“Theatre competition by BharathaYatra Kendra (BYK) was like a world cup in theatre for us. Students across colleges looked forward for its announcement year after year and prepare tirelessly. We at Vijaya College would get a professional theatre person to direct for us,” reminiscences Vallabh Suri, Co-ordinator, Ranga Sourabha which started out as a student troupe in 1999.
Many actors, directors, technicians in the theatre, film and television industries today, have sprung from this platform including Rishab Shetty, Sharath Lohitashwa, Balaji Manohar and Pramod Shetty. “Today’s actors in those days competed against each other as they belonged to teams from different colleges,” quips Vallabh adding, around 50 colleges participated in the competition and Ravindra Kalakshetra would be overcrowded with theatre enthusiasts.
- Ranga Sourabha celebrates its 20th anniversary with the reinstitution of Sourabha Theatre Competition.
- It has over 13 productions to its credit in the last 20 years, including Gangavatarana and Mysuru Mallige which have completed 100 shows.
Although the widely-known competition ran for almost three decades, it had come to a halt since a couple of years. “How could we do away with a fest that acted as a milestone in the career of so many? It was nostalgia for us. Also, we wanted to see young talent from across colleges on stage every year. All this led Ranga Sourabha to restart the competition with the support of BYK,” he explains.
Theatre personalities Mallikarjunaiah, Shobha Venkatesh and Sharath Parvathavani will be the chief guests of the theatre competition this time. “The judges will provide their comments and valuable advice at the end of each performance. The certificates of this competition is valued in most cultural institutions and universities,” he adds.
What other than theatre?
Around 16 teams from various degree colleges in Bengaluru will be participating in the theatre competition. Apart from theatre, the festival also accommodates essay writing, quiz, debate and dance competitions. Registrations for events other than theatre will be on the spot.
Painting competition that was held on February 3 gave opportunity for students, most of whom are post-millenials, to depict the Bengaluru of the 80s and 90s.
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The debate competition was to raise awareness among the youth regarding superstitions. The students debated on ‘should there be a ban on blind beliefs and superstitions’ on February 5.
Student plays
Naanu Chandraguptanemba Mourya will be performed by SSMRV College on February 7, 9 a.m. Maruthi Vijaya by MES College at 11 a.m., Bombat Beechi by Vijaya PRM College at 1 p.m. Essay writing competition will commence from 10 a.m. Topic for the essay competition is ‘National security and the Constitution’. Folk dance competition will be from 6 p.m. onwards.
The solo classical dance competition will be on February 8, 9 a.m. onwards.
The valedictory ceremony will have singer M.D. Pallavi, actors Rakshit Shetty and Achyuth Kumar among other dignitaries. Bangalore University, Bangalore Central University and Karnataka Nataka Academy have rendered their support for this competition.
