Page 30 - The Indian EYE 102122

NORTH AMERICAN Newsline OCTOBER 21, 2022 | The Indian Eye 30

6th Natya Darpan concludes this year’s festival with a full house

OUR BUREAU
Edison, NJ
he 6th Annual Natya Darpan
2022 has kept up with its tra-
Tdition of a sold-out event yet
again. Indian Heritage and Cultural
Association (IHCA) of New Jersey,
that hosts the annual short play fes-
tival, registered another successful
event this year! With an exciting array
of short plays, Natya Darpan was held
on Saturday October 15th at the Mid-
dlesex County College in Edison.
The event began with Founder
of IHCA Dr. Ashok Chaudhary wel- Dr Ashok Chaudhary – Founder of IHCA/
coming the guests and the dignitaries
present. He also took a moment to Natya Darpan
thank his executive team and all the
sponsors. The opening of the festival Indian Eye, Divya Bhaskar, Mana
is usually a brief ceremony in order TV International, ITV Gold, Parikh
to accommodate the showcase of all Worldwide Media, Masala Junction
short plays with a span of 6 hours. and Cineviews Media.
A lamp lighting ceremony was per- This year Natya Darpan show-
formed in the presence of the digni- cased 6 mesmerizing plays with varied
taries namely Ms. Manda Gorsegner subjects by local award-winning actors
- Grants Administration Manager at and diverse groups from various cit-
the Arts Institute of Middlesex Coun- ies in the USA. They are ‘Gruesome
ty, Mr. Ajay Patil – Councilman of Playground Injuries’ (English) written
Edison Township, Dr. Sudhir Parikh by Rajiv Joseph and directed by Dr.
of Parikh worldwide Media and Dep- Farley Richmond, ‘Bhinta’ (Marathi)
uty Consul General Honorable Dr written by Satish Alekar and direct-
Varun Jeph. Both Ms. Gorsegner and ed by Parag Walimbe, ‘The Marriage
Dr Jeph were extremely pleased with The Natya Darpan Team Proposal’ (English) written by Anton
the entire festival and shared their Chekhov and directed by Swacha-
views with words of extreme praise. ta Sanjiban Guha, ‘Apne Hi Putale’
Both promised their continued sup- (Hindi) written by Yogesh Tripa-
port to the festival in the future too. thi and directed by Ameeya Mehta,
During her speech, Ms. Gorseg- ‘Kanhaiya’ (Hindi) written by Priyam
ner quoted, “This festival is unique, Jani and directed by Meera Narasim-
accessible, and inclusive – highlight- han, and ‘Alpaviram’ (Marathi) writ-
ing incredible local talent through a ten by Irfan Mujawar and directed by
showcase of diverse stories and chal- Ashutosh Hadap.
lenging, complex frameworks. We are The audiences were in awe of
so lucky to have this nonprofit orga- the festival and its selection of plays
nization located in Middlesex Coun- and have showered a lot of praise.
ty, coordinating and sharing strong, It’s heartwarming to see hundreds
impactful productions for the benefit of happy people leaving the theater
of all. The Arts Institute of Middlesex and sending positive comments to Dr
County was just 1 of 66 organizations Nitin Ashtekar, Manda Gorsegner, Hon Dr Varun Jeph, Dr Sudhir Parikh, Nutan Dabholkar Chaudhary and his team. One such
nationwide to receive these critical Kalamdani, Ajay Patil, Dr Anand Kulkarni and Dr. Ashok Chaudhary. member of the audience said, “Dr.
funds to support the relief and recov- Ashok Chaudhary has put together an
ery efforts of local nonprofit arts or- excellent team for Natya Darpan. Not
ganizations in areas they serve. This advisors, extremely knowledgeable year the Consulate General of India only does this give an excellent op-
was a very competitive grant process selection committee and volunteers New York included Natya Darpan as portunity for local American artists to
for our applicants this summer, and make this herculean task seem very a part of very prestigious year long, showcase their talent, but it also gives
we are delighted to be able to award easy. The festival has been able to sus- India’s 75th Independence celebra- New Jersey audience a chance to see
these operating funds to the Indian tain due to a grant and guidance every tion Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, a huge quality theater in different languages
Heritage & Cultural Association to year since the last 6 years, from the honor to cherish. at an affordable price”. While another
ensure the organization’s sustainabil- Middlesex County Board of County Apart from the above contribu- one said, “The program was execut-
ity and vitality for years to come”. Commissioners. The Consul General tors, there have been a few individual ed very well, and every performance
Natya Darpan has been growing of India in New York also contributes sponsors who have been patrons to was excellent and thought provoking.
expanding and progressing. Their to the festival and has been co-hosting the festival along with several media Thoroughly enjoyed it”.
dedicated team of executive directors, the festival since the last 5 years. This sponsors namely Radio Zindagi, The Photos: Atiqul Huda Shawkat

www.TheIndianEYE.com