Bhubaneswar, Oct. 7: A large number of people came to see a theatre festival featuring plays by groups from the western districts of the state.

The three-day festival, which ended yesterday, took place at Bhanja Kala Mandap in the city and showcased a number of plays reflecting the tribal lifestyle of the state.

Sundargarh-based theatre group Navjiban kicked off the festival with its play Mann - revolving around the love story of a writer who is also a statistical officer.

The play showcases the protagonist's attempt to maintain his relationship with his long-time paramour despite a number of hurdles. The play featured around 25 actors, all of whom donned rustic looks to get into character.

"Through the play, we wanted to present the flavours of the western part of Odisha before an urban audience. The central focus of the drama is inspired from contemporary society but the language and the treatment had a rural touch," said director of the play Pradeep Bhol.

The second day witnessed the play Alijhat by Bargarh-based group Samaleshwari Sangh. Balangir-based Kaladham Art Institution took to the stage on the last day and presented Rakata.

"Despite the language not being familiar to us, we could comprehend the message that they wanted to send across. The acting skills of the young artistes is praiseworthy," said Ananya Patnaik, a member of the audience.

A similar theatre festival was also organised in July but it had to be terminated midway, owing to the death of former president APJ Abdul Kalam.

Two plays, Dandua and Marubhumi were staged during that time and the remaining plays that could not be staged were presented this time.

While the former narrated the tale of a dandua artiste who committed suicide after failing to sustain his family, the latter showed how the world would turn into a desert if the human race did not take serious steps against deforestation.

This is the first time that the state government dedicated a festival to the artistes of a particular region to promote rural talents.

"Through the festival, we wanted to bring artistes from the western parts of the state to the forefront. The festival aims to give them exposure on a big stage," said Dhira Mallick, secretary of Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi.