MY FIRST EVER THEATRE VISIT TO GURUKUL

Went to Gurukul – School of theatre in old Baneshwor to watch a play titled 'Karnali Dhakin Bhagdo Chha' as part of the Kathmandu International Theatre Festival on Thursday  i.e. 11^th of September ‘08 (26/05/2065 BS) with Jeebraj and his brother Arjun, Sundar and Sudhir. The hall was packed for the performance by the artist. Directed by Arohon gurukul, 'Karnali Dhakin Bagdo Chha' revolves around the local inhabitants of the village called 'Mugu’. It shows the plight of the people especially the males in the family who are forced to leave their village to find work in India to run the family.  The drama was about the inhabitants of Mugu in Karnali, whose pain and sufferings have been depicted as what has been actually experienced by the locals of Mugu itself. The act was around 1 hour and 45 minutes long and it was about the village nearest to a place called Mugu that showed how the villagers were being oppressed both politically and economically. The sufferings of the humans in the region is the same in many remote areas of Nepal where there is no proper facilities being provided such as – transportations, school buildings and hospitals, which is a must in today’s world. Furthermore, to make the matter worst, the locals were also been exploited by the government officials and the richs, which forced them especially the males of the family to leave their loved ones, to try and find a way to improve their present condition. However, this was the first time I saw a play being staged in a theatre, which was a wonderful and an exciting experience for me, to have witness this performance that opened different horizon of Nepal and its culture. Nevertheless, the artists were, I must say just brilliant and terrific with their dialogue in local accent besides their acting. The performers were dressed exactly like villagers and they made it look real, as if one was in Mugu seeing them and their activities before him/her. Eventually, watching stage show in a theatre with its sound and light effects is something different from watching movie in a cinema hall. The former gives pleasure and at the same time leaves a lasting effect on the memory for years to come. The response of the audience was amazing, one could sense that they were really engaged, it showed there is no cultural barrier between. Other members of the audience were so impressed they decided to come back for the performance of 'Karnali Dhakin Bagdo Chha'. But the language barrier didn't seem to hurt the play. The play was really different and beautiful, I especially liked the body language, local dialogue and mimicking. The theatre festival had been a good opportunity to expose Nepali artistes to international theatre as drama or plays is always a very good platform for the exchange of ideas. It was quite satisfying to see the growing interest of the people especially the student in the theatre plays as it promises to find new ideas and prospective. It was very interactive and proved to be an effective way to ensure inter-cultural exchange.