The festival has been organised by the Mysore Association (Mumbai) along with other theatre groups like Natyasangh Theatre Centre (Bangalore) and Kannada Kala Kendra (Mumbai). Dr Karnad's plays in four languages will be staged: five Kannada plays, Nagamandala in Marathi, Agni Jalti Hai, Varsha Hoti Hai in Hindi and Yayathi in English. The plays were orginally written in Kannada and then translated into the other languages.

Eight theatre troupes from Karnataka and Maharashtra will participate in the natakotsav, which will conclude with a seminar on contemporary Indian theatre. An open samvadha with Dr Karnad has also been organised to facilitate an interface with the playwright.

Express Newlinereached Karnad for his reaction in Dharwad, where he was holidaying amid a hectic shooting schedule. ``I am certainly very happy about it. Very few living playwrights get this kind of honour. I look forward to the event,'' said Karnad.

In the words of M A N Prasad, secretary of the organising committee of the festival, ``Actor-playwright Girish Karnad is one of the few Indian playwrights who has transcended linguistic and cultural barriers. His plays like Tughlaq, Yayathi and Hayavadan are considered landmarks in theatre. They have inspired theatre directors and playwrights all over the country. Therefore, we thought it was the best time to showcase Karnad's contribution to theatre.''

The fest will see an assemblage of theatre groups from other parts as well. The Pune University Theatre group will present the Marathi version of Nagamandal, the Nishigandh Natya Mandir from Solapur will present the Hindi version of Agni Mathu Male and Mumbai-based writer Shanta Gokhale will direct Yayathi. ``Use of folkloreand Indian mythology is seen in most of Karnad's plays. He shows the conflict of man through these idioms. It will be interesting to see how different theatre groups interpret the theme differently,'' Prasad said.

While most of the plays are being staged at Mysore Association auditorium (Matunga), repeat performances have been specially organised for audiences in the suburbs. For instance, there will be some shows at Vishnudas Bhave Sabhagriha (Navi Mumbai), BARC auditorium (Anushakti Nagar), Open Air Auditorium (Dombivali) and Dinanath Hall (Vile Parle). ``Mumbai is a place of distances and we want to cater to all theatre lovers,'' pointed out Prasad.