Pak team yet to confirm Jashne Bachpan participation, NSD hopeful

The 13th edition of the NSD’s theatre festival Jashne Bachpan, which will showcase the work of different theatre groups working with and for children, will be organised in Delhi from November 14 to 25. As we reported in August, the festival will see international participation for the first time as well.
Twenty productions from India and seven productions from foreign countries such as Sri Lanka (English and Sinhalese), Pakistan (Urdu), Turkey (in gibberish), Israel (non-verbal), France (non-verbal) and Switzerland (English) will be featured, with around 500 artists participating in the festival.The 20 Indian productions were selected from 149 entries. The festival comprises three distinct categories – performance by children, performance by children and adults, and performance by adults. Also, underprivileged children from various NGOs will be invited to come and enjoy the festival. The Pakistani team’s play is slotted for November 23.
A team from Rajasthan will be showcasing 'Kabuliwala'
Waman Kendre, director, NSD, tells us, "The Pakistani team’s play was selected by a selection committee in August. As per our last correspondence with them, they had accepted our invitation, thanked us for the selection and are taking care of the required procedure to come here and perform. However, we are yet to get a final confirmation about their participation. We are optimistic that they will come." When asked about security arrangements for the team, Kendre said, "Let them confirm their visit, and accordingly we will take all the measures for a hassle-free show. But to reiterate, we are still in the dark about whether they are coming, and only hopeful that they will." He adds , "Children from various cultural and demographic backgrounds will get a chance to interact and exchange their ideas. In the process, they will make friends from across the world. This is a testing ground for children’s world theatre, because if we succeed in generating interest in theatre among kids, it will open a door for them to explore the art in the future."
The inaugural ceremony will be attended by NK Sinha, secretary, Union Ministry of Culture, and actors Manoj Joshi and Mukesh Tiwary. Irrfan, an NSD alumnus, will be present at the closing ceremony of the festival.