KATRA, Oct 19: Vikas Gupta, Director Tourism, Jammu, felicitated and appreciated the Natrang team of artists for their outstanding performances in Mata Ki Kahani, presented at the Shridhar Auditorium, Spiritual Growth Centre, Katra, as part of the Navratra Festival-2026.
The production was staged by Natrang with the support of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and the Directorate of Tourism, Jammu.
Terming the presentation of Mata Ki Kahani as world-class, the Director Tourism observed that such productions have immense potential to promote cultural and spiritual tourism. He emphasised that this outstanding production deserved to be staged repeatedly, not only in Katra but also in other parts of India, to reach wider audiences and showcase the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of Jammu and Kashmir.
Appreciating the various aspects of the production, he noted that every department, including acting, direction, stagecraft, lighting, sound and choreography, demonstrated exceptional standards of perfection and professionalism. He commended the artists and the entire creative team for presenting a production that combined artistic excellence with spiritual significance. Commending Padamshiri Balwant Thakur for creating such masterpieces, he termed his as the true cultural ambassador of India who glorified Indian culture globally.
Mata Ki Kahani has remained one of the major attractions of the Navratra Festival in Katra since 2017, contributing significantly to raising the standard of the festival through its high-quality theatrical presentation. Beyond its artistic appeal, the production holds particular significance for narrating the legendary story of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji, offering audiences an engaging and meaningful theatrical experience rooted in faith, devotion and cultural heritage.
Through its continued presentation, Mata Ki Kahani has emerged as an important cultural initiative that connects devotees and visitors with the legendary story of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji while strengthening Katra’s identity as a prominent destination for spiritual and cultural tourism.
History has perhaps never witnessed a production of this class at Katra which unfolds the entire legend in a highly spectacular manner. Balwant Thakur who is credited for having created theatrical wonders of world class once again established the fact that his magic spell will continue to mesmerize audiences through his mind-blowing ventures. ‘Mata Ki Kahani’ – a unique theatrical experience for the audience, beautifully showcased the popular legend of Mata Vaishno Devi. Magically it transported the entire audience to a mesmerising journey unfolding the story of Mata Vaishno Devi which is a classic narrative that echoes every Hindu household and is a part of every grandma’s midnight tale. As per the legend, during the period when the Goddess was busy in annihilating the Asuras, Her three main manifestations viz. Mata Maha Kali, Mata Maha Lakshmi and Mata Maha Saraswati got together one day and pooled their collective Tejas or spiritual strength. Today Mata Vaishno Devi is worshiped by millions and trillions of people across the world. Mata Vaishno Devi has surfaced as an embodiment of will, strength and peace. In the present times, when the atrocities against the mankind is prevailing, the legend of Mata Vaishnodevi gives a guiding light to her followers to help her devotees to uphold inner confidence and faith within themselves and on the strength of her healing and cosmic powers.
The most striking feature of today’s performance was the demonstration of perfection in every creative department be it the stage action, design, lighting, scenic imagery and visual poetry which left a life-time impact of a highly vibrant presentation.Pan-India audience on the occasion appreciated the performance and termed this as their lives best memorable presentation which they desired to continue for the entire year so over one crore pilgrims visiting Katra every year get benefited by such educative showcasing of artistic presentations. Majority of the audiences admitted that they were not fully aware of the whole story of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi and after having witnessed this mind-blowing presentation they have come to know about various aspects of the story.
The production has been mounted by an accomplished team of artists, performers, technicians and designers. Neeraj Kant has contributed to direction, sets by Gaurav Angural, Bhavishya Aggarwal and Rahul Gupta while Rahul Singh, Pawan Verma, Mohd. Yaseen and Mahikshit Singh have handled costumes and properties. Sunny Mujoo has led the choreography, and Shivam Singh is responsible for light design. The collective efforts of the entire team have brought this ambitious theatrical production to life.
The artists who featured in this mega show included Neeraj Kant, Sunny Mujoo, Kananpreet Kaur, Arya Sharma, Pallvi Sharma, Khushboo Pandita, Vani Thakur, Muskan Gupta, Sakshi Gupta, Shailja Singh, Jhanvi Biloria, Vanshika Manhas, Anshika Wazir, Damini Thakur, Aanya Sharma, Navya Sharma, Ridhima Devi, Sakshi Devi, Ishani Sharma, Shivangi, Kaashvi, Ishita Sharma, Keerti Sharma, Suneha Angural, Aryan Sharma, Sanket Bhagat, Krishna, Arun Dev Verma, Arun Sharma, Amit Rana, Narinder Verma, Sahil Narwalia, Palshin Dutta, Mihir Gujral, Radhika Khajuria, Kushal Bhat, Mitali Sharma, Bhoomi Sharma, Priyal Gupta, Lal Mohd., Arun Sagar, Krishay Bhatia and Aadesh Dhar.