Srinagar, July 09: The National School of Drama (NSD), in collaboration with the Jammu & Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture, and Languages, has kicked off a 15-day summer theatre workshop for school children in Kashmir. The initiative, which began on Tuesday in Srinagar, targets two age groups: 8-12 and 12-16, with 30 students in each group. The workshop is designed to cultivate life skills and unlock the latent potential of young participants.
The opening session featured an interactive meeting with the parents of the students. Abdul Latif Khatana, an acclaimed theatre personality and the workshop in-charge, highlighted the transformative power of play-based, activity-oriented dramatic methods. These techniques, he explained, enable students to deeply engage and retain information through exercises, games, role-playing, and improvisation. Khatana emphasized that this process builds confidence, self-esteem, and social interaction skills while fostering collaboration, creative and critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, multi-sensory learning, and the practical application of knowledge.
Mr. Dipankar Paul, the In-Charge of the NSD Theatre in Education Centre in Srinagar, also addressed the gathering. He outlined future activities planned for the centre and assured that theatre-in-education programs for children, parents, teachers, and artists in the valley would continue throughout the year, beginning with this workshop.
The inaugural session concluded with Gulzar Ganaie, Coordinator of the NSD TIE Centre in Srinagar, introducing the workshop’s esteemed experts and faculty members: Rajneesh Bisht, Ms. Priyanka Bharti (Muskaan), Ms. Sunita Raina, and Manish Pinto. They will be assisted by associates Hassan Javaid, Khursheed Ahmad Mir, Shahnawaz Bhat, Tahir Ahmad Najar, and Barkat Ali, along with coordination associate Junaid Ahmad Rather.
