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Mission

Our mission is two-fold:

  • To bring the vast richness and diversity of Indian theater to theater-lovers of the Washington D.C metropolitan area, including the second generation Indians and the community at large
  • To foster the local talent and provide a platform for theater enthusiasts in the community to develop their interest in all aspects of a theater production and management
 
History
Arey Shareef LogIn January 1984, in a truly pioneering spirit, a group of theater enthusiasts of Indian origin established “Natya Bharati,” a non-profit cultural organization dedicated to bringing the best of Indian theater to theater-lovers in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Since its inception, Natya Bharati has staged thirty seven productions, the majority of which have been in Hindi, the national language of India, while a few productions have been in English. A unique feature of the organization has been its commitment to involve people from across the linguistic and geographic regions of India, thus drawing on the diversity, richness and cultural nuances of theater in the various regions. Over the years, the works of renowned playwrights from various regions of India have been staged. In the recent years, Natya Bharati has also encouraged and presented plays written and/or adapted by local writers.

In addition to serving the Indo-American audiences in Maryland, Virginia, Baltimore and Washington DC, some of Natya Bharati’s productions have toured several cities in the northeast including Pittsburgh, New York and Richmond. In 2006, Natya Bharati was invited to present the premier show at the South Asian Theater Festival held in New Brunswick, New Jersey, where it received critical acclaim.

Natya Bharati is sustained solely by community support, both financially through membership fees (see the section on membership) and donations at performances, as well as for planning and executing all of its projects. All members of its Executive Committee, Advisory Committee and the Board of Trustees are volunteers.
 

Newsflash

Natya Bharati's Board of Trustees are pleased to announce the selection of new Executive Committee for the next 3 years. The new Exec Committee is headed by the new President - Manoj Tiwari, a past Vice President. Manoj will lead the day to day operation of the group with the help of his team comprised of - Raju Iyer, Meera Narasimhan and Chetna Gola as Vice Presidents, Mitushi Raphael and Jay Tipnis as Secretary and Joint Secretary, Sanjay Suri and Neeru Tandon as Treasurer and Joint Treasurer and Shirin Dossani as Member-at-Large.

The Executive team is also assisted by a team of Advisroy Committee which is made up of - Pranav Pandya, Shimaliya Agnihotri, Mamta Kukreti, Subhojit Sen, Pushpa Dashottar, Vikram Kolluru, Mugdha Tipnis, and Madhuri Subramaniam.

Please help us welcome the new team.