Port Blair, Feb. 14: It was an evening of fun & laughter as the month- long production oriented theatre workshop organized by ‘Kala Kendra’- A&N Islands Society for Promotion of Art & Culture, under the Department of Art & Culture, A&N Administration in collaboration with National School of Drama, New Delhi culminated with a play titled ‘Charan Das Chor’ in the auditorium of ASI. The First Lady of A&N Islands, Smt. Chitra Joshi was the chief guest of the valedictory function and presented certificates to the artistes who performed in the play. The Adhyaskah, ZPSA, Smt. Baby Fareeda, Padmashree awardee, Shri Naresh Chandra Lal, Secretary, Art & culture, Smt. Neha Bansal, other senior officers of the Administration and theatre lovers were present on the occasion. The play was directed by Shri Surinder Sharma, Camp Director.

The play which deals with the life of a notorious thief ‘Charan Das’; a pro in the world of stealing, had the audience roaring with laughter with its witty punch lines. The lighting, costume, makeup and movement added more thrill to the play, giving the audience a sneak into the world of theatre. The play was beautifully presented by a group of participants hailing from different professional backgrounds. Tremendous applause from the gathering also pepped up the spirit of the artistes, most of whom were amateurs.

Speaking on the occasion, the Director, Shri Surinder Sharma stated that this was the third workshop by National School of Drama (NSD) here in the Islands. He said this play is an extension workshop of NSD and expressed hope that it would pave way for the establishment of theatre here in the Islands in the coming days. He also highlighted the objectives and mission of NSD which is aimed at taking theatre to every part of the country and giving opportunity to young artistes to showcase their theatrical skills.

The play was a part of the month-long workshop which dealt with the entire gamut of aspects connected with theatre such as acting, movement, light, makeup, costume, speech, theatre, history etc. The camp was organized under the camp director, Shri Surinder Sharma, an eminent actor, director and recipient of ‘Nat Samrat’ Award, 2018. Besides faculties from National School of Drama viz. Shri Avinash Deshpande, Shri Hari Singh Kholia, Shri Partho Banerjee and Shri Rajesh Kumar Pathak also rendered support during the workshop.

Earlier, the Assistant Director, Art & Culture, Dr. Rashida Iqbal welcomed the gathering while the programme concluded with the vote of thanks proposed by the Director, Art & Culture, Smt. Geetika Sharma.