Anand Raghunandan: The Historic Hindi Drama and Its Revival

Among the unparalleled lineage of plays in Indian history, Anand Raghunandan holds a distinguished place. Originally written by Maharaja Shri Vishwanath Singh of the Rewa State (1846-1911 C.E.), this work is considered to predate even Bharatendu Harishchandra in the history of Hindi drama. Due to the use of Sanskrit and Braj Bhasha prose in the original text, scholars and literary figures have regarded this play as the first Hindi drama.

Based on the story of Lord Shri Ram, the play presents episodes from the Ramayana and depicts the complete Ram narrative. In the production, the Bagheli adaptation of the play has been done by renowned writer Yogesh Tripathi. Through this production, efforts are being made to preserve and present this nearly lost dramatic work to the public using singing styles, Bagheli dialogues, and a mix of classical and folk theatre forms like Sohar, Badhai, and Basdeva.

The play is directed by Shubham Bari and Amit Kumar Shukla, who balance special training, folk dignity, modern design experiments, and traditional practices of folk culture.