Verses from Kalidasa's Abhijnana Shakuntalam echoed in the auditorium, not in Sanskrit, but in Nagpuri dialect against the backdrop of a tribal setting.

And, the audiences at Ranchi University's (RU) Aryabhatta Auditorium were left mesmerised on Sunday evening. Thanks to Exposure, a local theatre group, for this brave experiment.

"I always dreamt of producing a play in Nagpuri that will have cultural elements of Jharkhand incorporated in it," said Sanjay Lal, the director of the 100minute-play that was written around two millennia ago.

The stage accessories such as bamboo umbrellas and baskets and the actors' costumes coupled with their dialect reflected the culture of the tribal population of the state.

The script, translated into Nagpuri by local writer Shravan Kumar Goswami from a Hindi version, had all the major elements of the original seven-act drama - from the meeting between Shakuntala and Dushyanta at the hermitage of sage Kanva, their marriage, sage Durvasa's curse resulting in Dushyanta forgetting Shakuntala, the loss of her wedding ring, then its subsequent recovery and finally Dushyanta's reunion with Shakuntala and their son.

"The National Service Scheme (NSS) of the university helped us a lot. They had provided the auditorium and also a space where we rehearsed for over two months," the alumnus of National School of Drama (NSD) added.

The music was done by renowned folk musician Nandlal Nayak, who had also composed for Shonali Bose's acclaimed film Amu, starring Konkona Sen Sharma, in 2005.

"Nagpuri folk tune has its own attraction that forces the audience to sway. I have used over a dozen small compositions in the play," said Lal.

The audiences might have missed the lyricism and resonance of the dialogues in Sanskrit, but they weren't complaining.

"They (the theatre group) did a marvellous job. It's not easy to produce this play, that too in Nagpuri," said RU vice-chancellor R.K. Pandey, who was among the 400-plus audience, comprising mostly students.

Mayor Asha Lakra, who also watched the play, was all praises. "The play should be staged in the districts as well," said Lakra who speaks Nagpuri herself.

"As of now, we are going to present it at a festival in Jammu later this month," said director Lal when asked if they would stage the play in other districts as well.