Performances of young artists won hearts of audience
Prayagraj: Just imagine, what would happen if some of today’s children, who consider 15th August and 26th January merely ‘holidays’, suddenly boarded a time machine and reached the Quit India Movement of 1942? A similar magical and thrilling scene was witnessed on Thursday in the auditorium of the North Central Zone Cultural Centre. The occasion was the staging of the play ‘Mission Vande Mataram’. When young artists, aged just 8 to 12, spread the magic of patriotism, courage, and friendship on stage, every spectator sitting in the hall was moved. With their strong voices and brilliant acting, the children demonstrated that theatre is not just entertainment, but a great school of patriotism.
The play was the final leg of a thirty-day summer performing children’s theatre workshop organized by the North Central Zone Cultural Centre, Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The program began with the lighting of a lamp by chief guest Rajendra Pratap (Secretary, Examination Regulatory Authority, DIET, Prayagraj), center director Sudesh Sharma, and program advisor Kalpana Sahay.
The play, prepared under the guidance of young theatre artist Pratyush Varsne and assistant Akash Agarwal, had a fascinating story. While playing, today’s children discover a secret time machine that transports them to the era of the freedom struggle. There, they befriend Bholu and Kamala, whose brother is imprisoned by the white police. What followed was a surprise! Today’s children, along with those children, form a “Freedom Team” and, through their intelligence and unity, outsmart the British and free their brother. At the climax of the play, when the tricolor was hoisted on the stage, the entire hall resounded with chants of “Vande Mataram” and thunderous applause.
While the play had patriotic fervor on one hand, it also had a lot of comedy on the other. The funny characters of ‘Inspector Pimple’ and ‘Havaldar Danda’, who played British officers, made the audience laugh a lot. The child artists who performed brilliantly on stage included Eva Raj, Manashvi Raj Singh, Isha Dev, Kritika, Aaradhya Sargam, Ambika, Nitya Jaiswal, Diva Tripathi, Garvit Dhani, Rajshree Maurya, Kaustubh Choubey, Vedansh Patel, Praneet Khare, Anmol, Pratham Shukla and Ayeza Farooq Ahmed, who received a lot of applause from the audience for their brilliant acting.
On this occasion, Center Director Sudesh Sharma honored instructor Pratyush Varsne and assistant instructor Akash Agarwal with a plant and a shawl. The Center Director stated that theater develops children’s self-confidence and personality. Such workshops connect our new generation with our glorious history and traditions. All the Center’s officers and employees, along with the audience, were present. The program was moderated by Manoj Kumar.
