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Delhi: The 25th Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM) 2026, the world’s largest international theatre festival organised by the National School of Drama (NSD), witnessed a vibrant day filled with programmes for audiences as well as aspiring and budding theatre practitioners. The festival highlights included highly engaging talk shows with NSD alumni and noted film personalities such as Tigmanshu Dhulia and Pankaj Tripathi, along with wonderful performances by children, young students, and established theatre groups.

The day began with an insightful session by actor Pankaj Tripathi, who spoke candidly about his life, sharing how his experiences shaped him as an artist. He narrated engaging anecdotes and reflected on the constant support of his life partner, whom he described as an inseparable part of his journey and success.

Similarly, Tigmanshu Dhulia offered a glimpse into his creative evolution—from his involvement as a casting professional in Bandit Queen to his long association with the late actor Irrfan Khan. Fondly remembering their bond, Dhulia said that Irrfan was not only a remarkable actor but also a deeply creative individual who approached scripts with a holistic understanding that went far beyond his own lines.

The day also witnessed the graceful conclusion of Baal Sangam, a programme dedicated to folk performances by children from diverse states including Rajasthan, Gujarat, Odisha, Assam, Nagaland and Tripura, among others. The ceremony was graced by Shri Rajiv Velicheti, theatre academic and Associate Professor at the University of Hyderabad; Shri Marto Bagra, Assistant Resident Commissioner representing the State of Arunachal Pradesh; and Vaishali Singh, IAS (2019 batch), Administrator of HSVP, Gurugram.

The festival featured WYSIWYG, written and directed by Teertha Bhatt and performed by Pitara from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, in English, setting a witty and imaginative tone for young audiences.
This was followed by Sojan Badiar Ghat, written and directed by Goutam Halder with verses by Jasim Uddin and presented by Naye Natua from Kolkata, West Bengal, in Bengali.

The day further elevated with the visually rich Karna No Vesh – Bhavai, directed by P. S. Chari and performed by Triveni from Vadodara, Gujarat, in Hindi, celebrating the compelling vibrancy of traditional storytelling.

Also featured was Manduka Upakhyana, written by Ramesh Prasad Panigrahi and directed by Dolgovind Rath, presented by the RANGADHAARAAA Academy of Theatre Art & Repertoire from Odisha in Odia.
The energy continued with La Ilaaj, directed by Faiz Mohammed Khan and staged by Roopkatha Rangmanch from Mumbai in Hindi.

A special non-ticketed presentation, Veer Abhimanyu, directed by Hema Singh, showcased a spirited first-year Parsi demo by students.

Another highlight of the evening was a multimedia theatrical dance production, Sarees of India (Textile), written and directed by Jayalakshmi Eshwar and performed by the Abhinaya Group from Delhi in English, offering a visually captivating narrative of textile heritage.

The festival also hosted the internationally collaborative production Life Is a Dream, written by Pedro Calderón de la Barca and directed by Ignacio Garcia, presented by the Monica De La Fuente Company with artists from Spain, performed in Spanish, Hindi, and Malayalam.

On the sidelines of various insightful and entertaining activities during BRM 2026, NSD also commenced its Theatre Appreciation Course — a week-long learning journey designed to introduce participants to the essential elements of theatre. Through expert-led sessions, discussions on performance, design, music, and direction, along with curated screenings of significant plays, the course offered a rich and engaging experience for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the art form.

Nava Thakuria

Delhi : After meticulous preparations for a free & fair election, which turned into reality with a festive electoral exercise, Bangladesh went to polls on 12 February, where the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP, led by Tarique Rahman) established a landslide victory. One of the oldest political parties in the south Asian nation, the BNP won over 200 constituencies in the 300-member national parliament (Jatiya Sansad), where Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh secured around 70 seats. The country’s pioneer political party Awami League was out of the race as its activities were banned by the interim government in Dhaka, as its chairperson and former premier Sheikh Hasina fled to India on 5 August 2024. The Muslim majority country of 170 million people was ruled by Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus since 8 August soon after Hasina’s sudden departure.
The 13th Jatiya Sansad polls, conducted amid tight security and improved technological monitoring, witnessed the voters’ turnout around 60% (out of 127 million electorates). The polling was largely peaceful and the registered voters exercised their franchise, which was otherwise unusual in Bangladesh as it continued witnessing controversial polls with very lower voter turnout. Nearly 2000 candidates belonging to 51 political parties as well as independent contestants were in the fray. For the first time in 35 years no one was killed in election-related violence on the polling day, even though seven people died around polling centers across the country because of natural causes. One polling officer collapsed while on duty in Brahmanbaria, a former BNP leader in Khulna and five voters died due to illness in Dhaka, Chittagong, Gaibandha, Kishoreganj and Manikganj.

