New Delhi, Oct 22 (IANS) Celebrating childhood and showcasing talent of kids from across the country, the National School of Drama (NSD) will host a two-week children’s theatre festival starting from Nov 1.
Inviting 22 theatre groups, the festival, which is called “Jashn-e-Bachpan”, will culminate Nov 14 in Children’s Day celebrations.

A.K. Barua, public relations officer of NSD, said the number of participating groups this year has seen a jump from the last edition.

“This year we have 22 theatre groups participating in the festival, unlike the 14 last year. A total of 600 child artistes will be coming for the festival,” Barua told IANS.

Talking about NSD’s other children’s drama festival, Bal Sangam, Barua said that each of the two festivals is organised alternate years.

“Last year it was NSD’s golden jubilee year. That’s why we organised both Bal Sangam and Jashn-e-Bachpan together. But this year it’s just going to be the later,” he said.

While Bal Sangam is all about folk arts and workshops, Jashn-e-B Bachpan showcases children’s talent in the field of drama and theatre.

“This year we have five plays from Assam, one from Gujarat, two from Karnataka, two from West Bengal and one from Kerala. The festival is multi-lingual because we just believe in encouraging talent,” Barua said.

The 22 plays will be staged at different venues - the Shri Ram Centre, LTG auditorium and at NSD itself.