iWorld
Rashtragranth takes the Constitution centre stage in Marathi theatre
MUMBAI: Curtain up on the Constitution. Just ahead of Republic Day, a Marathi theatre production is turning India’s founding text into live, breathing drama, as Rashtragranth prepares for its official public rollout across Maharashtra from February 2026.
Conceived by Artistic Humans in collaboration with Culturally by Shubhlab, Rashtragranth is being positioned as the first large-scale Marathi play to focus entirely on the Constitution of India. First unveiled on January 26 last year, the production has already travelled across nine districts through free pilot performances, gathering public feedback with the support of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Maharashtra.
The play’s initial unveiling took place in the presence of Bhimrao Yashwant Ambedkar, adding symbolic weight to a production rooted in constitutional values. Following strong audience response, the creators are now scaling the project into a full-fledged public run.
Produced and conceptualised by Darshan Mahajan of Artistic Humans, Rashtragranth draws inspiration from prime minister Narendra Modi’s description of the Constitution as “our guiding light”. The production aims to move constitutional ideas beyond textbooks, translating them into a cultural experience that resonates across generations, particularly with younger audiences.
Structured as a 120-minute, two-act play, Rashtragranth traces India’s evolving relationship with its Constitution, weaving together historical milestones and contemporary questions around rights, duties and democracy. Rather than lecturing, the play leans on storytelling, performance and emotion to spark civic reflection.
The initiative has received formal recognition from the office of the chief minister of Maharashtra. Devendra Fadnavis praised the production for using theatre to communicate complex civic ideas, commending its focus on constitutional rights and duties, social justice, gender equality, democracy and citizens’ rights.
The creative team behind Rashtragranth brings together established names from India’s theatre circuit. The script is written by playwrights Prasad Thorve and Abhiram Bhadkamkar, while direction is handled by Kumar Sohoni, an alumnus of the National School of Drama and a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. The production features 51 characters, original music by Milind Joshi, costumes designed by Chaitrali Dongre, and an elaborate stage design recreating 15 historic locations by Sandesh Bendre.
Officials from the Department of Cultural Affairs have described the production as timely, particularly as India marks 75 years of the Constitution. In their view, Rashtragranth demonstrates how theatre can function as a powerful medium for deepening democratic understanding across diverse sections of society.
Beyond the stage, the creators see the project as cultural infrastructure with measurable social and economic impact. Each performance supports the livelihoods of more than 50 artists and technicians, a number that could expand significantly as the show scales. The team plans to eventually adapt Rashtragranth into 10 languages, potentially supporting over 500 livelihoods and contributing to India’s growing creative or “Orange” economy, with Maharashtra and Mumbai positioned as hubs of cultural innovation.
The production also emphasises sustainability, with a move towards zero-waste practices, and inclusivity, with plans for workshops, folk-art integrations, assistive technologies for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, and ticket pricing kept lower than typical industry standards.
Artistic Humans founder Darshan Mahajan describes Rashtragranth as more than a theatrical production. According to him, it is an attempt to bridge art, education and citizenship through emotional storytelling, and to demonstrate how social messages can be communicated powerfully through the performing arts.
Culturally by Shubhlab founder Prathmesh Navalkar said the long-term vision is to build a sustainable ecosystem for artists and technicians, while also making theatre more accessible and inclusive for wider audiences.
As it prepares for its statewide public launch, Rashtragranth is being positioned as a model that other states could adopt to promote constitutional literacy. The initiative aligns with national efforts such as the “Har Dil Mein Samvidhan” campaign, which aims to encourage citizens to engage more deeply with the values and responsibilities enshrined in the Constitution.
By placing the Constitution under the spotlight quite literally Rashtragranth signals how theatre can turn civic duty into shared cultural experience, making democracy not just something to read about, but something to feel.
iWorld
Instagram Edits marks one year with 130 plus new features
Launched April 22, 2025, app adds teleprompter, ideas hub, weekly updates
MUMBAI: From rough cuts to smart edits, Instagram’s in-house creator tool has quietly been polishing its own story, one feature at a time. Instagram Edits, launched on April 22, 2025, has completed a year in the market with more than 130 features added since debut, reflecting a steady push to evolve into an all-in-one content creation platform.
Developed by Meta in collaboration with creators, the app was initially rolled out with a basic toolkit, with product development continuing post-launch through weekly updates shaped by user feedback. According to Brett Westervelt, who leads the Edits team, the approach has been iterative build, test, refine, repeat.
Over the past 12 months, the platform has focused on simplifying core editing tasks such as trimming, captioning, and audio-visual adjustments. Among the additions is an in-app teleprompter, designed to help users record content more seamlessly, alongside tools for script reading and voiceovers.
But Edits is no longer just about cutting clips. The app has expanded into the ideation phase with an “Ideas” hub, allowing users to store references such as saved reels, audio clips, and notes. It also offers personalised recommendations, comment insights, and automated prompts to help creators plan content more efficiently.
On the community front, the platform has introduced creator-led templates and educational tools, enabling users to explore and adapt project files to learn editing techniques. The next phase is expected to deepen this ecosystem, with more advanced templates and collaborative sharing features in the pipeline.
Looking ahead, Meta plans to roll out enhancements including bilingual captioning, advanced colour grading, and speed control tools, alongside greater customisation options that allow users to tailor workflows and interface layouts.
As short-form video continues to dominate digital consumption, Edits appears to be positioning itself not just as a tool, but as a creator companion, one that’s learning, quite literally, on the job.
