I have heard many times why should a theatre person continue in his academic life when he already has a degree in performance and why should we even read a book, is not acting enough? My answer is all that is you are wrong to discount academic pursuit’s in a performative genre. The value is exceedingly high. I have always maintained a life of both a performer and an academician as I know that this will give me inroads to both worlds. Whenever I decide to take a break from pure performance I immediately settle into the life of an academician, I read and write papers attend conferences and create a parallel world where discourse, debate and decisions are made in a different vein. I seem to enjoy attending the conferences many times online where I meet a totally different set of people with different set of ideas and placed in different set of circumstances. The best part is I am able to make new friends and enjoy a new head space where I am able to read theoretical books on topics like feminism, globalisation, neoliberalism which are equally exciting.

Drama students hence must be encouraged to go beyond the script. If the engage with the material that makes a space in their heads they will truly be able to become a totally developed individual. The day the drama schools of India encourage academic papers also to be written and published by the students a new chapter will emerge in theatre and drama studies. We all will be able to talk in a new language and engage in strong academic discourses that will also put us in a category of other disciplines like history, political science or philosophy. Let us only unite in joining with our fellow academic brothers and sisters and make sure that theatre is a vivid discipline beyond its vibrant performances.

Why does the mind capture us into escaping into augmented states, happy at first, but also that state becomes a dizzy haze. It seems like a hazy television screen. The mind is a total slave diver which makes you neither eat not sleep. It has the power also for you to imagine amplified images sounds and situations that can make you first untroubled but slowly engulf you in a state of shock, disbelief and dubiety to the extent you start to even question your near and dear ones who have been with you for years. The heightened, enhanced state is the true python to swallow your mind.

I am not ashamed nor embarrassed to state that this condition occurs to me cyclically. The boosted sense of state of being, the surroundings environment around seems unreal to me so much that its only the magnified sense of the world that seems true and logical. I hear and see much more than I can imagine. Sounds of the timpani, drums and chords of a piano come in waves but they also reach to the sounds of my late mother and father who had departed from this world more than twenty years ago. I hear them all like a radio in my head.

Coming back to reality is like coming down as a long trek from the Everest. The standard has value is what I want to argue here. Why is that I wish to leave that increased self is only to return back to the real. The conventional arising in me makes me more steady and a true wonted state. How then do I manage I am asked by many, and today I pick up my words without any sheepishness to say, I simply tell myself, ” Ok its time to get down the joyride and go back home.” I simply think its a home coming, pick up my apron strings and start making food once again.
Its easy to be customary, easy to be regular and habitual despite all the greater sense of self its easier to be meek rather than huge in the eyes of that jocular style. I only pray that the demons of dubiety makes us validate the accustomed as powerful, creative and advantageous to our body and mind. Its time to give way to the expected and get into the kitchen. Come on now all are hungry, dinner is to served!!

A few dew drops rests on the primroses with garden greens

It seems like glistening pearls to a few

But the drying drops knows for sure

That they are indeed not the pearly wealthy whites

But only a few drops of glistening moist moments

On the rich laden scented garden

They might be adorned. only come back may another day

If the willingness of fair weather and fade-in garden days permits

On November 10, the Mask Players Art Group brought to life Jayvardhan’s comedy play Gorakhdhanda at Gurugram’s Rang Parivartan Auditorium, delighting audiences with laughter and charm under the skilled direction of Chandrashekhar Sharma.

The storyline of Gorakhdhanda is a clever, layered satire on deception and morality, following the antics of a crafty property dealer and his equally sly servant. The two exploit a unique business model—illegally renting out government houses. Enlisting the help of a resourceful actor friend, they devise numerous ways to extract extra money from unsuspecting tenants. They pose as fake police officers, manufacture absurd emergencies, and even cut off tenants’ cable wires, all to manipulate and swindle money out of them.

However, their clever games reach a turning point when they encounter a new tenant, Geeta, a quick-witted woman who begins to see through their schemes. Unlike previous tenants, Geeta decides to fight back, taking matters into her own hands. Her pushback throws the scheming trio into a spiral of missteps, confusion, and unintended consequences. This leads to a brilliantly funny climax, where each character is forced to confront the absurdity of their deception, making for a deeply engaging and humorous plot twist.

Chandrashekhar Sharma’s direction is seamless, reflecting both his understanding of the play’s humor and his ability to highlight social commentary without losing the comedic essence. Sharma managed to balance the farcical elements of the story with a simplicity that made the scenes relatable and accessible. His careful pacing kept the audience engaged, and he ensured that every punchline landed. The transitions between scenes were smooth, and the intricate dynamics between characters were allowed to unfold naturally, making for a cohesive performance that held the audience’s attention from start to finish.

