Ravinder Sharma’s satirical masterpiece Chitta Singh mesmerizes audience at 13th Natyam National Theater Festival, Bathinda, Punjab

Bathinda, (Punjab), November 20, 2024: The 13th Natyam National Theatre Festival, held in Bathinda, witnessed a captivating performance of “Chitta Singh,” a satirical play written and directed by Ravinder Sharma and staged by The Reflection Group. Inspired by Fritz Karnethy’s classic, “The Refund,” the play left the audience in splits with its clever humour and thought-provoking narrative.

The story of Chitta Singh, a 40-year-old man frustrated by unemployment and the ridicule of society, unfolds with him demanding a refund of his tuition fees from his old school, asserting that he learned nothing worthwhile. The situation escalates into an absurd yet hilarious examination where his wrong answers are cunningly justified as correct by the teachers to safeguard the school’s reputation. The play culminates in a humorous twist when Chitta Singh unwittingly solves a math question about his refund amount, sealing his fate as an “excellent” student and being dismissed without reimbursement.

The play brilliantly showcases the wit and resilience of the school staff while highlighting societal pressures and human folly in a light-hearted manner.

The performance was graced by eminent personalities, with S. Navjotpal Singh Randhawa, IAS (Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Bathinda) as the Chief Guest and Sh. Shiv Pal Goyal (District Education Officer, Bathinda) as the Guest of Honor. The event saw a vibrant gathering of artists, intellectuals, and members of civil society.

The actors who performed in this play were Ravinder Sharma as Chitta Singh, Sandeep Manhas as Principal, Rohit Bains as Receptionist, Radhika Sharma as Physics Teacher, Jahanvi Sharma as Geography Teacher, Gorav Singh Manhas as History Teacher, Rohan Sharma as Math’s Teacher & Yeshvinder Bali as Nila Singh. Farhat Salim, Pooja Sharma and Renuka Verma helped in Back Stage work of the play.