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    NORTH AMERICAN Newsline                                                   JULY 24, 2026    |  The Indian Eye 26

                          Natya Darpan 2026 Celebrates

                      11 Years of Inspiring Multilingual

                              Theater and Social Dialogue

            OUR BUREAU                                                                                            ligence and its growing influence on
                                                                                                                  modern life. Rather than presenting
            New Brunswick, NJ
                                                                                                                  technology as either friend or foe, the
                  he Indian Heritage & Cultural                                                                   play  invited  audiences  to  reflect  on
                 Association of New Jersey (IH-                                                                   memory, identity, ethics, and the in-
            TCA-NJ) proudly celebrated the                                                                        dispensable role of human judgment
            successful conclusion of the 11th An-                                                                 in an increasingly AI-driven world.
            nual Natya Darpan Multilingual Short                                                                     The fourth presentation, “The
            Play Festival on July 11, 2026, at the                                                                Calculus of Guilt,” written and direct-
            New Brunswick Performing Arts Cen-                                                                    ed by Dr. Manoj Shahane, delivered
            ter (NBPAC). Bringing together art-                                                                   a powerful examination of family ex-
            ists, directors, playwrights, and theater                                                             pectations, hidden truths, and mental
            enthusiasts from diverse backgrounds,                                                                 health within the South Asian commu-
            the festival once again demonstrated                                                                  nity. Through emotionally compelling
            the transformative power of theater to                                                                performances, the play challenged
            inspire dialogue, build empathy, and                                                                  audiences to reconsider conventional
            unite communities through storytell-                                                                  definitions of success while emphasiz-
            ing.                                                                                                  ing compassion, understanding, and
                This  year’s  festival  featured  five                                                            emotional healing.
            compelling  productions  in  Marathi,                                                                     Following the fourth production,
            Hindi, English, and multilingual for-                                                                 IHCA-NJ  celebrated  another  signifi-
            mats, each exploring timely social                                                                    cant milestone with the Awards Cere-
            issues while showcasing exceptional                                                                   mony for the inaugural Natya Darpan
            artistic talent.                                                                                      National Playwriting Competition,
                The festival was inaugurated by                                                                   recognizing excellence in original
            Hon. Consul Upendra Singh Negi                                                                        multilingual playwriting. The ceremo-
            from the Consulate General of India,                                                                  ny was led by IHCA-NJ Founder and
            New York. IHCA-NJ Founder and                                                                         President Dr. Ashok Chaudhary and
            President Dr. Ashok Chaudhary wel-                                                                    Playwriting Competition Tem Lead
            comed the audience and introduced                                                                     Dr. Manoj Shahane.
            the dedicated volunteers and execu-                                                                       In the Mini Short Play category,
            tive  team whose commitment  made                                                                     First Prize was awarded to Ritambha-
            the festival possible.                                                                                ra Mittal (Alpharetta, Georgia) for
                The traditional ceremonial lamp                                                                   Gulabi Shareh, while Second Prize
            was lit by Hon. Consul Upendra Singh                                                                  went to Dr. Siddhesh Kulkarni (Jersey
            Negi, legendary theater director and                                                                  City, New Jersey) for Spring Bloom.
            actor Vijay Kenkre, Middlesex County                                                                  In the Short Play category, First Prize
            Commissioner Deputy Director Shan-                                                                    was presented to Shirin Mhadeshwar
            ti Narra, and members of the Natya  The production explored the silent  using theater as a platform for mean- (Livingston, New Jersey) for Zadat
            Darpan Executive Team, symbolizing   struggles faced by graduate students   ingful community conversations.  Punha Ugavaya, and Second Prize
            the beginning of a day dedicated to ar- dealing with academic pressure, burn-  The second production, “Daldal,”  was awarded to Sumit Kulkarni (New
            tistic excellence and cultural exchange.  out, bullying, and mental health chal- directed by Seema Shahane, revis- Jersey) for Behind the Uniform.
                The  audience  was  also  honored   lenges. Its sensitive storytelling en- ited the emotional landscape of the   The awards and certificates were
            with  special  video  messages  convey-  couraged compassion, resilience, and  COVID-19  pandemic.  Through  the   presented by renowned theater di-
            ing best wishes from Hon. Ambassa- the importance of seeking support  experiences  of ordinary  individuals   rector and actor Vijay Kenkre, who
            dor Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, Consul  during difficult times.        navigating lockdowns, uncertainty,  congratulated the winners for their
            General of India in New York; New     Following  the   performance,  and  isolation,  the  Hindi  drama  cap-  creativity and contributions to con-
            Jersey Governor Mikie  Sherrill; and   the audience participated in a   tured the emotional toll of the crisis   temporary theater. The competition
            renowned actor, psychiatrist, and Pad- thought-provoking panel discussion   while highlighting hope, resilience,  reflects  IHCA-NJ’s  ongoing  commit-
            ma Shri awardee Dr. Mohan Agashe,  on mental health featuring distin- and the lasting impact of the pandem- ment to discovering, nurturing, and
            reflecting the growing recognition and   guished guests, including Prof. Mar- ic on mental well-being.  celebrating new playwrights while
            impact of Natya Darpan.           shall Jones, Dean of Access at Rutgers   The  Marathi  science-fiction  dra- encouraging the creation of original
                The festival opened with “Seen  University’s Mason Gross School of  ma “Human in the Loop,” directed by  works that enrich the multilingual the-
            Under the Weight,” an English play  the  Arts.  The  discussion  further  re- Atul Athavale, offered a thought-pro- ater landscape.
            written and directed by Yona Downes.  inforced the festival’s commitment to  voking  exploration  of  artificial  intel-  Continued on next page... >>

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