The 22nd National Drama Festival organized by Canmass at Jaydev Sadan in the port city of Paradip was inaugurated on the evening of the 19th March 2025. In the inaugural Ceremony, the President of Canmass Captain Atulya Kumar Mohapatra, Hon’ble Chief Guest Mr. P. L. Haranadh, Chariman, Paradip Port Authority formally inaugurated the drama festival and said that CANMASS has not only provided entertainment to the residents of the port city by organizing it every year, but has also given Paradip a unique place in the MAP of Theatre and Cultural segment of the country, for which CANMASS is worthy of praise. Another guest, Mr. Nilabhra Dasgupta, Dy. Chairman of Paradip Port Authirity has praised the efforts of CANMASS and wished the festival success.
On this grand occasion, Mr. Shambhu Chakraborty, Chief General Manager (HR), Paradip Refinery, Mr. Kausik Basu, Mr. Niranjan Behera, Addl. District Magistrate, Mr. Asish Bose, Advisor (Traffic), Paradip Port Authority and famous playwright of Odisha Mr. Shankar Prasad Tripathi were present.
On the inaugural evening, artists from Mumbai's “Sampoornam’ staged a Hindi play Karna under the direction of Kulwinder Bakshish Singh. This is an experimental play. Only three women artists have played different roles in the play and the ancient arts of our country like Mayurbhanj Chhau, Manipur martial art Thang Ta, Kalripayudu etc. have been used in it.
Karn is among those who move forward on the basis of their talent today, but even today, instead of encouraging such a person, society is keen to break his faith. So he starts finding fault with his caste and character. This is Karna's eternal story and suffering. In essence, Karna has emerged not just as a character but as a prism through which the complexities of the human condition are reflected for introspection. Finally, Advisor of CANMASS Capt. Alekh Ch. Sahoo, gave the vote of thanks.
