Pradeep Kumar Kamble, the oldest member of the management committee, who has been working for the last 30 years, says, "Ever since I began working here 30 years back the rehearsal hall has remained closed. It has been used as a dump for all the refuse, a godown for props and for everything other than a rehearsal hall. However with a lot of conscious efforts of theatre groups and the management the hall will be re-opened on January 14."

Visibly excited, Pardeshi says, "The inauguration is going to take place at the hands of noted film and theatre personality, Dilip Prabhavalkar and the mayor of the city. We have repainted the entire hall, cleaned and drained it out and also repaired the leaking roof. The fresh new look of the hall will be appealing to both theatre artistes as well as us members of the management."

More future expansion plans for the Balgandharva Rangmandir include modifying the existing rooms used to house theatre artistes by constructing attached bathrooms and also installing air conditioners, and also improving the overall aesthetic appearances of the rooms to make them more actor friendly.

'With more and more famous and upcoming television and film stars coming in to do serious Marathi theatre it is of prime importance that their rooms too be kept up to date with the modern times to ensure that their stay at the theatre is hassle free. The work on the renovation will begin by the next fortnight and be completed within the next four months," says Pardeshi before signing off.

... contd.