The eighth edition of Bal Sangam will see the participation from Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat for the first time. Waman Kendre, director of NSD and Abdul latif Khatana, chief of TIE Co, believe that folk theatre and local performing arts can only survive if children take it forward. Shrabasti Mallik reports
Children are open-minded, perhaps more than we would even think. If you are convinced that children take more interest in super fast games and the latest Xbox instead of the performing arts, then you might as well take some time off and visit the eighth edition of the Bal Sangam festival. Organised by the Sanskar Rang Toli (Theatre In Education Company), a branch of the National School of Drama, this five day festival, starting from November 21, will give you a glimpse of how passionately kids from the age of 5-15 practice traditional performing arts, and propagate them, too.
Every alternate year, cultural institutes from various states enroll themselves for the event and this time is no exception either. It will see participation of almost 14 states with Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Mizoram and Manipur joining the brigade for the first time. The announcement of the festival was a proud moment for Waman Kendre, director of NSD as he believes that if performing arts — music, theatre and dance — have to grow then it is imperative to sow the seeds at a young age. “It is necessary to incorporate these into the academic curriculum instead of being pursued as a hobby or activity,” he said drawing reference to the developed countries who have accepted theatre as a compulsory subject. “You need not look far. Goa has incorporated it as a compulsory subject in the curriculum,” he added.
Bal Sangam presents the best of the regional arts like Kalaripayattu from Kerala, Bhand Tchook from Kashmir and the Monpa dance from Arunachal Pradesh. The performances are away from the classic and reflect the culture which is rooted to the place, which gives the place its unique identity. Abdul latif Khatana, chief of TIE Co. said, “The concept of the festival lies in lok kala (folk art). It is the language of the people and the interesting part is that it is performed by children.”
Both Khatana and Kendre is of the opinion that in this age of globalisation it is necessary that we stay rooted and carry on the tradition, preserve it and propagate it further. “Those who are truly global are locals,” Kendre said and added, “These kids, largely, hail from suburbs of the respective states but the passion with that they display is wonderful. It tells you so much about how familiar they are with their local culture.” Khatana told us that the festival is a celebration of the skill, talent and the various abilities that the kids acquire right from childhood.
The aim of the festival is just not to showcase regional art but to also engage an interaction between the performers and Delhi school students. Speaking on the same lines Kendre said that the institution is in discussion with a few schools across the city where few of the participating groups can visit and give a performance. “It will be very good medium if parents and students alike can see and get to know of the various art forms. It might as well interest a student to learn a particular art,” he explained.
Khatana, on the other hand, pointed out that there is still need to spread awareness so that these arts might not fade away. “We do not take it as seriously as it should be taken. The future of cultural theatre is only possible through children’s theatre. If they do not take forward the local performing arts, it will begin to dwindle and eventually disappear,” he said but remains hopeful that the festival would at least ignite interest of a few children.