Special features of the organization
ANANT or An Association for Nascent Art and Natural Theatre was registered on 3 January, 1989. In the last twenty one years, ANANT has many achievements to its credit. First and foremost, it has established itself as a leading exponent of children s theatre in Delhi producing plays by and for children; conducting workshops for young, teachers and educators both in schools and communities; working in villages, slums and resettlement colonies; and linking theatre and arts to education and pedagogy. , , Plays created by ANANT are unique, using culture friendly traditions like play-rhymes, folk narrative traditions like kathavachan and kissa-goi, visual communication through puppetry and pat-katha; and the techniques of storytelling. Some of its well known plays in Hindi are Gadbadjhala (Topsy Turvy), Raja ki Khoj (In Search of a King), Kisse (A Tale of Tales), Chhutti (Freedom), Gopi Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiya (Gopi the Singer Bagha the Drummer) and Liyaram Diyaram. Most of these are original plays, created through workshops with ANANT actors. Many of these plays have participated in numerous festivals in India and abroad. , , Gadbadjhala, based on collection of rhymes from the Hindi belt, was published by education department of the University of Delhi as resource book with audio support in the form of a cassette. ANANT is in the process of editing some of its original plays for publication. , , ANANT has conducted innovative school projects by way of using theatre for theme exploration, and subsequent theatrical presentations involving the entire school. The school projects of Presentation Convent and Swai Man Singh School of Jaipur are worth mentioning. ANANT has also conducted an experimental project called Heritage Theatre in the National Museum wherein Harrapa Gallary was explored by educationally marginalised street children with a production and exhibition as the end result. , , ANANT has also produced adult plays from time to time. Two such productions in Bengali are considered by many critics as unique contributions Kathokatay Agomani (Homecoming) and Manasa Katha (Legend of Manasa). Whether in children theatre or adult plays, ANANT puts lot of emphasis on research and originality. , , ANANT has participated in national and international festivals, exchange programmes, and had conducted workshops and submitted papers for seminar all over. Some of these are: Jashne Bachpan and Bharat Rang Mahotsav organised by the National School of Drama in New Delhi, Folk Festival of Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Surya Festival in Cochin, DALA Festival in Seoul, and AYA Exchange programme in Kuala Lumpur. , , ANANT is one of the founding members of ASSITEJ India, the gateway national centre of ASSITEJ International which is spread over 80 countries, connecting thousands of theatre groups and persons working in the specialised area of theatre for children and young people. Following the establishment of ASSITEJ India in 2004, ANANT s director, Dr. Ashish Ghosh, has been invited to participate in ASSITEJ World Congress in Montreal, International Directors Seminar in Hamburg, and as International Observer in NEW VOICE/NEW VISION project in Kennedy Center of Washington DC. ANANT is poised for major events, both national and international, in 2011.
