THEATRE: A MODE OF COMMUNICATION IN KASHMIRA CASE STUDY OF TWO THEATRE GROUPS OF KASHMIR – FUNTOOSHAND EKTA

Abstract

Theatre has been an integral part of Kashmiri culture since ancient times. Its genesis in Kashmir can be
traced back to 12th century when texts like Nilmata Purana and Kalhana’s Rajtarangini were written, which
revealed the glory of genre of drama at that time. With the passage of time, this genre of Kashmiri culture
saw many ups and downs, but managed to survive and later on thrived. Today, there are many theatre groups
flourishing in the valley which make their presence felt significantly with their work in Kashmir. This paper
tries to investigate how theatre started and developed in Kashmir and how well it has been successful in
communicating to the common people, by taking the case study of two prominent theatre groups of Kashmir
– Funtoosh and EKTA.