Mumbai: Second edition of Dajikaka Gadgil Karandak, a one act play competition organized by PNG Jewellers witnessed its final round on 26th September 2017 in Pune. The competition was a platform for theatre artists from across Maharashtra and Goa to showcase their love for theatre in Hindi, Marathi and English. Natyawada from Aurangabad won the first prize, Malhar Rangamanch from Ahmednagar won the second and there was a tie between Avkaash and BMCC from Pune for the third prize. The final round jury comprised of renowned actors like Pravin Tarde, Adwait Dadarkar and Chinmayee Sumeet.

For the award distribution ceremony, along with the jury, veteran actor Vidyadhar Joshi, Mr. Saurabh Gadgil – CMD, PNG Jewellers, Mr. Parag Gadgil – Executive Director, PNG Jewellers and noted film maker Mr. Ajay Naik were present. They presented the awards to the winners.

The winners received a cash prize of 1 lakh rupees; the first runners up received cash prize of 75 thousand rupees and the second runners up received a cash prize of 51 thousand rupees and trophies. There were two consolation prize of Rs. 10,000 won by Samartha Academy and S.P. College from Pune.

In this competition, a total of 120 plus groups from Mumbai, Pune, Kolhapur, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Goa and other parts of Maharashtra participated of which 16 one act plays were selected from the six primary audition centers.

Dajikaka Gadgil Karandak’s aim is to boost the talent of young minds and hence, the technical awards were presented to seven categories consisting of Writing, Direction, Actor-male, Actor-female, Production, Sound and Lighting. There were 3 best awards given to each category and the winners were rewarded with a cash prize of INR 5,000 for 1st Prize, 3,000 for the second prize and 2,000 for the third prize.

Speaking at the occasion, Actor Vidyadhar Joshi said, “I have always been affectionate about performing arts and quality theatre and I am really thankful to PNG Jewellers for giving me this platform to witness the hidden talent of the young ones. It was a delight to see enthusiasts from across Maharashtra and Goa participating with great passion and I am pleased to present the awards to all the most deserving.”

Mr. Saurabh Gadgil – Chairman & Managing Director, PNG Jewellers added, “Dajikaka took great pride in promoting performing arts and culture and we are honored to take this legacy forward. The second edition of Dajikaka Gadgil Karandak observed a huge number of theatre aficionados coming together on one platform to showcase their fondness for theatre. We really appreciate the efforts put in by Mr. Prashant Damle – a theatre stalwart in himself who have been with us till the end; guiding, mentoring and encouraging the budding talents. We aim to increase the scope of third season to make it bigger and better.”