Marathon theatre performance achieves world record

A marathon theatre performance by a Catholic group in Varanasi has achieved a world record even as it contributed to world peace and harmony.

Vishwa Jyoti Communications, a Catholic media centre, organised the drama event on 21 Nov., with 37 plays performed by 11 artistes for about 35 hours.

With a break of 10 minutes between each play, the "Natya Anushtaan" (theatrical ritual) that concluded at 10 p.m. on 22 Nov., broke an earlier record of 29 hours marathon performance for a play titled 'The Wrap' in 1997 in England.

The 37 plays performed in the Natya Anushtaan were written and directed by Shri Motilal Gupta. The plays were on the themes of communal harmony, gender equity, literacy, love of neighbour, youth problems and other socially relevant issues.

The plays also included awareness building on the Indian central Government's people oriented new schemes such as National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), Right to Information (RTI) and Panchayati Raj for better self-governance.

Every play had a mixture of folk dances and songs, well choreographed unique body movements along with powerful dialogues and action which kept the audience enthralled. The artistes had rehearsed continuously for six months, according to CBCI News.

The Limca Book of Records has listed a play of 13 hours as the longest performed in India. The Indian version of Guinness World Records has promised to include the Catholic media centre's feat in its book.

However, what matters more for Vishwa Jyoti Communications is that it was able to send a message of peace and harmony in the world affected by terrorism and sectarian communalism.