The cast of Gorakhdhanda shone on stage, each actor embracing their character with authenticity and energy. Ashish Sharma, Nikhil Jha, Eva Dandona, Pushkar Sagar, Ashutosh Srivastava, Jatin, and Mayank Sharma added rich layers to the play with their roles, enhancing the comedic timing and providing moments of slapstick that were both skillful and hilarious.

Together, the ensemble cast displayed a natural chemistry, enhancing each other’s performances and creating a lively atmosphere on stage. Their nuanced expressions, quick timing, and humorous dialogues conveyed not only the humor but also the subtle social critique embedded in the play.

Behind the scenes, a dedicated technical team brought the world of Gorakhdhanda to life with admirable precision. Sarita Rana, Manoj, Rakesh Sharma, Sangeeta Suyal, and Mamta Rani were instrumental in handling the set changes, props, and lighting that supported the narrative. Their efforts ensured that each scene flowed effortlessly, with no disruptions, adding polish to the production. The set design was simple but effective, allowing the audience to focus on the characters while still providing the necessary realism for the setting. Lighting and sound cues were timely, which helped to heighten the comedic moments and emphasized the shifts in tone as the story progressed.

For those who missed the Gurugram performance, there’s good news—the play will be staged again on November 16 at Blank Canvas Studio, Mandi House, New Delhi, promising another evening of laughter and insight.

When its time to be heard, prepared to be silent
When its time to be considered, prepared to be hurt
When its time to say how many times more
Be prepared to be reminded your time might never come
In the solace that in your grave site
You will be marked forget or remembered
You will be seen as saint either a saint or a sinner
A fool or a fearless brave
With flowers at your feet or weeds
With no visiting tears or many who will place stones around your bed
To this land we will all go one day
Become the dust where new flowers will grow
Can we be happy only to know
That on our passing by we will
Not be silenced, not be hurt, not be torn apart by inner tears
Its time my friends to see this too
Our saga will be told forever a new

I have heard enough, same lines over and over again, there is no money in theatre, so I am doing films; I have kept enough savings and now I have retired peacefully into theatre; I make enough money in theatre to sponsor my teams travels to festivals. To all of them I really want to say, no this is not the way out its time to think out of the box. I am not claiming that I have all the answers but certainly I have gained fairly good insight on how to create new economic opportunities in theatre after almost 35 years being in active theatre production work.

I will be going through some methods I used in my case and in case anyone wants me further collaborate on more details do comment in the section below and I would be more than happy to share more details. However right from the start I want to also add that I have faced colossal monetary losses, to the extent my bank balance was to the bare minimal but that only gave me more interest and zeal to think out of the box. The fact that the ideas failed did not stop me from looking at other methods and I shall also discuss them here. To make things easier to understand I will be looking at the 35 years of theatre I did chronologically, from ages 21 to 54.

Age 21 to 32 EARLY YEARS, PRODUCER:
The first decade of my theatre stint I realised that my short comings as an actor and that I would not be casted much in films, though I consider myself aa an outstanding actor. My realisations was based on the tone of my skin, I am a deep brown coloured girl which I felt would be a prejudice against me. I also did not know perfect Hindi as I was a Tamil speaker. I however had the greatest skill sets in production. Name any difficult production licence, police permissions, props or sets I could procure them. As a production assistant my ranks rose to being a producer which would get me the money I needed which was enough. Besides that I also was given money for transportation and food. I started also composing music for children’s plays and had a morning job both as a school teacher and a production controller in the afternoons. However age was not my side and by the time I had turned 32 the idea of going to police stations and talking to gruff constables was not comfortable and my mind was ready to embark into learning the creative part of theatre, direction. It was time to think out of the box.

Age 33-45 PROFESSIONAL CREATIVE FEILD:

I consider myself extremely lucky that the ” actors bug” had not bitten me and I became totally interested in theatre direction. I also am lucky that films never seemed to attract my eyes and even today I watch few films ( I am not trying to down play the value of films, I am just trying to put the value of theatre high). I was fortunate to get a scholarship to study theatre in Miami university and I jumped at the first chance. I learnt all I could there and decided to come back to India as I felt this learning will surely help me in India. I returned back to India in 2006 and formed my own company Platform fir Action in Creative Theatre. My company did exceedingly well as we also got into corporate theatre and annual day programs. and the purple umbrella theatre festival for children and we were billing at almost 5 to 8 lakhs per month. We rose from a team of two ( me and my founder Neeraj) to a team of almost 5 with a dedicated office. However my health was always a set back and despite us trying to find another artistic director for the company it became impossible so we had to downsize our work. Yes, it was time to think out of the box.

