IIM Jammu unveils ‘Rang Tarang’: Four-day fest of theatre

Jammu, July 15: The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Jammu launched its much-anticipated cultural festival, ‘Rang Tarang’, today at the Mandapam Auditorium, with a grand inaugural ceremony led by Prof. B.S. Sahai, Director of IIM Jammu. The festival began with the traditional lighting of the ceremonial lamp, symbolizing the spirit of creativity, learning, and celebration.In a statement issued here, Spanning four days, ‘Rang Tarang’ showcases a vibrant lineup of 20 performances, including 16 plays and 4 dance presentations, under the direction of Padmashri Balwant Thakur, renowned for his creativity, innovation, and transformative training in the performing arts. This landmark volume of participation makes ‘Rang Tarang’ the largest in-house cultural festival in IIM Jammu’s history. A total of 128 student performers from Batch IV of the Integrated Programme in Management (IPM) are taking part, turning the festival into a powerful display of talent, teamwork, and transformation.In his address, Festival Director Balwant Thakur highlighted the unique vision behind the event: “This is more than a cultural event—it is a movement of expression, of growth, and of leadership. As the name suggests, ‘Rang Tarang’ is a vibrant wave of color, energy, and youth that celebrates the power of performing arts to shape individuals and society.” The festival features an eclectic mix of plays from timeless global classics like “Dear Departed” to iconic Indian works such as Bhartendu Harishchandra’s “Andher Nagri”. Many of the productions are based on powerful short stories by literary greats including Anton Chekhov, Munshi Premchand, Krishan Chander, and Upendranath Ashk, offering audiences a rich blend of global and Indian storytelling traditions.What truly sets ‘Rang Tarang’ apart is its origin: it is the culmination of a uniquely designed Performing Arts course developed exclusively for management students. This course breaks away from conventional academic modules, focusing instead on experiential learning, emotional intelligence, and expressive leadership. Through performance-based activities such as improvisation, role-play, scene work, movement exercises, storytelling, and theatre games, students were encouraged to explore their full potential-enhancing self-awareness, communication skills, and empathy. “Every moment on this stage is a reflection of discipline, courage, and personal growth,” added Thakur. “This festival stands as proof that performing arts can be a transformative tool—not just to create artists, but to shape emotionally intelligent, resilient, and visionary leaders.”As the curtains rise on ‘Rang Tarang’, IIM Jammu invites students, faculty and the distinguished guests to be part of this celebration of creativity, commitment, and character. The festival promises not just outstanding performances, but also a compelling vision of how education, when combined with the arts, can truly inspire excellence.The festival Young Tarang is coordinated and assisted by a team of senior professionals from Natrang including Neeraj Kant, Pawan Verma, Sunny Mujoo, Kananpreet Kaur and Brijesh Avtar Sharma.