Theater is a medium that has been underestimated by the masses, and undermined
by the technology wizards. When the masses in general are facing varied emotional,
civic and economical problems, why shouldn't it be the medium to incite the populace
on issues like democratic rights and civil liberties?
But these themes stand out in the works of the varied theater groups from different parts of the state, each waging an artistic battle against the prevailing diplomacies and the double standards of the government or any ruling organization. "Chidatala Ramayanam", by a theater group from Ranga Reddy, tackles the persisting problem of power (electricity), while artistes from the Krishna district staged "Running Commentary" - an elaborate satire, revolving around the every day news that one reads in the news papers. Here the theme strives to delineate the facets of the opportunists, as well as of those who work selflessly.
The central and the most bold and appreciated play was titled "Suwarna Pisachi", directed and scripted by Devendra from Khammam district. This directly takes a shot at the nature and motto of 'Swarnandhra Pradesh'. It has these two phases playing parallel to each other - one depicting the surface ornamentation of the state, with some actors clad in yellow and orange shouting and promising of a beautiful looking state, and the other had some actors appearing with meager clothes personifying the realities of starvation, of not getting food and shelter and so on.
There were instances in the course of the evening, which seemed to carry dogmatic arguments! "Veera Telangana Madi Vare Telangana Kadu" (Ours is a valorous Telangana and not a separate Telangana), by a group hailing from Nalgonda, was in a musical format and had all the patriotic spirit it could accommodate. Another satire came from the artistes from Guntur. "Chai Chai Kalapandi" (Lets join hands), played on the issue of bloating World Bank loans.
All in all, we had a medium well exploited, and a message sent across.