Nagpur: Students and teachers of Centre Point Group of Schools got a first-hand experience of performing arts through a nautanki (play) 'Hanuman ki Ramayan' presented under the theme 'Art Encounter' on the fourth day of Junoon programme being held at the Wardhaman Nagar branch of the school.Gillo Repertory Theatre, a Mumbai-based theatre group, presented the play which aimed at introducing participants to different art forms depicting our cultures. "Each form is timeless in itself, refined throughout the centuries. Our main aim is to introduce children to different cultures of our country. The art form is our medium of communication, it connects with the audience who then become a part of the play. We want to give participants idea about art and its significance. Nautanki combines acting with music which connects with the audience," said Shaili Sathyu, artistic director, Gillo Repertory Theatre.Atul Sonkuwar, one of the actors, said, "Performing before a live audience is a very different feeling and this particular art form indulges audience to tag along with the actors, sing and perform simultaneously. We wish to inspire young children to study more about culture and explore the world.""With new initiatives like Theatre in Education (TIE), students will be able to comprehend the field of performing arts and learn the presentation as well as communication skills," said Sonkuwar.Riddhi Suchak, a representative from Junoon, said, "We are trying to create an audience rather than artistes. Most people do not watch theatre citing excuses like it is hard to understand. We are trying to make students aware about theatre, right from acting to direction. Involving students and teachers with folk culture with respect to theatre is one of our main goals.""Students are divided into three groups, namely Green Space, Black Space and Purple Space as per their class. They are sub-divided into more groups namely Magic Makers, Creative Collaborators, Dynamic Designers, Dedicated Documenters, Ambitious Advertisers, Reviewers, jurists and others to equally divide the different tasks," said CPS's executive director Mukta Chatterjee.(Reporting by Praveen Tewari)

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