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Lko’s BNA to go international: New 5-acre campus to focus on global student intake
The layout includes a spacious administrative block, modern meeting and seminar halls, expanded hostel facilities, and an upgraded cafeteria
The Bhartendu Natya Academy is all set to receive a state-of-the-art international campus in Sarojini Nagar. Five acres of land have been approved for the major expansion. Notably the land and expansion were approved during the academy’s golden jubilee year.
Prompted by requests raised during the academy’s 50th-anniversary celebrations in April and championed by minister for tourism and culture Jaiveer Singh, the state government swiftly authorised the land allocation to resolve the institution’s longstanding infrastructure constraints.
This will pave the way for introducing new courses and significantly increasing student enrollment capacity. Additionally, to establish a global presence, a specialised framework is being drafted to enroll international students, supported by world-class academic and residential infrastructure within the campus.
According to BNA chairman Ratishankar Tripathi, the new campus will feature an amphitheater, a proscenium stage, and a thrust theater. Emphasising technological integration, he said that the campus will feature a dedicated AI (Artificial Intelligence) lab, smart classrooms, and advanced audio-video visual rooms equipped with high-tech sound and track recording facilities.
The layout also includes a spacious administrative block, modern meeting and seminar halls, expanded hostel facilities, and an upgraded cafeteria.
“A key internal departmental meeting has been scheduled for coming Monday to finalise the blueprint, infrastructure requirements, and technological aspects of the new campus. Following this, a joint consultation will be held with architects, eminent theatre scholars, domain experts, and government officials to formally approve the final execution plan,” said Tripathi.
Founded in 1975 as the ‘Bhartendu Natya Kendra’ through a collaboration between theatre legend Raj Bisaria and writer Amritlal Nagar—then president of the Sangeet Natak Akademi—the institution was created to pioneer modern Hindi theater education and challenge the monopoly of institutions like Delhi’s National School of Drama, said theatre artist and alumnus Lalit Singh Pokhariya.
“Operating initially as a part-time course out of the lobby of Bal Ravindralaya in Charbagh with a modest grant of Rs30,000, the school constantly shifted premises—moving to Gulistan Colony, Mahanagar, and Chhannilal Chauraha—before settling at its current address in Gomti Nagar. Along the way, it expanded into a full-time academy, established a professional repertory company in 1988, and upgraded its curriculum from a certificate programme to a two-year diploma,” he added.
“This will open up more avenues and attract more students. Theatre will be used more widely beyond the stage and it will generate employment as well. Even if everyone doesn’t pursue acting or direction, they will still be linked to other creative fields so I consider it a positive step for the academy,” said Pokhariya.
Former director and alumnus from the first batch Suryamohan Kulshrestha said, “The land acquisition is a promising development for the BNA, but the core focus must remain on maintaining the quality of theatre education over mere infrastructure expansion.”
“While modern amenities like AI labs, smart classrooms, and diverse performance spaces enhance learning, physical growth should not dilute the institute’s primary mandate. With the growing influence of cinema and digital media, the academy must ensure its core identity as a dedicated theatre institute is preserved, rather than gradually shifting focus toward screen acting or film production. If a cinema institute is desired, it should be established independently so that BNA’s rich theatrical tradition remains intact,” he added.
