Rourkela: The 12-day-long theatre festival Ispat Natak Mahostav, which is being organised by Ekatra, was inaugurated Wednesday evening at Civic Centre here. Ekatra is an umbrella organisation of all the leading theatre troops of the Steel City. The first play of the inaugural day was ‘Paying Guest’ by Pratidhwani. This women-centric play revolved around five women and their trials and tribulations in day-to-day life. The plot revolves around their pain and anguish and also the sharks waiting to pounce on them at any given moment. And here the lady, Meria aunt, who keeps them as paying guests is also their guardian angel. Written by Pradeep Bhowmick, the storyline certainly touched on some of the burning issues for working women in a society where any wrong move may put them in a tricky situation. The five lady artistes tried their best to give justice to their characters.
The representational stagecraft was without any blemish. In his address, the chief guest of the evening Director in-Charge of Rourkela and Bhilai Steel Plants Atanu Bhowmick spoke about the rich cultural heritage of the city. Bhowmick, himself a city boy, knew about the theatre culture of the city. “Rourkela apart from its image as the Steel City is also known for its strong affinity for culture. My city has a very long and vibrant theatre tradition which is very rare to find in an industrial city,” said the DiC. He also threw light on the kind of initiatives RSP was going to undertake for the promotion of cultural activities. The guest of honour of the evening former bureaucrat Mahendra Pattnaik spoke about the utility of a theatre culture. “Theatre is a very interesting and challenging activity. It is also more demanding as there is no second chance once you are on the stage,” said Pattnaik. He reminded me how theatre had influenced Mahatma Gandhi.
Earlier, Ekatra president Rajib Pani delivered the welcome address. The annual report was delivered by secretary Sudesh Nayak. RSP has also extended its help in organising this 12-day-long festival with 12 theatre groups scheduled to stage their plays.