PTNotes_Jul10

of Science at Oxford University,
played an important role in
depicting the mathematics in the
play. His interest in theatre and
work in number theory proved to
be valuable to the production.
Professor du Sautoy was very
upbeat about his expectations for
the play from the Indian audience
when he spoke to me late last
month:
"It's perfect to bring to India this
play, that's all about the connections
of India and the outside world and
the mathematics of India. India
loves its maths. It values maths in a
way that I wish we valued it here in
together of two contrasting individuals,
with contrasting methods of tackling the
problems their world presented them.
The setting makes for a
gripping tale of a man
who leaves his homeland
to pursue his dreams – a
journey that will lead him to mathematical
greatness and eventually to his premature
death at the age of 32.
Capturing this journey is the play A
Disappearing Number, which will premier
in India this August. The multi-award
winning play was conceived and written by
Simon McBurney, founder of the British
experimental theatre company, Complicite.
Professor Marcus du Sautoy, the Simonyi
Professorship for the Public Understanding
Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Juhu, Mumbai 400 049
Vol. XI Issue 7
Pg 1 Centre Stage with Marcus du Sautoy
Pg 3 Stars of the future
Pg 4 What’s On in July
Pg 6 Snippet & Shyamanand Jalan In Memoriam
Pg 7 Trilogy Pg 8 Foyer Voyeur
Centre Stage
with Marcus du Sautoy
Achintya Rao speaks to Marcus
du Sautoy, a mathematics professor
at Oxford who collaborated with
Complicite on their production
A Disappearing Number.
1
The rhythmic beat of the tabla. The intricate
dance of numbers. Two cultures swaying to the
music, desperate to understand one another, singing
the lyrics written in the universal language of
mathematics. Two great minds, trying to unlock the
mysteries of the universe. Ingredients for the perfect
blend to rival the ambrosia of the Gods.
The early nineteenth century saw one of
mathematics' most beautiful collaborations
– one between Srinivasa Ramanujan and
his English mentor at Cambridge, G. H.
Hardy. The collaboration saw the coming
India loves its maths. It values
maths in a way that I wish we
valued it here in England.
England. And I think that the audience will
really warm to this play. It's a celebration of
mathematics in India, and collaborations
with England. They will be surprised
because it's a very innovative production,
but it will go down well.
The play will have its original cast,
and they're really excited. They've always
thought about wanting to go to India."
The mathematics
Complicite didn't want the play to
be just about the relationship between
Ramanujan and Hardy; they wanted it
to involve the mathematics as well. With
this in mind, they approached Professor
du Sautoy. Unknown to them, he had
loved Complicite and their work for about
twenty years, having participated in their
workshops as a student.
"I've always loved doing theatre. So, it
was one of my fantasies, if I wasn't a
mathematician, to run away and join
Complicite," he said. "Simon McBurney
was just very keen that it be a play with
mathematics at its heart, embedded in
the structure of the play. So, I came in
and devised a lot of workshops, which
explore the mathematics - the mathematics
of prime numbers that both Hardy
and Ramanujan were interested in, the
mathematics of partition numbers."
Partition numbers deal with the number
of ways in which a given number of items
can be divided into groups. So, if you are
given five stones and asked to divide them
into piles, you can have piles of 2, 2, 1 or
1, 2, 1, 1 or 3, 1, 1 and so on. But how
many ways are there to divide a number of
stones into such piles?
It was thought that there didn't exist an
exact formula to determine this number,
and the best people could do was estimate
it. "But Ramanujan was one of these
contd. on pg 2
What’sOn
July ’10

2
people who thought, 'Well, no,
there should be an exact formula.' It
was almost like the innocent fool, his
courage in saying, 'I think I can solve
this.' And together with Hardy's more
analytic approach to mathematics, they
actually came up with an exact formula,
which counts the number of these
partitions."
Two contrasting minds
The difference in their approach
to mathematics was what made the
relationship between these men so
special. "Hardy was very addicted to
proofs, he was a very analytic mind,
whereas Ramanujan was somehow a
much more intuitive mind. He often
saw things, he used to talk about his
family goddess, Namagiri, giving him
his mathematical visions, and often
he would not fill in the details of the
proofs. It was a real clash of the way
that people do mathematics, but somehow,
it was a combination of these two that they
were able to thrive and prove such great
theorems. It's an interesting clash, because
Ramanujan came from India to Cambridge
pre- First World War, and there was a clash
of culture – he just was not understood,
Centre Stage contd. from pg 1
he couldn't find the food he needed. So,
although he'd got a friend mathematically
in Hardy, I think he was incredibly lonely,
having left India."
