Rabindranath Literary and Dramatic Club

Rabindranath Literary and Dramatic Club is a prominent name in the expansion and improvement of Sindhi theatre. This club was founded by Khanchand Daryani and Mangharam Malkani in 1923 at Hyderabad. It was further nurtured by literary giants like Lalchand Amardinomal Jagtiani and Jethmal Parsram. Rabindranath Tagore himself visited Hyderabad to inaugurate the club and, on this occasion, a few scenes from his translated work in English, Chitra, were performed. The enactment apparently won his heart. A chapter opened in Karachi was looked after by stage artists like Bhagwan Ramchandani, Chandumal Wadhwani, and Pahilajsingh Advani.

The club kept away from old romances and historical drama, and brought on stage only socially relevant productions. Most of the plays were written by Daryani. His Mulkaja mudabara or `Leaders of the Country` was premiered in 1923. This left an indelible impression on the audience. The other dramatist of the club, Malkani, experimented with themes and general layout of shows. His four full-length plays were staged between 1927 and 1930. In its short career of eight years, the club played a vital role in shaping the future of Sindhi theatre, specially the performance of one-act drama, and presented productions of standard excellence. It also reduced the usual playing time from five or six hours to four hours.

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