Disasters come in many forms. One such disaster occurred in 2023, on the day of Diwali and the Cricket World Cup match, when 41 laborers from eight states were suddenly trapped in the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand. This play, ‘Mission Silkyara!’, focuses on this disaster.

The play depicts the effects of the Yantra, along with the tantras, mantras, and medicines of the local clan deity, Baba Baukhnag.

‘In this journey from the laborers’ entrapment in the tunnel to their safe exit is the administrative efficiency, patience, and the technical expertise of experts from India and abroad, also become a part of this rescues operation.

Undoubtedly, the resources of domestic and foreign experts also contributed greatly to its success. Finally, the Khodun Gang—the ‘Rat Miners’ who gnawed like rats, rescuing all the workers from their predicament—also played a crucial role as true heroes in this disaster.

Director

Born in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, and graduate of Kumaon University, Nainital. Savarna Rawat he holds a Master’s degree in Performing Arts with a specialization in acting from the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi. He also completed a Film Appreciation Course from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, Maharashtra.

One of the founding members of the Theatre-in-Education Company at NSD, he holds a Ph.D. in Theatre. He was awarded a Senior Research Fellowship by the Ministry of Culture for his academic and creative contributions.

He is founder and Artistic Director of the group Kala Darpan.

As an actor, director, and writer, he has staged numerous plays and conducted theatre workshops across the country.

His creative journey spans the worlds of theatre, television, and film.

Director’s Note

Since the world’s largest rescue operation took place in Uttarkashi-Silkyaara, Uttarakhand, the idea of ​​staging it was deeply ingrained in my mind, and this is where the research process began. This led to meetings with the top brass of the Uttarkashi governance and administration. Conversations and meetings continued with local social activists, print and electronic media representatives, and the 41 workers trapped inside the tunnel, and their families. The 17-day struggle between life and death, for the workers trapped inside the Silkyaara tunnel, made sensational headlines in the national and international media.

Previously, several performances of the play, ‘Mission Silkyaara,’ were held in Dehradun in March 2024.

Group

‘Kala Darpan’ was founded in Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) in the 1980s and had its lkpension to Delhi in the 1990s. Under its banner, Kala Darpan has staged several significant full-length plays, including Aashadh Ka Ek Din, Kabira Khada Bazaar Mein, Hamlet, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Sandhya Chhaya, The Blue Umbrella, Bee Sau Bees, Mukha Jatra, and Aachri.

Kala Darpan has consistently organized various programs and workshops related to folklore, music, dance, art, literature, culture, and theater, promoting traditional and contemporary art forms.

Kala Darpan has never confined itself to the four walls of auditoriums. Its theater has reached from fields and barns to streets and roads, where it has raised public awareness on pressing social and local issues through powerful street plays. During the peak of the Uttarakhand movement (1994–95), the group played a key role in public awareness through street plays, folk songs, and morning processions for 101 consecutive days.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Suvarna Rawat’s online interactive/participatory solo performance ‘Forget Me Not’ and the play ‘Simran’ were among the outstanding performances. During this period, ‘Guftagu’ – the dialogue series was organized, featuring conversations with several eminent theatre and film personalities, including Barry John, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Prof. Mahendra Kumar, and Rudradeep Chakraborty.

On the occasion of the golden jubilee of the ‘Askot-Arakot Campaign’ and the ‘Chipko Movement’ (1974–2024), Kala Darpan successfully staged the play ‘Chipko’ in Bangali language.

More recently, Kala Darpan had several successful regional language performances of Saurabh Shukla’s play ‘Barf.’