The narrative
It must have been difficult to dramatise
the lives of two real people, to put words
into their mouths. How did they go about
with this?
"I think a lot of artistic projects that
are talking about real people find it quite
difficult to fictionalise them. So, Complicite
did a very clever thing, which was to have a
dual narrative – the second being a modern
narrative about a woman mathematician
and her relationship with an Indian
businessman.
"The play is very interestingly structured,
because that relationship is somewhere that
they can explore the relationship between
the West and the East, between England
and India, the relationship of mathematics.
And there is a very interesting use of
music in the play, a lot of tabla to conjure
up Ramanujan's thought process versus
Western music. It is incredibly powerful as
a tool in actually bringing Ramanujan alive
as a personality who clashed with Hardy."
Music and maths
Professor du Sautoy believes that there
is a very strong relationship between music
and mathematics. "You can really hear it
in tabla beats because Indian rhythm uses
a lot of interesting properties of numbers,
to create that sense of energy. The very
famous sequence of numbers called the
Fibonacci numbers... 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13...
they were actually discovered first by Indian
musicians and poets, because they count the
possible number of rhythms that you can
make with long and short beats. So, India
has always had an interesting connection
with mathematics and music.
"I hope India enjoys what I believe is one
of the best plays of the last decade."
The producers might have missed the
irony of using a north Indian music form
to represent the thought process of one
of south India's greatest sons, but they've
done enough to ensure that the play will be
a treat!
Announcement
RUTH PADEL - will be at Prithvi
on the evening of July 26.
There are some amongst you who will say,
you mean THE Ruth Padel? To them we
say, yes, THE Ruth Padel. There are others
who will say, Ruth Padel who? To them is
addressed the following introduction.
Ruth Padel is a poet, freelance journalist
and broadcaster. But if you're thinking, oh
she's a poet and media person, then you
have to hear this. Her doctoral thesis was
on Greek theatre, she is a Fellow of the
Zoological Society of London, takes an
active interest in tiger conservation and has
recently published her first work of fiction,
"Where the Serpent Lives". The novel is
located in London, Devon and India and
straddles two worlds, the world of complex
'The Sunday Poem' into an institution."
There is a reason why. Padel was a poet
with a mission. She had to catch the readers
by making poetry accessible in every way.
"It's not that difficult, not elitist, obscure or
irrelevant: and it's written for you," reads
one of the sub-heads in her introduction
to the book. Without simplifying anything,
she takes the reader through the context of
the concerned poem, the references that
lie hidden in words and phrases and the
technicalities that create its rhythms. What
captivates us is the passion with which
she writes and the equal relationship she
establishes with us while doing so.
There’s a book of Padel's that the general
reader will find interesting even beyond its
value as poetry. This is "Darwin: A Life in
Poems". It is what it says it is—a poetic
biography of Charles Darwin, Padel's great-
great-grandfather. Besides the pleasure
of reading the poems, I have a strong
suspicion that they will make excellent
material for a theatrical presentation.
So, Ruth Padel will be at Prithvi on
July 26. She will probably read from her
poetry, her book on tigers and her writing
on Greek tragedy, the underlying theme
being to show the interconnectedness of
poetry and science, theatre and nature. The
prospect excites.
Join us for Poetry and Science,
Theatre and Nature
human relationships and the world of
king cobras, pythons, kraits and vipers.
The Spectator has said of her, "Nature
is her forte and in the wild she sings her
best song."
The great thing is, she has done more
for poetry than sing her own song. She's
published a book called 52 ways of looking at
a poem which shows lay people like us how
to read, understand and love poetry. There's
an unbelievable tale attached to the book.
Almost a dozen years ago, Padel suggested
an idea to the editor of the Independent
on Sunday. How would it be if she did a
weekly column for the paper, introducing
and analysing one poem each time? If we
took such an idea to one of our editors,
he'd give us a cup of tepid tea and show us
the door.
Padel found things were not so
hopeless in London. "Every centimeter
of a newspaper has to sell," she admits in
her introduction to the book which is a
collection of the 52 columns she ultimately
wrote. "Did readers really want to see such
an unsexy thing as a poem undergoing that
even unsexier thing: in-depth analysis?"
