Invoking language of culture

Maharaj Krishna Raina, popularly called MK Raina, has tried shaking the culturally cold Chandigarh many times. He isn't your usual theatre artist-cum-director-cum actor. His psyche is different and so is his conversation.
"There are a lot of things happening in Chandigarh. Like this festival (referring to the 2nd Chandigarh Cinema Festival concluded recently), what is special is that young filmmakers are germinating and trying to flower.With technology nowadays everything is possible. And as a fraternity we stand by them. I'm glad Chandigarh is finally catching up on the radar," says the thespian.
With more than three decades of having been there done that, Raina elaborates on the film festival wave. "During the 70s when I first began, there was this surge of parallel cinema, and we were part of it. And now is the trend of film festivals." Raina's creative output ranges from films, theatre to Kashmir and identifies no-frills-attached-small film festivals best.
"In large festivals, films get lost. There is no viewer engagement. So you cut down on the extravagance and celebrity parading and…viola!'' Raina's affair with resurrecting Kashmiri culture and art has been long standing. Words flow out in a flurry, as he defines his moment of ecstasy. "There is this series that I'm doing for DD Urdu, about Urdu language and contributions of culture. And in the course I ventured into the Raza Library. Everything is kept so beautifully. There is Ramayan in Persian translation done by a Hindu. Can anybody even imagine that!" he beams. Raina soon plans to come up with a Sanskrit comedy in Kashmir, with Kashmiris.
"I traverse in between landscapes and try making people realize that they're losing their vernacular culture. We've succeeded a great deal. People actually get involved," he concludes.