National theatre festival Bahuroopi to be held from January 11 to 18

Theatre repertoire Rangayana will host the national theatre festival Bahuroopi from January 11 to 18, 2026, and the plays will reflect the ideas and values of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

This was stated by Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr. P. Shivaraju, who presided over a preparatory meeting held on December 29.

He said the festival is significant as the forthcoming edition of Bahuroopi marks its silver jubilee.

The national theatre festival will draw thousands of visitors on a daily basis, so the administration should ensure that the venue is clean.

Mr. Shivaraju said a nodal officer will be appointed to ensure that all works pertaining to the maintenance of the venue, provision of civic amenities, and so on are handled properly.

In view of the large crowd that the festival draws every year, security arrangements were discussed and officials were instructed to ensure that there was proper crowd control and regulation at the venue.

The Additional Deputy Commissioner said that this is to prevent stampede-like situations, apart from facilitating smooth vehicular movement and providing proper parking facilities around Kalamandira complex.

To cater to theatre enthusiasts, the Karnataka State Road Transportation Corporation was instructed to introduce services from major locations to Rangayana between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.

The Fire and Emergency Services Department was asked to inspect the venue in advance, review precautionary measures, and deploy fire extinguishers on a 24/7 basis.

While regular plays will take place during evening hours, a children’s Bahuroopi will be held during morning hours, said Mr. Shivaraju. In view of the importance of theatre as part of academic curricula, the Department of Education was asked to organise educational trips to Rangayana so that more children could participate and get exposure to theatre activities, he added.

Rangayana director Satish Tiptur said this year’s festival will be a tribute to the architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, whose views and values have provided the right to live with dignity to all sections of people.  

The forthcoming festival will feature 24 plays in various languages, six children’s plays, seminars, and several other programmes, said Mr. Tiptur.

V.N. Mallikarjuna Swamy, joint director, Department of Kannada and Culture, M.D. Sudarshan, deputy director of Rangayana, and others were present.