Despite reservations like these, the editor
allowed her six columns to test the waters
so to say. She started the column in January
1999 with short poems and analyses.
Soon "letters cascaded into me and the
paper, saying, please make them longer.
By February pure reader power had turned
Photo credit: Joris-Jan Bos Photography

Stars
of the future
“SaMhnaSaah Aa^f Aj,aImaao” – kaOstva
yah naaTk ek bahut hI maSahUr khanaI sao ilayaa hO¸ vaao
hO ‘wizard of oz’.
jaba maOMnao yah naaTk doKa tao mauJao bahut hI AcCa lagaa
qaa¸ @yaaoMik ]nhaoMnao kuC AaOr masaalaa add ikyaa hO¸
@yaaoMik iktaba maoM maj,aa tao qaa pr naaTk maoM bahut maj,aa
Aayaa AaOr performers nao ]sao [tnao AcCo trIko
sao poSa ikyaa vaao BaI gaanaaoM ko saaqa¸ vaah ek dma majaa
Aa gayaa.
“Jungle Dhoom.com” – ivapaSaa
Jungle Dhoom.com¸ [sa naaTk kI khanaI
ek kaoyala ‘sargama’ ko }pr ilaKI ga[- hO. [sa naaTk
maoM saBaI klaakaraoM nao bahut hI AcCa kama ikyaa qaa¸
laoikna mauJao sabasao AcCI sargama lagaI¸ Asailayat maoM saBaI
bahut AcCo qao¸ AaOr Agar hma naaTk maoM raola kI baat
kroM tao mauJao sabasao baura lagaa Black Diamond
Group. vaOsao naaTk mauJao majao,dar lagaa. [sa naaTk
ko gaanao BaI bahut Pyaaro qao. maOM [sa naaTk kao k[- baar
doK saktI hUÐ tao Aap BaI jaayaoMgaoM AaOr yah Pyaara saa
hr idna hr pla rhnaa caahUÐ¸ sahoilayaaoM ko saMga
ku<ao iballaI hO maoro saaqaI¸ daost hO maoro rMga.
BalaI BalaI saI laD,kI hUÐ maOM¸ mana hO maora saaf
kBaI iksaI sao maOM naa laD,UM¸ k$M maOM sabakao maaf .
baD,I haokr kivaya~I bananaa
yao hO maora saundr sapnaa..
maOM ¹ saanyaa
maora naama hO saanyaa
AaOr mauJao kr nahIM saktI replace¸ kao[- tanyaa¸
maanyaa yaa laavaNyaa.
hUÐ maOM ApnaI favorite
AaOr jaao BaI kro mauJao tMga¸ ]sao k$M maOM hit.
psaMd nahIM mauJao AMgaUr
naahI baD,o baD,o laMgaUr.
hUÐ maOM ibalakula eosaI
AaOr nahIM imalaogaI Aapkao kao[- maoro jaOsaI..
gamaI- ¹ Eaoyaa AaOr inavaoidta
gamaI- Aa[- gamaI- Aa[-¸ QartI iktnaI tptI Baa[-.
baf- maMgaaAao Sarbat laaAao¸ znDo znDo panaI sao nahaAao.
gamaI- Aa[- gamaI- Aa[-¸ inabaMU panaI lassaI pIkr¸
KUba Kolaao Baa[-.
gamaI- Aa[- gamaI- Aa[-..
caaho poD, hao yaa gaaD,I.
maoro Baa[- kao hO iktabaaoM sao nafrt¸
TI vaI doKta rhta vaao hr va@t.
Par mauJao pMsad hO iktaba¸
AaOr¸ mauJao psaMd rhoMgaI iktaba..
