Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards and Festival Opens With GAGAN DAMAMA BAJYO

On Thursday, 14th March 2024, the 19th edition of the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards and Festival (META) began at New Delhi’s Kamani Auditorium. The top ten selected productions for this season offer a diverse cross-section of India, exploring a wide range of subjects. The Festival will spotlight key narratives, including powerful retellings of epic tales, examinations of oppression and authoritarianism, depictions of protest and rebellion, explorations of identity and gender, reflections on the sanctity of the artist, considerations of ethics and morality, and portrayals of adventure and grit, through its varied repertoire of plays from across the country.

The opening reception welcomed the esteemed META Jury 2024 members, including acclaimed theatre actress, casting director and writer Dolly Thakore; prolific and celebrated actor Kulbhushan Kharbanda; veteran theatre director and actress Kusum Haider; eminent director, actor, acclaimed playwright and writer Mahesh Dattani; celebrated actor, music composer, singer and set designer Raghuvir Yadav; director of the Serendipity Arts Foundation and Serendipity Arts Festival Smriti Rajgarhiya; and celebrated theatre and film actor Vinay Pathak.

Jay Shah, Vice President, Head - Cultural Outreach, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. said, “We look forward to the 19th META with pride and joy. META has furthered our vision of promoting theatre, the source code of many art forms. It is greatly satisfying to see it hold its position as the only national level recognition for the theatre community over all these years. To provide a stage to theatre groups, big and small from across the country is consistent with our intent to enable moments of Rise in everything we do. “

Sanjoy Roy, Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, said, “Meta is a platform that represents diversity and showcases the immense talent and creativity that India has to offer across languages and regions. Theatre provides a mirror to society and its many challenges and is a vehicle for truth telling in its most effective form. “

Following the reception that opened the capital’s landmark theatre festival, the season's inaugural play, titled Gagan Damama Bajyo, directed by Piyush Mishra, co-directed by Hemant Pandey, and produced by Rahul Gandhi, commenced. Presented in Hindi and lasting for a duration of 100 minutes, Gagan Damama Bajyo is a musical that vividly portrays the inspiring life story of one of India's most celebrated freedom fighters and revolutionaries, Shaheed Bhagat Singh. The play transports audiences to the era of revolution, depicting the profound impact of events like the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on Bhagat Singh and his contemporaries, such as Sukhdev Thapar and Bhagwati Charan Vohra. It also sheds light on their association with the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association and their encounters with movement stalwarts like Chandrashekhar Azad.

 For the 2024 season, the Festival received over 390 entries from across India, representing states such as Maharashtra, Delhi, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Manipur, and Rajasthan.

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