At the Navratra Festival in Katra on 18 October, Jammu's Natrang took a familiar legend and asked an uncomfortable question: if Banganga once flowed abundantly, where has that water gone today?
The production
'Mata Ki Kahani' is a dance-theatre production staged under the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and the Directorate of Tourism, Jammu. Daily Excelsior lists 43 performers; concept and direction credits go to Balwant Thakur, with direction by Neeraj Kant, choreography by Sunny Mujoo and light design by Shivam Singh.
The Banganga episode
The episode retells how, on the way to the Trikuta hills, Mata Vaishno Devi struck the earth with an arrow to quench Hanuman Ji's thirst, bringing forth a stream. The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), J&K, supported it as a conservation message: Natrang's point, as reported, is that water-supply infrastructure alone cannot ensure long-term security without protecting natural springs and streams. Other priorities named were conserving catchment areas, harvesting rainwater and preventing wastage or pollution. The initiative supports the objectives of JJM 2.0, which stress community participation and local ownership of drinking-water systems.
Why it matters
For young Jammu audiences, it is a reminder that local theatre is still one of the few places where folk legend, civic messaging and a large young cast meet. We profiled Natrang earlier; the link is below.
Note: the two reports spell the name 'Banganga' and 'Baan Ganga'.
Sources: Daily Excelsior; Brighter Kashmir; earlier JammuBeat story: Every Sunday for 22 Years.
