Lucknow: A three-day drama festival celebrating 75 years of poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar’s famous Hindi epic poem “Rashmirathi” began at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, drawing a strong turnout of literature admirers and theatre lovers.Dinkar was a poet, essayist and freedom fighter from Bihar. He was known as ‘Rastrakavi’ (national poet) for his fiery nationalist poetry. He was also a Padma Bhushan awardee.Organised by the Uttar Pradesh Culture Department, the festival opened with a stage adaptation of Rashmirathi, first published in 1952. Chief guest on the occasion was chief minister Yogi Adityanath.The play brought alive the story of Karna from the Mahabharata, holding the audience’s attention through intense narration, emotional performances, striking stagecraft and evocative music.The performance earned sustained applause for its dialogues and visual treatment.Centred on Karna’s inner conflicts and life journey, Rashmirathi examined duty, fate, loyalty and the moral dilemmas shaped by war and social divisions.The play underlined one of the poem’s enduring ideas: that a person’s worth lies in actions and character rather than birth or lineage.The venue also hosted a book fair featuring a broad selection of Hindi literature.Visitors showed particular interest in Dinkar’s writings, with many browsing and buying poetry collections and novels.Adding to the celebrations, a painting exhibition displayed nearly 20 artworks inspired by Rashmirathi and Indian mythology.The exhibition attracted steady footfall, with visitors appreciating the artists’ interpretations of epic themes.On the second day, a theatrical performance based on Swami Vivekananda will be staged, and on the third, there will be a presentation based on Bal Gangadhar Tilak, along with a dance-drama titled Atal Swaranjali, based on the poems of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.The festival will continue on Saturday. Play “Yuvaon Ke Prerta: Swami Vivekanand” will be staged at 6 pm.
