Dear Friends,
We hope you must have gone through the activities of CSNA from 2005-2008. Now, we are adding the activities organised by the Akademi during the year 2008-2009. I am sure, some of you must have witnessed these programmes. Please do let us know about your suggestions, observations and comments.
Activities organised during 2008-2009
The focus of Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2008-2009 was more towards bringing the local talent to the forefront and to let performing arts reach out every nook and corner of the city and its periphery. May it be theatre, music or other performing arts, the stage was extended from auditoriums to village schools, chaupals, streets and smaller auditoria.
In theatre, all genres; from a simple dramatic rendering of a script, to street plays of activism, to proscenium – all aspects were covered.
In music, if there were renderings by pure classicists, there was folk rendering of Kabeer Bani,
as well as K L Sehgal’s genius was brought alive by musical talents of the local artistes.
The Akademi also invited artists and critics to put their heads together to chart out a road plan for the growth of theatre.
It has been an eventful year for the Akademi.
Stage of Social Relevance
A conscious effort was made to expand the scope of art to make it socially relevant and hence more acceptable. A Festival of Socially Relevant Plays was organised at village Kaimbwala on Oct 11 and 12 to initiate an interaction between rural and urban population.
The idea behind the endeavour was to give voice to rural population; their aspirations, concerns, and dilemmas, in an artistic expression. Four plays selected for the fest articulated these concerns.
Sirjana ( written by Pali Bhupinder Singh) and Nawan Janam ( written by Gursharan Singh), directed by Anita Shabdeesh of Suchetak Rangmanch addressed the issue of female foeticide and suppression of common man. Anhi Gali Da Mor and Zakhmi Khamba Di Parwaz , written and directed by Dr Sahib Singh addressed menace of drug addiction and common man’s struggle against unemployment, exploitation of the dalits etc. The shows received success which went beyond expectations, with local population demanding staging of more such shows in their village. The backdrop of a water body and a full moon added charm to stage already set to articulate some touching issues. Audience was spell bound, as, they could relate to the themes of the play which touched their lives. The festival was organised in collaboration with Dept of Culture and Public Relations, Chandigarh.
The local stage
The third annual theatre festival of local theatre groups was once again organised to give a fillip to theatre activity in town. Young and old thespians participated with zest for Chandigarh Theatre Festival held at Tagore theatre from Nov 10th to 15th. 
The Festival was inaugurated by the Home Secretary, Chandigarh Administration Sh. Ram Niwas I.A.S., by lighting the traditional lamp.
The curtain raiser was a tribute to S. Bhag Singh, a pioneer of modern Punjabi theatre, whose well known play Chhaleda was staged under the direction of Kuldeep Sharma of Ajnabi Rangkarmi. 
The play presented a unique blend of tradition and modernity. The evergreen loveable thief, Charan Das Chor was staged the next day under Zulfiquar Khan’s direction for Theatre Age on Nov 11.Loot by Studio Challenge group was staged the next day, a rib tickling comedy based on Joe Norton classic. The ‘mystery’ was directed by Nima Dhandona.
Shankar Shesh’s Adhi Raat Ke Baad was the next on Nov 13. A strong satire on politics of the day, the play which brought to fore common man’s struggle against the system, was staged by local group Theatre for Theatre, under Sudesh Sharma’s direction.On Nov 14, Baawli was staged which dealt with the problem of loneliness in old age. Written and directed by Asif Ali, enacted with intensity, the play received a thunderous applause. 
For the final day, Jammu based theatre group Natrang staged one of its most popular plays Mere Hisse Ki Dhoop Kahan Hai which deals with the problem of children losing out on childhood due to pressures of academic performance and high parental expectations.
The play, with a cast of over two dozen children, directed by Balwant Thakur received thunderous applause.
Street wise
Once again taking theatre to the doorsteps in the city periphery, a two- day Street Theatre Festival of Socially Relevant Plays was organised by CSNA on Nov 29 and 30.
The venue, with the backdrop of Mani Majra Fort, added more appeal to dramatic material that dealt with socially relevant issues. On the opening day, young theatre directors Rajiv Mehta and Gaurav Sharma attracted huge crowds when their group performed Paryavaran ka Vinash and Zara Bachke at old Mani Majra where no theatre performance was held before. If Rajiv Mehta’s play, based on the script of Ashwini Sawan and Suvinder Pal dealt with declining environment around us, Zara Bachke had a few precautionary tips against AIDS laced in heady dose of entertainment.
On the second day Daldal dealt with the menace of drug abuse among the youth. Directed by Vijay Machal, recipient of Yuva National Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the play was based on facts and figures about drug addicts from all strata of society. The last play Kiran, written and directed by much revered thespian Gursharan Singh bared open the menace of female foeticide.
Rendering drama by word
The power of word, when rendered with intensity surpasses need for stage or props. Two dramatic renderings by seasoned actor- directors offered a unique experience for theatre lovers of the city in September and December.
Shahjahanpur Ki Shehzadi, rendered on Sept 20th at State Library Building created ripples among the audience with its deeply disturbing theme. The script written by NSD alumnus Asif Ali was based on subtleties of Muslim identity crisis in post 9/11 world, going back to many uncomfortable historical truths. The text was rendered by six trained students of acting under his direction. 
Mungu Comrade, based on the struggles of Makhan Singh, a sikh based in Kenya and his struggle for independence of that country were brought to fore by playwright Dr. Atamjeet in a rendering of the same at Punjab Kala Bhawan on December 28. The dramatic renderings were received with applause.
Another script of a play titled Katra Katra Zindagi, was based on the theme of deteriorating condition of theatre practitioners in the present day.
