The Delhi chapter of Abhivyakti Abhiyaan, a platform for theatre development, held the dharna at Mandi House roundabout on Ferozeshah Road. The festival coincides with NSD’s golden jubilee year and will bring 56 plays from India and 19 from abroad.

“It is called ‘Bharat Rang Mahotsav’, which means India’s theatre festival — not an NSD festival,” said Shahid Anwar, Delhi-based playwright who runs Bahroop Theatre. “They (NSD) are misusing the Ministry of Culture grant that aims at promoting theatre across the country.

“Non-NSD talent is being cruelly and rudely ignored.”

Anwar is recipient of Mohan Rakesh Samman and Ghalib awards.

Arvind Gaur, city-based theatre director of the Asmita group, said NSD has become elitist and exclusionist. “We oppose their non-cohesive policy that causes a fracture in national theatre,” he said. “If this is a national theatre festival, why have they allowed foreign groups to perform?”

NSD director Anuradha Kapoor defended her institution, saying the scale at which this event is planned is “anything but exclusionist”. She said: “We have brought more than 1,000 artistes (from across India) for 60 performances. They are cross-language, cross-genre and cross-region. It is as wide as can be.

“Since this year’s festival coincides with the golden jubilee of NSD, we are reassessing our contribution to Indian theatre. Also, our artistes from places like Arunachal Pradesh, Kashmir and Manipur do not work with NSD students.”

How, in that event, can the festival be called elitist? she wondered.

The protestors included NSD alumni such as Bapi Bose, Avtar Sahni, Vijay Singh and Prasanna. Bose, a 1986 NSD passout, said, “NSD is using public money only for their chosen ones. People’s money should be used to entertain them, but such efforts will draw a line between NSD and non-NSD artistes.”

Gaur said creation of a separate committee to select entries and conduct the festival would help: “NSD is an academic institution for theatre. It shouldn’t behave as nodal agency for this festival.”

But respected theatre activist Dr M Sayeed Alam of Pierrot’s Troupe said he does not agree with his “agitated counterparts”. “I wasn’t aware of this protest, and had I been informed, I wouldn’t have participated.” Calling it a “stunt”, he said, “They couldn’t make it to the festival, so they tried to seek some coverage through this dharna. But I agree on the foreign participation issue — they (foreign acts) shouldn’t be allowed in a national festival.”

FOREIGN PLAYS
Pakistan
Feb 4: Akhiyan Waleo
Feb 12: Burqavaganza

Switzerland
Feb 5: Delirium

Poland
Feb 5: Nijinski The God

Afghanistan
Feb 6: The Caucasian Chalk Circle

China
Feb 6: Butterflies Are Free

Britain
Feb 10: Taboo a Piece of History

Sri Lanka
Feb 12: Charandas