Age 45-51 SCRIPTWRITING and ACADEMIC WORK

Miami University had taught me the value of always keeping the academic factor alive in me. Being in an academic space gave me the opportunity to network with scholars and organisations all over the world, Dubai, Serbia, Japan Georgia America. I wrote and published papers and also got the chance to write for Indira Gandhi Open University and establish myself as established Academic writer. I now was ready to write scripts and I started experimenting with writing. I also was still doing direction till the pandemic! Gosh! Its time yes to think out of the box!

Age 51-53: SCRIPTWRITING

The pandemic really gave me a huge opportunity as a script writer and I was the script writer for almost 90 short youtube video films. Finally I also directed a film ” to know what it feels like!” and I can say “I fainted in just two days of work”! Is films for me that’s for time to say but yes script writing was a lot of fun despite the pandemic I was making money and was also able to support a team. But as we all know good times never last long and after one year my contract ended abruptly as it happens in all corporate sectors. Now what, think out of the box ,girl! Go for it!!

Age 51-53 NEW VENUE FOR PERFORMANCE REINCARNATION AS A DIRECTOR

I always felt that my plays should be performed in Delhi and perhaps I will be known only as a skilled director if I perform in Delhi. I went in with a vengeance and the intensity was almost two plays. I played hard, put up costly sets lights did the works, but did it give me money?! Hahahah…ZILTCH I was broke by the July of 2024. I poured it all in and I am not sorry I did so since I did some effective plays. But with a zero Bank Balance it was time to think ahead!

Age 54: FESTIVAL CURATION

The time to find a bigger box came! I was very fortunate to have got selected for the South Asian Festival Academy Cohort which has taught me the value of festival creation. Yes I know I will be donning a new hat now, the box is yet to be opened its big and tedious and I have no clue what lies ahead! I am however excited by this phase too.

I have been totally candid in my journey with all of you readers and I welcome you all to partake in your stories with me! Some might not agree with me while some may, all I want to say is think out of the box you never know what is inside…

Delhi based Natsamrat once again brought comedy filled plays for the audience. Plays written by Anton Chekhov, Moliere and Satya Prakash were staged under the direction of Shyam Kumar. On 2nd and 5th October such plays were staged in LTG Auditorium (Blank Canvas), Mandi House, New Delhi in which the director also tried to give a message to the society through his plays and that message touched the hearts of the audience.

On 2nd October two plays were staged. The first play “The Proposal” written by Anton Chekhov was staged. This is the story of a young man who proposes marriage to his neighbour’s unmarried daughter. The story gets worse when the three of them start arguing about whose property it is and whose dog is better.

The play “Kallu Nai MBBS” written by Moliere was staged. The audience gathered in large numbers for the presentation of the play. The audience applauded every dialogue. All the characters played their roles well.
The gist of the play is that a barber is always drunk and beats his wife. The barber’s wife promises herself that she will teach her husband a lesson. Meanwhile, she meets a servant who is looking for a doctor to treat their master’s daughter’s dumbness. The barber’s wife tells him that there is such a doctor here, but he does not consider himself a doctor until he is beaten up properly. The servant beat the barber and force him to become a doctor and take him to his master. Later on, the play takes a very good turn.

On 5 October, again “The Proposal” play was staged along with “Kambakht Ishq” written by Satya Prakash. In today’s time, life has become so busy that children do not have time for their parents, due to which their parents start falling ill. Especially when someone’s mother is alone and someone’s father is alone. The story of the play Kambakht Ishq touched the hearts of the audience along with laughter because somewhere probably everyone was finding themselves in the same place which was being shown in the play.

Artists Vishwajeet, Munmun, Arvind Shandilya, Sudhir Khanna, Aman Kumar, Soumya Yadav, Shivangi and Raman Kumar played their roles very well. Stage Managers Sunil Rathore and Suraj Singh, Set Managers Naushad and Rohit Prasad, Make-up artist Payal and Rajrani, Costume assistants Chhobi Saha and Rekha Devi, Music Operated by Vansh Rathore and light design by Natsamrat’s director Shyam Kumar.