The script was read out at State Library building. Jaswant Daman and Davendra Daman presented the rendering for Nora Richards Theatre group. Later a show of this play was sponsored by CSNA at Punjab Kala Bhawan. Yug Wartara
In February this year, another play Yug Wartara was staged at Punjab Kala Bhawan, in collaboration with NZCC, Patiala. Presented by The Punjabi Rangmanch, Patiala, the script attempted to delineate the crisis of values grown through four ages. With mythical characters like Dharmraj, and historical characters like Bhagat Singh and Waris Shah, enacting their own lives, a clash of values was explosive yet based on realism. The play was written and directed by veteran thespian P N Shahi
Musical Soiree
In December, when winds carried the coldest chill, Kalapini Komkali warmed up the evening with her powerful notes. The singer gifted with a deep resonant voice presented Purva Kalyan, to be followed by numerous other rare compositions in Khamaj, a few compositions from Malwa, including some of the bhajans sung by her legendary father late Pt Kumar Gandharwa. The evening was organised in honour of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, who was conferred with the highest civilian honour of Bharat Ratna. Kalapini was accompanied by Sanjay Deshpande on the tabla, and by Mehmood Dhaulpuri on the harmonium. 
On this occasion, Padma Bhushan Dr. B.N Goswami, an eminent Art Historian of India presided over the function. Suno Bhai Sadho
A month later, in January, after Kalapini rendered some of the gems from Kabeer Bani in Kumar Gandharwa’s inimitable style, Prahlad Singh Tipania and his party presented Kabeer, as the darling poet of the ordinary masses.
Suno Bhai Sadho, organised at State Library witnessed some of the purest and most moving aspects of Kabeer’s poetry presented in its simplest form, with the accompaniment of a tamburi, just as Kabeer would have wished it to be. Tipania is known the world over for his spiritual earnestness, with which he brings out the essence of Kabeer. His choked vocal chords and flowing tears during the performance, a witness to his spiritual ecstasy, took the audience to a higher plane. The show was jam packed. Sehgal nostalgia
The magic of K L Sehgal’s voice grows gradually, like an intoxicant. And the senior citizens of the tri-city never fail an opportunity to take a dip in timeless charm of his music.
On a cold December night, they all came, once again, braving the cold to have a taste of nostalgia. Yadon Ki Kasak, organised in collaboration with The Environment Society of India, at Randhawa auditorium on the 62nd death anniversary of late K L Sehgal, introduced the young of the goldmine of talent, that Sehgal was.
The evening opened with rendering of raga Bhairavi, Sehgal’s favourite by Priyanka Shrama, to be followed by Vinod Rajput’s rendering of jab dil hi toot gaya. Veteran professor J S Grewal presented the timeless gem, prem ka hai is jag me panth nirala. Kishor Shrma, Sarika Gupta, Betty Nangia were some of the other singers who presented a chain of unforgettable songs from Sehgal’s never- to- be- forgotten songs.
Debasheesh on the tabla and Dharmveer on the harmonium accompanied the singers.
Aai Basant Bahar
As the city wears a floral crown in February, CSNA prepares its annual soiree to welcome spring with musical notes.
This year, veteran vocalist of Gwalior gharana, Pt Laxman Krishna Rao Pandit was invited to enthral music lovers with his amazing repertoire of rare compositions.
On this occasion, Hon'ble Sh. Samir Mathur I.A.S., Financial Commissioner & Principal Secretary, Transport & Civil Aviation, Haryana was the Chief Guest. The stage was decorated with marigold flowers at Randhawa Auditorium. Even the audience came dressed in the colour code of the season. If the setting was in gold, Panditji’s notes added sparkle to it. 
Panditji began his rendering with raga Basant, navi ke darbar aao, sab mil gao, that filled the auditorium with notes of joy. Piya sang khelo ri and phagva brij dekhan ko chalo ri, added to the flavour. The maestro also rendered Jaydev’s Ashtapadi in Tilwada taal. Panditji’s renderings have the old world charm of purity, coupled with his choice of some rare compositions of antiquity, it offered a heady mix of traditional colours of spring, celebrated by our ancestors over centuries. He was accompanied by Pt Bharatbhusan Goswami on the sarangi and by Ustad Phaiyaz Khan on the tabla.
The audience did not have enough of Punditji.
Panel discussion on theatre
After the Fourth National Theatre Festival , organised by Theatre for Theatre ( TFT) was concluded, CSNA organised a panel discussion on the future of theatre , in collaboration with TFT at State Library, Chandigarh. Leading theatre directors who had come to participate in the festival from across the country were of the view that special workshops should be organised to promote theatre activity in the region. Many theatre directors felt that there was a need for smaller auditoriums to perform low budget shows, while, others demanded abolition of tax for theatre shows. They also stressed that greater involvement of the young was required for the longevity of theatre.
It was decided that Probir Guha of Alternative Living Theatre, Kolkata will hold workshops on experimental theatre. Alakhnandan of Nat Bundele will train young aspirants in stagecraft while Pali Bhupinder of Off Stage, Moga, will hold workshops on script writing. Subsequently, more directors will be involved for holding workshops.
Nearly 75 participants took part in the discussion with enthusiasm. After the panel discussion was concluded Zulfikar Khan, Anita Shabdeesh, Ravi Vijay, Amarjeet Azeez, Sanjeevan, Raman Mittal and Parveen Jaggi were honoured for their contribution to the theatre.
Kamal Tewari, Chairman, CSNA, was honoured on the concluding day of the festival by TFT for his sustained contribution in the field of theatre music and for promotion of theatre and cultural activity in the region.
Carnival
On the occasion of Chandigarh Carnival,
CSNA and NZCC organised a musical show of rare musical instruments from the region. The participation of CSNA was greatly appreciated in the carnival.
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