Unaware of Bangladesh till the polling is over, many Indian news outlets have woken up to appreciate the Bangladeshi voters for their wise decision to prefer the relatively secular BNP than the Islamist hardliner Jamaat candidates.

Amazingly the National Citizen Party (NCP, formed by the youths who took the lead in the anti-Hasina movement during July-August 2024 mass uprising) had allied with the Jamaat for the polls and got limited to single digit outcome. Even the union government in New Delhi maintained a cordial relation with the seemingly ‘liberal and democratic’ party in Bangladesh. Even when Tarique Rahman’s mother and former prime minister Khaleda Zia was suffering from serious illness, Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly expressed his concern and also offered necessary support. The BNP was quick to respond with sincere gratitude.

When Begum Zia passed away, New Delhi smartly sent foreign minister S Jaishankar to attend her funeral in Dhaka. During his brief visit Jaishankar also met the bereaved family and handed over Tarique Rahman a personal condolence letter from PM Modi. Later Modi became the first global leader to congratulate him for the convincing electoral victory and expressed interest to work with Dhaka to strengthen multifaceted relations between the two neighbouring countries. On the ground, Tarique Rahman also maintained a sober version against New Delhi and did not instigate any kinds of anti-India hate messages.

Critics argue that the election in Bangladesh was not inclusive as it prevented the participation of Awami League, a major political player before its independence in 1971, in the polls. But the last three general elections held in 2014, 2018, 2024 witnessed the boycotting of BNP leaders and also alleged rigging by Awami League workers, where the voter’s turnout was too low. Once an electoral ally to the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh has now emerged as the prime opposition party in the Parliament, thus paving the way for Islamist forces to enter the mainstream political space.
Bangladesh Election Commission and the interim government led by Prof Yunus thanked the voters in particular and people in general for a peaceful election and referendum in a festive environment. Often criticized for mishandling many Bangladesh issues by pro-Hasina activists and sympathizers, Prof Yunus stated that spontaneous participation of voters, responsible conduct of political parties, restraint shown by candidates and professionalism of all institutions involved in the electoral process collectively demonstrated that the commitment to democracy in Bangladesh remains unwavering. As expected, the ousted premier Hasina denounced the election as a farce. She also demanded the resignation of Yunus-administration and to conduct a fresh polling in a free, fair and inclusive manner.

The Hindu majority India takes concern over the sharp demographic decline of religious minorities in the Muslim dominated country where the Sanatani Hindus constituted around 23 percent of the population in 1947. Now it has diminished to less than 8 % as relentless violence, forced conversions and other religious repercussions continue irrespective of the faces of rulers in Dhaka. Even during Hasina’s second tenure as the premier (2009 to 2024) could not prevent atrocities on Hindu families and their places of worship compelling many of them to gradually leave their country of birth. However, Hasina has successfully misled the larger Hindu population of India with a victim card, whereas the Hindus in Bangladesh were actual victims !

Modi’s congratulatory telephone call to the PM-in-waiting changed the perception about Bangladesh in India and it influenced the media fraternity of the largest democracy on the globe as well. Now for some time, it’s the moment for Tarique Rahman, who has a tremendous challenge to lead a country with full of anti-Hindu sentiments, and seemingly subdued coverage to Hasina, who has taken a temporary shelter in India and meanwhile faced a death sentence in her home country and subsequent extradition pressure, but continued making political statements overriding the essence of Modi’s goodwill gesture to the neighboring country’s government head in waiting. Is she a brave lady or reckless unwanted guest for Bharat, only time will define!