They may say as they please. Call u a snob, a stoic, a conventional but u are the best Jayaji. People’s memories are so shallow and so shortlived. Little do they remember how arduous it has had been to be a BACCHAN’S WIFE. Sacrificing is not the word. A willing suspension of the yearning for the glam industry at the peak of your career, raising two children with an unparalleled wisdom of INDIAN SOLACE boldly facing every media gossip about the husband and standing true to all wifely responsibilities through the thick and thin of the BACCHAN PARIVAAR is indeed praiseworthy.. Everlastingly supporting a husband when he is a victim of both; public acclaim and accuse is not an easy achievement at all. PROUD of you. You have been the most dignified INDIAN actress ever. One can watch all your films with family is the best compliment that I think exemplifies your artless and immaculate persona as an INDIAN WOMAN ACTOR. Let them talk. They are of least importance. Indeed, a woman of your stature definitely has a reason to feel.proud of herself. And…it is NOT always important to put a fake smile in front of the media and walk the red carpet. I perfectly understand the irritation it causes. So, JAYAJI is avoiding media intervention and so justifiably indeed. If u want her to be kind, let her privacy be hers.

Those that intend to comment may use the comment box given below:

लेख : अनिल गोयल

राष्ट्रीय नाट्य विद्यालय (नेशनल स्कूल ऑफ ड्रामा) दिल्ली अपना पच्चीसवाँ अन्तर्राष्ट्रीय नाट्य समारोह ‘भारत रंग महोत्सव’ 1 से 21 फरवरी तक आयोजित कर रहा है. समारोह का उद्घाटन इस बार 1 फरवरी को मुम्बई में होगा. समारोह की समाप्ति दिल्ली में 21 फरवरी को होगी. भारत के 15 नगरों में 150 से अधिक भारतीय व विदेशी नाटकों का मंचन होगा. इनमें पुणे, भुज, विजयवाड़ा, जोधपुर, भुबनेश्वर, डिब्रूगढ़, पटना, रामनगर, श्रीनगर, वाराणसी, बंगलुरु, गंगटोक और अगरतला सम्मिलित हैं.
समारोह की प्रैस कांफ्रेंस को रानावि के अध्यक्ष परेश रावल ने ऑनलाइन संबोधित किया. इसमें रानावि के कुलसचिव, और रानावि समिति की सदस्य वाणी त्रिपाठी टिक्कू भी उपस्थित थीं. इस बार राष्ट्रीय नाट्य विद्यालय (रानावि) ने अभिनेता पंकज त्रिपाठी को अपना रंगदूत बनाया है. समारोह में लिविंग लीजेंड और मास्टर क्लास जैसे कुछ नये कार्यक्रम प्रारम्भ किये जा रहे हैं. इनके साथ-साथ निर्देशक से मुलाकर और राष्ट्रीय और अन्तर्राष्ट्रीय सेमिनार इत्यादि भी किये जा रहे हैं. रानावि के नये निदेशक चित्तरंजन त्रिपाठी ने बताया कि इस बार की चयन प्रक्रिया को ऑनलाइन करके पूर्ण पारदर्शिता लाने का प्रयास किया गया है, जहाँ चयनकर्ता भी एक-दूसरे के बारे में नहीं जानते थे.

The husband-wife relationship is considered to be the most sacred in the world. Love and trust bind both, but many times husband and wife quarrel by finding shortcomings in each other and a third takes advantage of it. Something similar was seen in Anuragna Theatre Group’s presentation “Couples Shuffle“, written and directed by Ashraf Ali. The play was performed on December 24 at Black Canvas, L.T.G. Auditorium, Mandi House, New Delhi-01.

Sharma ji (Chirag) house where he lives with his wife (Shruti Aastha) Chawla. There is always a tussle between the two over small things. Meanwhile, their neighbor Dubey (Bilal Khan) enters, who tries to take advantage of the conflict between those husband and wife and put a string on Shruti. Meanwhile, Maya (Manisha Sharma) enters. Sharma ji is very impressed by seeing Maya and tries to increase friendship. This dilemma goes on for a long time and finally it is revealed that Dubey and Maya are husband and wife, and they came to Sharma ji’s house to investigate them in search of the Best Couple Award in which both of them failed.

Amidst laughter, this play also gives a message to the audience that ‘husband and wife should never leave each other in any situation and should maintain trust in each other’. Chirag played his character well in the role of Sharma, as well as his wife Shruti’s character had many shades, which she succeeded in keeping in front of the audience. In the role of Dubey, Bilal Khan kept the entire drama tied with his acting and put many laughs in it, as well as the performance of Manisha Sharma in the role of Maya was also praise worthy.

Behind the stage were Goldie in the music, lighting was done by Manik Sharma, Kamal Negi was in the costumes and Ankit was in the stage material as well as Shamsher Khan and Avinash Tiwari in the set.