Nagpur: “The number of Urdu playwrights in the city has increased exponentially in the recent times. It is only fitting to provide a platform to them for displaying their prowess in screenplay,” said Mohammed Asad Ullah, at the inauguration of Urdu Drama Festival.He is the coordinator of the festival, which is organized by Maharashtra State Urdu Sahitya Academy (MSUSA) Minority Development Department, Mumbai, along with Zia Khan Lodhi. The inauguration ceremony was held at Sai Sabhagruh, Shankar Nagar, on Monday.Poet and writer Shaifuddin Sahil, Abdur Rahim Nashtar, Padam Naik, Anees Javed and secretary of the organization Syed Shoaib Hashmi were the guests. They introduced Lodhi’s book titled ‘Rang-o-Noor’, a collection of one-act plays. The programme was conducted by Rafique Sheikh.The first day witnessed five plays in motion. Urdu manch presented ‘Pehli kamayi’, a tragic story about an impoverished family who has to sustain through the perils of mob lynching. The play was enacted by children from primary schools. It was written and directed by Tareek Sharif.The second play, ‘Bhula hua sabak’, was presented by Anjuman Falah ul Muslimeen and was written and directed by Ashfaq Ahmed. The play highlighted the disparity of earnestness between girls and boys concerning education and their disposition to attend school.‘Ek khat jo bheja nahi gaya’, written and directed by Babur Sharif, was a dramatization of his father's memory. His father, Sharif Ahmed Sharif, was an educationist and a writer. The spectacle was performed by Rang Rasiya Theatre.Apna Rangmanch from Mumbai, depicted the theatrical piece ‘Aaj ki raat’ and Qureshi Fakeer Mohammed Yaseen Trust from Malegaon presented the drama titled ‘Meri awaz suno’.The 5-day drama festival will witness 30 pieces of the performing arts. The artistes hail from Mumbai, Bhiwandi, Malegaon and Nagpur. The MSUSA had organized Urdu drama competitions for three consecutive years before coming up with this novel abstraction of staging a drama festival for the first time in the city.(Reporting by Manshika Vaikkath)

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