Aabaha Art and Theater Festival 2025
Sugar Hill, GA (August 22–24, 2025) — The Eagle Theatre became a vibrant stage of culture and storytelling as Aabaha hosted the much-anticipated Aabaha Art and Theater Festival (AATF) 2025. For three days, theater groups from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, and New Jersey united under one roof, presenting performances in Hindi, Bengali, and English. The event emphasized diversity: “multilingual and multicultural performances, art exhibitions, and community dialogue” were at its core, staying true to Aabaha’s mission of "showcasing cultural diversity beyond borders.”
“This festival is more than a showcase,” remarked Kallol Nandi, Founder of Aabaha Inc. “It is a dialogue between traditions, a meeting ground for generations, and a celebration of immigrant voices finding a home on American soil.” The festival’s inauguration featured distinguished guests including Consul Nishi Arora (Indian Consulate, Atlanta) and Mayor Brandon Hembree of Sugar Hill. The Mayor praised the festival’s ability to bring diverse cultures to life in the city, reinforcing Aabaha’s growing cultural influence.
Festival Schedule Highlights: AATF 2025 featured an engaging, thoughtfully curated schedule packed with varied performances and interactive elements.
- Friday, August 22: Inauguration, जुकाम जारी है (Cold Continues) by Dhoop Chaoon (Atlanta), and सांगाती – हमराही (Fellow Traveler) by Performing Arts Community of Atlanta.
- Saturday, August 23: Aabaha Samman Award Ceremony, Shikhandi (ECTA, NJ), মেঘে ঢাকা তারা (The Cloud-Capped Star) (Aabaha, Atlanta), and শুভদৃষ্টি (At First Glance) (ENAD, Boston).
- Sunday, August 24: A community panel discussion on the future of immigrant theater, followed by ইঁদুর দৌড় (The Rat Race) (Chicago Natyogoshthi), গোত্রহীন (Across The Bridge) (DFW Play, Dallas), and একটি আধুনিক উপাখ্যান (A Modern Story) (Aabaha, Atlanta). Each performance was paired with interactive Q&A sessions, which allowed audiences to engage directly with artists.
The prestigious Aabaha Samman Award was presented to Dr. Sudipta Bhawmik, honoring his pioneering contributions to Bengali and Indian American theater. Dr. Bhawmik reflected:
“I was thrilled to attend the Aabaha Art and Theatre Festival in Atlanta, Georgia. It was incredible to see so many theatre groups from all over the country come together to perform. Our group, ECTA, was there with our production of ‘Shikhandi,’ and the overall quality of the festival was outstanding. Some of the most memorable ones for me included ‘Meghe Dhaka Tara’ from Aabaha, ‘Gotroheen’ from DFW Play of Dallas, and ‘Subhodrishti’ from ENAD Boston. I was also incredibly honored to receive the Aabaha Samman 2025 Award. A huge thank you to the entire Aabaha team for this recognition and for their wonderful hospitality.”
One of the festival’s standout performances was Meghe Dhaka Tara (The Cloud-Capped Star), directed by Kallol Nandi and adapted from Ujjwal Chattopadhyay’s work. This poignant Bengali drama explores themes of sacrifice and resilience in post-Partition Bengal, centering on Neeta, who becomes the emotional and financial backbone of her refugee family, only to face personal tragedy. With its haunting storytelling, symbolic staging, and English subtitles, the play deeply resonated with audiences across generations and linguistic backgrounds.
Beyond the stage, AATF 2025 celebrated creativity in other forms. The art exhibition highlighted paintings, sculptures, and crafts by local community artists — many of whom are not professional but whose works reflect remarkable talent. A curated poster exhibition honored the legacies of Indian theater stalwarts Badal Sarkar, Tripti Mitra, and Mohan Rakesh, while a literary segment introduced Kancha Kobitar Boi, a new poetry collection by Ankan Basu. These additions gave the festival a holistic character, merging performing and visual arts with literature and history.
Audience testimonials underscored the festival’s success:
- “Thanks to Aabaha Inc. for another wonderful Natok festival… I especially enjoyed ‘Meghe Dhaka Tara’ — excellent direction, great performances, and a thoughtful touch with the English subtitles. For seniors like me, and for non-Bengali audiences, that feature was truly helpful and much appreciated.” — Mridul Paul, Alpharetta, GA
- “Excellent production of Meghe Dhaka Tara! Beautiful acting by the Father, Mother and the elder daughter. The special effects of focused lighting and the Closed Caption in English at the back screen need special appreciation. Overall a lovely evening of drama! Kudos to the entire team.” — Kalyan Mitra, Atlanta
- “Want to take a moment and thank each of the cast, crew and organizers of Aabaha and its extended team… each single day was equally captivating, each single play was unique in its presentation, message delivery and content. The exhibition was organized, the food was the right amount and type and delicious, and everyone felt so welcomed. This weekend marked my 30 years in the USA, and I will always remember it as one very memorable weekend because of how enjoyable it was.” — Animikh Sen, Atlanta
- “What wonderful plays. I felt like gifts which enrich the mindset and awareness. Congratulations and thank you to organizers and participants.” — Suman Halder, Atlanta
Founded in 2019, Aabaha Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to advancing Indian American performing arts through multilingual storytelling, visual arts, and community dialogue. Past productions have traveled to Chicago, Nashville, Atlantic City, and San Francisco, steadily extending the group’s national footprint. “What makes Aabaha unique is its holistic approach,” explained Pranjal Karmakar, festival co-organizer. “It’s not just plays. It’s discussion, art, books, history. It’s community.”
As the curtains fell on Sunday evening, the festival left behind more than memories of excellent theater: it sparked conversations about identity, heritage, and the role of immigrant voices in American culture. With ambitious plans for 2026, Aabaha aims to broaden its collaborations and deepen its impact. If AATF 2025 is any indicator, the festival is thriving — and becoming a model for multicultural arts festivals nationwide.
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