Sesa Pahachha being staged at the theatre festival organised by Canfest in Paradip. Telegraph picture

Paradip, March 23: The 11th National Theatre Festival of Canfest is under way here.

The fest, which is being organised to espouse the cause of theatre in the state, got off to a colourful start on Tuesday.

The weeklong festival is showcasing plays staged by various troupes on works of Odia playwright Ramesh Prasad Panigrahi.

The first play was Kamalapura Dakaghara (Kamalpur post office), a socially relevant play penned by Panigrahi.

The play threw light on the role of post offices that formed a vital part of rural life during the ’50s and ’60s.

The rural post offices were the meeting point of people from all walks of life and it was a place for social interaction. The postmasters received high respect and esteem also played the pivotal role in moulding public life.

On the second evening, another of Panigrahi’s works Sesa Pahachha meaning ‘last step of the ladder’ was staged by director Kailash Panigrahi’s troupe Rangamancha from Rourkela. The play focused on the unending aspirations of people who go to any extent for success.

Durghatana Basata was staged on Thursday by Calcutta-based troupe Kalyani Kalamandalam. The satire revolved around characters such as a powerful politician, a high-ranked police officer and an influential couple, all of who die and by chance meet in hell. Even after their death, they do not leave their cunningness behind.

Kolkata Creative Art Performers, a theatre group from Bengal, won accolades from the audience on Saturday by lively and sparkling performance of Manduka Upakhyana (a tale of frogs).

Soumitra Banarjee director of the play said: “It was a challenging opportunity to stage the translated version of the thought-provoking Odia play. We carried out minimum alteration in the script and blended it with Rabindrasangeet background music.

Our effort did not go unrewarded as we were giving standing ovation after the play came to an end”.

“It’s a humble endeavour on our part to give Odia groups exposure to theatre across the country. Seven selected plays penned by Panigrahi would be staged during the course of the festivals by eminent theatre troupes spread across the country,” said chief organiser, Atulya Kumar Mohapatra.

“The staging of translated version of the Odia plays is the need of the hour,” said Sriman Mishra.