Long before the curtains went up, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Auditorium, King Koti, was already buzzing with life. Conversations in Bengali floated through the foyer, old friends greeted each other warmly, and theatre lovers settled into their seats with quiet anticipation. By the time the lights dimmed, Uttarayan Sociocultural Association’s Natyotsav 2026 had already created a sense of community coming together, not just to watch plays but to reconnect with stories, memories, and shared roots.
For close to five decades, Uttarayan has been keeping Bengal’s cultural traditions alive in Hyderabad through festivals, music, poetry and theatre. This year’s Natyotsav featured two celebrated Bengali plays, Bitish Babu and Dayboddho, selected after the organisers travelled to Kolkata to watch several productions before making their final choice.
Sharing the thought behind the festival, Rahul Nandi, joint general and cultural secretary of Uttarayan Sociocultural Association, says, “Uttarayan has remained committed to promoting art, literature and culture. By bringing acclaimed productions from Bengal to Hyderabad, we are continuing to strengthen the cultural bridge between Bengal and the southern states, while allowing audiences to experience some of the finest works of contemporary Bengali theatre.”
The evening began with Bitish Babu, written and directed by Dibyendu Paul. Set in Kolkata’s historic Bow Barracks, the play follows David Gail, one of the last members of the city’s Anglo-Indian community, as he revisits memories of family, music, childhood and home. Through his conversations with bartender Nikhil (played by Ashim Raychowdhury), the story slowly unfolds into a moving reflection on belonging, identity and a community that is gradually disappearing. It is nostalgic without becoming sentimental, asking what people carry with them when places and histories begin to fade.
For actor Ashim, the audience’s response mattered more than anything else. “Whenever we perform before a live audience, the greatest satisfaction is knowing that the story has touched them. In Hyderabad, people connected deeply with Bitish Babu.”
The second production, Dayboddho, shifted the focus from memory to relationships. Directed by Meghnad Bhattacharya and written by Chandan Sen, the play explored trust, responsibility and the bonds people choose to build beyond blood ties. At its heart was a simple yet powerful idea that love and compassion can hold a family together just as strongly as shared lineage.
Reflecting on the play, Meghnad shares, “The play is about relationships, responsibility and unconditional love. Our bond with people is not defined by blood, caste or language. It is built on trust and love, and that is what ultimately keeps society together.”
As the final applause filled the auditorium, the evening served as another reminder of why theatre continues to matter. “Theatre is always direct media. It is the connection between the actor and the spectator, and both are directly involved in the play. If we change the media, it becomes synthetic,” Meghnad highlights.
As the final applause echoed through the hall, the performances came to an end, but their impact did not. The stories lingered in conversations on the way home, proving once again that the best theatre is not just watched. It is felt, remembered and carried forward.