Primary rounds of 63rd Rajya Natya Spardha for Kolhapur centre to commence from Monday

Kolhapur: The curtains for the primary rounds of the 63rd ‘Maharashtra Rajya Houshi Marathi Natya Spardha' for the Kolhapur centre, organised by the Maharashtra State Directorate of Cultural Affairs, opened from Monday onwards. As the Keshavrao Bhosale Natyagruh is under restoration after its fire tragedy, this time the competition has been organised at Shahu Smarak Bhavan in the city, where nineteen theatre groups from Kolhapur district will present their theatre plays.On Monday evening, this much-awaited theatre festival commenced with the theatre bell ringing at 7pm for the play ‘Raigadala Jevha Jaag Yete', performed by Sugun Natyakala Sanstha, a theatre institution that preserves the amateur theatre tradition in Kolhapur. A huge response from theatre lovers was received for the inaugural show.Joint director of cultural affairs department Sriram Pandey said, "The preliminary round of the Natya Spardha has been organised from Nov 25 onwards at various 24 district-level centres of the state through the directorate of cultural affairs. Theatre lovers are appealed to attend the shows and appreciate the rising talent."A total of 19 theatre groups have participated in this competition from the Kolhapur centre. Theatre institutions from Ajara, Ichalkaranji, Gadhinglaj, Warnanagar, and Kolhapur city will present theatrical experiments until Dec 15, through which theatre lovers will have a great opportunity to enjoy the theatre."Various activities are being implemented for the enrichment of Marathi theatre through the directorate of cultural affairs. So far, the glorious 62 years of Maharashtra Rajya Natya Spardha have continued uninterruptedly, from which many playwrights, actors, technicians, and directors were discovered," added Pandey.