The Indian Theatre Festival is happening here in Auckland and the excitement and the buzz is catching up. Infact a little birdie has told us that the Gujarati plays are almost sold out! Clearly this ought to say heaps about the quality of work that Rangmanch have been putting together year after year since their inception.

It is said that if you wish to preserve a culture, you must preserve its language. In that sense, what a great initiative by Rangmanch to promote and preserve our rich and varied cultural heritage. Its almost like a treat to pass on to our next generation.

Indian Weekender is always keen to partner with intiatives such as this that promote anything that is proudly Indian. Therefore it's a matter of great pride for us to be associated with a venture such as this.

We hope that the entire Indian community will support this festival and embrace this endeavour with open arms. What we find amazing is the spirit of the people behind this great effort. All of the cast and crew of this festival are professionals who either have full time jobs, own businesses or have other commitments and yet they are devoting their time and energy to bring this experience to everyone.

We are proud to introduce some of the cast and crew of this festival in this issue. We will proudly bring you the rest of the team in our subsequent issues.

Rizwan Mohammad of Indian Weekender caught up with them in the middle of their reharsals and here is what he got....

• Sailesh Prajapati

“I am from Ahmedabad, Gujrat and I started acting at the age of 16 years. Apart from acting I am also an Editor and Director in both, plays and films. This play is called ‘Verna Va Vittar’ ‘Love at War’, we are talking about no war and peace is the key for living. To start a war everyone has to make some sacrifice, so in this particular play there are two young characters who love each other but are from different communities and the communities clash and the two teenagers are protected by one family and chaos ensues. Love is God and we are trying to convey that message”

• Rohan Jote

I am a singer and an actor and it’s my first play ever. I really wanted to be a part of a play and act so it’s all very exciting for me.

• Chirag Solanki, Secretary - Rangmanch

Rangmanch this time is presenting a theatre festival and is not only a festival of theatre but also a festival of languages namely Hindi, Gujrati, Marathi and Bengali. These four languages and the states represent the theatre movement and development in India since the leftist movements in 1950 in India and we are carrying the baton in Auckland. We are doing this for the love and passion we have for our language, mixing it with the multicultural society of New Zealand. In Gujrati there are five ‘Bha’s important to one being, Bhasha (language), Bhojan (food), Busha (clothes), Bhagwan (God), and Bhajan (hymes). These 5 ‘Bha’s represent our identity even if one is lost, one loses everything.

• Rupal Solanki

What you will see on the stage, is a complete traditional way of living in India. I have been associated with Rangmanch since 2010 and have played diverse roles in the plays and it’s been just amazing for me. The role that I am playing this time is going to portray the strength of the women in a village. Women are very strong and we are going to witness that on the stage. The best part of Rangmanch is that it brings communities together and shows in depth, the values imbibed in our culture. The Indian Theatre Festival is happening in Auckland and I invite everyone to be a part of this big show of language diversity and new stories.

• Pavitra Roy, President of Rangmanch

Welcome all to the Indian Theatre Festival in Auckland. Rangmanch is a theatre that is producing, directing and communicating on theatre. This year we have a gift for you, where we have Gujrati, Bengali, Marathi and Hindi language plays. Do not miss this festival because otherwise, you will miss this golden opportunity of seeing real theatre which you will never find on internet, YouTube or anywhere else. We bring you a diversified range of plays only for you. Do come and enjoy.

• Jayant Bhaduri

I am known as ‘Jai Da’ in the theatre community of Auckland and I am the Vice President of Rangmanch. We are bringing Indian theatre festival from mid May and we will give you four new stories from four different regions of India. I would like to thank all our sponsors and patrons who have supported us to bring this to you. It is an event that will bring you close to your community and will give you immense fun and pleasure. Thank you, come with your family and friends and enjoy this great Indian Festival.