“it’s summertime”
– Aanyaa gauPta
Yo yo yo, its summertime
Aayaa hO year ka bestest timeÁ it’s
summertime
doKoMgao hma plays AaOr mimeÁ it’s
summertime
na[- na[- workshops join kraoÁ it’s
summertime
calaao Aba enroll hao laaoÁ it’s summertime
maolao maoM maj,aa kroMgaoMÁ it’s summertime
ek saaqa hma KolaoMgaoÁ it’s summertime
pRqvaI kOfo ko samaaosao KaAaoÁ it’s summertime
Aba Gar sao inaklaao pRqvaI jaaAaoÁ it’s summertime
maOM ¹ [-ra
dsa saala kI laD,kI hUÐ maOM¸ naama hO maora [-ra
dubalaI ptlaI saI hUÐ maOM¸ rMga hO maora gaaora.
sauMdr fUla – Aanyaa gauPta
fUla lagato hOM sabakao Pyaaro¸
baaga maoM ]gato hOM yah saaro.
rMga ibarMgao sauMdr fUla¸
[nhMo doK hma jaato saba duK BaUla.
BaÐvaro [na pr iBana iBana krto¸
yah ApnaI KuSabaU sao sabaka mana hrto.
fUla hOM [-Svar kI dona¸
hmaoM [nhoM nahIM donaa caaihe “pona”..
poD,
hro¸ laala¸ pIlao yao poD,¸
saBaI rMga ko sauMdr poD,.
saba kao fla AaOr Cayaa doto¸
AaOr badlao maoM kuC BaI naa laoto.
[namaoM saBaI trh ko jaanavar hOM rhto¸
saaÐp AaOr pxaI BaI [namaMo basato.
pr hma hOM ik [nakao kaTto hI rhto¸
AaOr yah baocaaro kuC BaI naa baaola pato..
iktaba – [Saana Ba+acaaya-
mauJao AcCI lagatI hO iktaba¸
dotI hOM vaao hr savaala ka javaaba.
dotI hOM vaao bahut jaanakarI¸
captain nahIM AcCa lagaa @yaaoMik vaao bahut toja
baaola rha qaa¸ pr [sako isavaaya yah naaTk bahut
AcCa qaa AaOr Aapkao [sao doKnaa caaihe.
“saUAr calaa sposa kao” – EaOyaa
yah khanaI ek pirvaar sao Sau$ haotI hO ijasamaoM
ek bahna¸ ek Baa[-¸ ek ku,<aa¸ maaOsaI jaI AaOr
]naka ek sauAr hO. yah khanaI tba Sau$ haotI
hO jaba laD,ka¸laD,kI¸ ku<aa AaOr sauAr jaato hOM
ek AMQaorI gauf,a maoM¸ jahaÐ ]nhoM ek spaceship
imalatI hO¸ ]samaoM baOz kr vah saba ek Red planet
yaanaI Mars pr phuÐca jaato hO. vah vahaÐ naacanao gaanao
ko baad vaapsa Aato hOM pr Akolao nahIM¸ vaao Apnao saaqa
ek ibamaarI lao Aato hOM. saba p`aNaI QaIro QaIro marnao
lagato hOM¸ ifr baad maoM vah [saka [laaja Mars sao laato
hOM AaOr sabaka [laaja krto hOM. [na saba characters
maoM sao mauJao maaOsaI jaI sabasao AcCI lagaI¸ pr ek baat jaao
AcCI nahIM lagaI ik alien AaOr docter ek jaOsao
idKto qao. mauJao lagata hO ik Aba yah khanaI saunanao ko
baad Aap yah naaTk doKnao ja$r jaaeogaoM.
naaTk doKoMgaoM.
“Adventures of TINTIN” – maaOilak jaOna
Rescently maOMnao ek naaTk doKa ijasaka naama qaa
“Adventures of TINTIN”. mauJao yah naaTk
bahut psaMd Aayaa @yaaoMik ]samaoM ek p`aofosar qaa jaao
bahut AcCo jokes BaI maarta qaa. ]samaoM AaOr dao
laaoga qao Thampson and Thompson vah
BaI majaodar characters qao¸ mauJao vah BaI AcCo lagao.
ek caIja jaao mauJao [tnaI psaMd nahIM Aa[- vah qaI ik
TINTIN ko pasa KalaI dao baala haoto hO¸ pr naaTk
maoM ]sa laD,ko nao kao[- wig nahIM phnaa qaa. naaTk
maoM baakI saba bahut AcCa qaa AaOr maOM pRqvaI iqayaoTr maoM
naaTk doKnao ko ilae Aata rhUÐgaa²
“Adventures of TINTIN” – Ajau-na
TINTIN ek bahut AcCa naaTk qaa. mauJao
Tintin AaOr ]saka ku<aa snowy bahut psaMd Aayao
qao @yaaoMik vaao bahut AcCI ei@TMga kr rho qao. [sa
naaTk maoM saoT bahut AcCa qaa¸ maJao isaf- isaf- vaao
baccaaoM ka pnnaa¸ baccaaoM ko Wara¸ baccaaoM ko ilae
3
pRqvaI iqayaoTr ko Summertime festival ko daOrana k[- workshops hu[- ]nhIM maoM sao ek
workshop qaI “ gaIt banaaAao¸ QaUma macaaAao” jaao maOMnao AaOr kumaud imaEaa nao conduct kI.
