Navras to bring theatre, music under one roof

Theatre, music and art, in their various forms, will be presented under one roof at an upcoming new festival.

The royal city of Jaipur will echo to the tunes of classical and sufi music, at the 9-day long ‘Navras’ festival, that will see Shubha Mudgal presenting a mix of Hindustani classical music and Indian pop music, besides renowned sufi singer Zila Khan entertaining with her sufiana kalams.

The festival which will begin from March 18 at Jawahar Kala Kendra(JKK) here, promises to provide new experiences to art and music enthusiasts by incorporating rich performances from the field of music, theatre, arts and dance.

“JKK is proud to present a variety of nationally acclaimed performances in art, music, dance and theatre to audiences in Jaipur. It is our endeavour that the audiences in Jaipur enrich themselves in experiencing theatre, dance and music in new and diverse ways,” says Pooja Sood, director general of JKK.

The festival will also witness the premier of “Phool Kesula Phool”, a theatre production commissioned by JKK and directed by theatre personality, Rajendra Panchal.

Another performance, “White Rabbit Red Rabbit” will attempt to introduce the audience to experimental productions where artists will present live performances with a script handed over to them on stage.

A recitation of Krishna Sobti’s celebrated novel “Dil-o-Danish”, that talks about Delhi and the Ganga-Jamuna tehzeeb of the city, will be showcased with a unique mix of reading and acting on stage.

An independent adaptaion of O V Vijayan’s Malayalam novel “Khasakkinte Ithihasam” (The Legends of Khasak), will serve as a special treat for theatre enthusiasts.

The festival will also uphold “women power” through the exhibition ‘Women on Record’.

“The Theatre of Alkazi”- a retrospective exhibition of Ebrahim Alkazi’s theatre which will mark the culmination of the festival, will be showcased to celebrate Rajasthan Divas and World Theatre Day on March 27.