Mar 22, Kathmandu- The International Drama Festival in Pokhara has begun today (Saturday). Six plays from China, Tunisia, Norway and Japan will be staged in the five-day festival.

Inaugurating the festival, Dhanraj Acharya, the mayor of Pokhara, recited a dialogue from Madan in Munamdan play during the opening.

Speaking at the ceremony, he also said that the new generation is moving forward while preserving the legacy started by the previous generation. He said, "Drama is the essence of Pokhara, a city of nature, culture and adventure, among the various genres within culture. It is successful to live in Pokhara. We can guess many things as soon as we say drama. In the context of moving forward while preserving the legacy started by the previous generation, many works are currently being done in Pokhara, including Anup Baral's Hansha Dhwani."

The festival, which was launched to establish Pokhara as a center for international cultural and theatrical tourism, will feature Nepali as well as foreign artists.

In addition to the plays, open discussions and dialogue programs will also be organized at the festival. The organizers have stated that tickets for the festival will be priced at Rs 200, Rs 300 and Rs 500.