are really happy to support this project of Badungduppa and this festival ‘Under the Sal tree’. The company in Holland encourages all the villages of the whole world in different counties to develop their art, to develop their rituals, their tradition so that it can be spread out,” said Dyana Martinez Morales, a member of Theatre Embassy, Holland.

Rabha initiated drama festival ‘Under the Sal Tree’ in 2008 and this is its third consecutive celebration.

This year, seven groups hailing from nine different villages of Assam and West Bengal participated in the festival.

They performed in the shade of the Sal trees during the day without any artificial light or sound system.

The three-day festival would conclude today. By Peter Alex Todd (ANI)