Manasrang Festival 2025, Promotes Mental Health Through Theatre: Dr. Mohan Agashe Highlights the Importance of Healthy Plays
Manasrang Festival 2025, Promotes Mental Health Through Theatre: Dr. Mohan Agashe Highlights the Importance of Healthy Plays
Pune, Manasrang Festival 2025 : Dr. Mohan Agashe, a former psychiatrist and now an actor, spoke about how important plays are for mental health. He said that plays help people understand the mind better. Dr. Agashe shared his thoughts at the Manasrang Festival, a special event about mental health, held at The Box Theatre. The festival ended on January 5.
The Importance of Healthy Plays : Dr. Mohan Agashe, Manasrang Festival
Dr. Agashe explained that plays are fun to watch, which is good for people, but they also help the mind. Just like the body needs good food, the mind needs good plays. Healthy plays are important for mental well-being.
Manasrang Festival :
The third Manasrang Festival was started by playwright Ajit Dalvi. He suggested taking the festival to different places. The event was organized by Parivartan Sanstha. Many important people attended, including writers Rajiv Naik and Milind Bokil, police officer Shailesh Balkawde, psychiatrist Amol Deshmukh, director Atul Pethe, and Dr. Hamid Dabholkar.
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Support for New Directors :
A booklet called Manasrangache Antarang was released during the festival. Every year, Parivartan Sanstha chooses three directors to make plays about mental health. These directors get scholarships. They are mentored by experts like Pethe, Naik, Bokil, Joshi, and Dabholkar. After finishing their plays, they show them at the festival, and then the plays are shown in other places.
Plays Performed at the Manasrang Festival :
Several plays were performed during the festival. These included ‘Stand Up Vinod’ by Ketan Jadhav, ‘A Bismillah’ by Rasika Agashe, ‘Where Is SSS?’ by Zameer Kamble, ‘And the Plays’, and ‘Then You Eat Me’ by Vibhavari Deshpande. These plays talked about mental health and problem-solving. The festival also had talks between the writers, directors, and the audience. Everyone shared their thoughts and ideas.
Helping Marathi Theatre Grow :
Atul Pethe, the festival’s director, said that this scholarship program has brought 10 great plays to Marathi theatre. It is a big help for the growth of theatre in the region.