Workshop ko baccao kafI ]%saahI AaOr samaJadar qao¸ ]nako excitement kao doK kr hI maOMnao saaocaa
ik [sa baar ka PT notes ka ihndI pnnaa ]nhIM ka haonaa caaihe. jaba ]nhoM yah baat bata[- tao baccaaoM maoM
ideas ka jaOsao fvvaara saa fUT pD,a¸ bahut saara material jaOsao kivataeM¸ gaIt¸ reviews AadI ka
Zor laga gayaa. ]nhIM maoM sao kuC cauinanda gaIt¸ reviews AaOr kivataeM p`stut hOM.³ gaaopala d<a´
Reviews
Poems

Plays for the Month of July 2010
Schedule subject to change, contact Prithvi Theatre for latest details.
Based on stories by: Shaukat Thanvi
Director: Shivani Tanksale &
Sumeet Vyas
7 pm & 9:30 pm Based on short stories by satirist Shaukat ThanviUrduAkvarious's NAMAK MIRCHFri 23
Writer/Director: Ram Ganesh Kamatham7 pm & 9:30 pm A dark comedy that looks at the flip-side of the world of call centres & ITEnglishActors Ensemble India Forum's (AEIF) DANCING ON GLASS [A]Tue 20
Writer: Late Shri Dharamvir Bharti
Director: Bijon Mondal
9 pm "An Act of violence inevitably debases society as a whole."HindiRanga Theatre's ANDHA YUG - "A FUSION"Thu 1
11 am Its all about loving your childHindiEkjute's JUNGLE DHOOM.COMSat 3 Writer: Kshipra Shukla
Director: Nadira Zaheer Babbar
6 pm & 9 pm A spirit - ual comedy!!!HindiEkjute's YUMRAAJ JI KUCHH KARIYE !!! Writer: Bodhayan
Based on: Tintin comic book series
by Herge
Adapted & Directed by: Akarsh Khurana
11 am Tintin and Captain Haddock to the rescue!EnglishAkvarious's THE ADVENTURES OF TINTINSat 24
6 pm & 9 pm An estrogen filled entertainer!EnglishAkvarious's ALL ABOUT WOMEN [A] Writer: Miro Gavron
Adapted by: Purva Naresh
Director: Hidaayat Sami
A dark comedy, about a fiction writer living in a police stateEnglishThespo @ Prithvi
Le Chayim Theatre Productions' CONFESSIONS
Writer: Martin McDonagh
Director: Kashin Shetty
9:30 pmTue 6
Wed 7 6:30 & 9:30 pm
Writer/Director: Nadira Zaheer Babbar6 pm Hashiye Zindagi KeHindiEkjute's FOOTNOTES OF LIFEFri 2
Writer: Jaywant Dalvi
9:30 pm Jaywant Dalvi's intense emotional dramaHindiEkjute's SANDHYA CHHAYA
9 pmThu 8
Fri 9 6 & 9 pm
Write/Director: Manav Kaul A middle class banker on the edge of "Ilhaam", or is it madness?HindiAranya's ILHAAM
Sun 4 6 pm & 9 pm Thank God for "FRIENDSHIP"HindiEkjute's YAAR BANAA BUDDY Writer/Director: Nadira Zaheer Babbar
Based on: Tintin comic book series
by Herge
Adapted & Directed by: Akarsh Khurana
11 am Tintin and Captain Haddock to the rescue!EnglishAkvarious's THE ADVENTURES OF TINTINSun 25
6pm&9 pm Based on short stories by satirist Shaukat ThanviEnglishAkvarious's A GUY THING [A] Writer: Michael Puzzo
Director: Akarsh Khurana
P*
Write/Director: Manav Kaul6 pm & 9 pm Two characters and their unique spirit towards lifeHindiAranya's BALI AUR SAMBHUSat 10
Writer: Manav Kaul
Director: Manav Kaul & Kumud Mishra
6 pm & 9 pm Three benches, three men…yet never enough room for everyoneHindiAranya's PARKSun 11
9 pmTue 13
Wed 14 9 pm
Thu 15 9 pm
Fri 16 6 pm & 9 pm
P*
Writer /Director: Makrand Deshpande Three childhood friends - two sisters & a Brahmin boy
trapped in the epic of the Mahabharata -an entertaining
journey of friendship and love.
