Nepal-India Theatre Festival ends in splendour

By Bidikshan Soni,Kathmandu, Feb 14: The Nepal Bharat Rang Mahotsav (theatre festival), which began on February 5, concluded on February 12, leaving behind a trail of artistic brilliance. Though the audience thinned on the third and second last days of the six-day festival, the festival’s final day, however, saw a revival, as theatregoers, like moths to a flame, returned to immerse themselves once more in the enchantment of live theatre.

On the final day, the theatre hall, once still, now pulsed with life, as if the very air hummed with anticipation. The empty seats, now filled, cradled hearts open to the final performance as the room swelled with the energy of collective emotion. 

Tajmahal Ka Tender, directed by Chittaranjan Tripathy, stood out like a glinting star in the night sky on the closing day of the festival. The play, with each line, and every gesture, seeped into the very breath of the audience as its humour pulled the ripples of laughter. 

Prashant Tamang, a 19-year-old from Kavre-11, couldn’t contain the surge of emotion that bubbled up when asked about his experience. “I’m in complete awe. A friend kept insisting, ‘You’re missing a miracle in your life.’ Well, I almost did, but somehow—by the grace of chance—I found myself here, in time for the last play. I’d missed the others, but this one? It was pure gold. And how lucky I am to have been a part of it,” he said, his words tumbling out with raw enthusiasm.

He paused, almost breathless, before adding, “This festival wasn’t just about theatre. It was something bigger. It pulled us all together and made us feel something real. Like when the whole audience stood, hand on heart, singing the national anthems of both nations—it felt like more than just a song, you know? It was like we were all part of something much larger than ourselves.”

His words carried an infectious energy, the kind that could only come from someone who had felt something stir deep inside. His gaze shifted, eyes still wide with wonder. “I hope we get more of this. More stories. More magic. More nights like this, where you walk out of the theatre and just know—you’ve been part of something special.”

As the evening’s last notes faded into the theatre’s warm, lingering atmosphere, the echoes of applause hung there when Badri Prasad Pandey, the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, along with festival coordinator Nisha Sharma, presented a token of gratitude to the team behind the festival.

The festival may have drawn its curtains, but its magic and art lingers still. Like the echo of a distant drumbeat, its reverberations continue to pulse in the air, reminding us: in the world of theatre, nothing truly fades. The stories, the laughter, the energy—they remain, just beyond the veil, waiting for the next act to begin. Thus, Nepal awaits for similar festival to take on the stage in the days to come. 

(Soni is an intern at TRN)