Hard-hitting plays mark drama fest day 2

NAGPUR: The second day of Purushottam Karandak, an intercollegiate drama competition whose preliminary round is being organized in the city for the fourth consecutive year, saw powerful performances by troupes of eight colleges. Of the participant entries — six colleges were from Nagpur and one each from Chandrapur and Amravati.
Plays on women empowerment, corruption and politics dominated the stage.A play titled ‘Afoo’ was staged by the acting department of Women’s College, Nandanvan. “Afoo is a toxic substance. Our story revolves round Naxalite area where police are hunting for a rebel. But there is no such person. There are only thoughts,” says director Rohit Ghangrekar.
Yadavrao Poshettiwar Arts College, Chandrapur, showcased ‘Licence,’ adapted from noted playwright Saadat Hasan Manto’s story by the same name. “The story is still relevant today. When a woman steps out of her house, do people have a licence to judge her,” asked director Rutuja Wankhede.
‘Maze Kaay Chukla?’ staged by LAD College depicted the travails of an acid attack survivor who braves her scars and resumes her life.Dhanwate National College, Nagpur, presented ‘Bharat Abhi Baaki Hai.’ “We depicted the one-and-a-half-year long struggle which Rohith Vemula went through,” said Amit Ganvir, the director.
Another LAD College team chose thought-provoking story ‘Dardpora.’ “The title is a village in Kashmir where a woman is searching for her husband’s remains from one cemetery to another, and her encounter with another woman,” said Sharayu Mate, who controlled the lights. The department of science of Renaissance College performed ‘Punchlight’ while Vidyabharati College, Amravati, showcased ‘Chakravyuh.’ Shivaji Science College presented ‘The last humans.’
(Reporting by Abha Goradia)