HindiAnsh's POHA GONE WRONG
Write /Director: Makrand Deshpande …and he brings home…Miss Beautiful!HindiAnsh's MISS BEAUTIFULSun 18 6 pm & 9 pm
Write /Director: Makrand Deshpande In times of terrorism an Atheist is born. Will it be a JOKE ?HindiAnsh's JOKE6 pm & 9 pmSat 17
Writer: Suneeta Budhiraja
Director: Dinesh Thakur
As desperate questions threaten life,
life rises beyond answers…
HindiAnk's PRASHNA PANCHALI
P*
Wed 28 9 pm
9 pmTue 27
Writer: Asghar Wajahat
Director: Dinesh Thakur
Lines may divide countries….but not
human beings
HindiAnk's JIS LAHORE NAHIN DEKHYAFri 30 9 pm
Sat 31 6 pm & 9 pm
9 pmThu 29
Writer/Director: Ram Ganesh Kamatham7 pm & 9:30 pm EnglishActors Ensemble India Forum's (AEIF) BUSTThu 22 Three women delve underground & into the city's history in search of an
ancient relic buried beneath a thousand year old temple
Writer/Director: Ram Ganesh Kamatham7 pm & 9:30 pm A zany play about an expert narrator, a mischievous
sutradhar & a mysterious box.
EnglishActors Ensemble India Forum's (AEIF) CREEPER [A]Wed 21
Partners@
Prithvi
Every month.
Entry free, except theatre shows.
Chai & Why ?[1st Sun]
TIFR creates accessible discussions of interesting
scientific issues
Sun 4th | 11 am | Prithvi Theatre
FERMAT’S LAST THEOREM –
THE STORY OF A TREASURE HUNT
Prof. M. S. Raghunathan
The great mathematician Pierre de Fermat (1601–65) wrote a
crptic note on the margins of the book he was studying stating
a beautiful result and claiming that he had proved it. However
he had left no indications of the proof in any of his published
or unpublished writings “Fermat’s last Theorem “. Several
generations of mathematicians struggled to prove or even
occasionally disprove it! The hunt for the treasure ended with
Andrew Wiles of Princeton University finding a proof in 1994 –
some 350 years after that note was written. This talk is about the
story of Treasure Hunt.
Thespo [1st Tue & Wed]
Tue 6th | 7 pm | Prithvi Theatre
Wed 7th | 4 pm & 7 pm | Prithvi Theatre
Le Chayim Theatre Productions
CONFESSIONS
Language: English
Confessions, is a dark comedy, which tells the tale of Katurian, a
fiction writer living in a police state who is interrogated about the
gruesome content of his short stories, and their similarities to a
number of bizarre incidents occurring in his town.
NO THESPO WORKSHOP THIS MONTH
Vikalp [Last Mon]
Documentaries and short film screenings
Mon 26th | 7 pm | Prithvi House
CHILDREN OF THE PYRE 74 mins
Directed by Rajesh Jala, India, 2008, color, video
Seven small children work day and night at the biggest
crematorium on the planet, located on the banks of the Ganges
in the holy city of Varanasi. The children earn their living by
keeping the 40 funeral pyres burning 24 hours a day, seven
days a week. Hundreds of children and adults, all belonging to
the caste of untouchables, work to burn the bodies. Every day,
some 150 deceased Hindus are brought to Varanasi by their
families. The children's job is to stoke the fire, pluck human
limbs off the ground, perform the cremation rites and do other
dirty jobs. Director Rajesh Jala reveals their horrible working
and living conditions in a captivating cinema-vérité style. Shot
over the course of 18 months, Children of Pyre captures the
children's misery in a visually superb manner. Searching for the
most intriguing moments in the children's life, including their
refuge in smoking marijuana, Jala has succeeded in making a
powerful and memorable film. There are many documentaries
about Varanasi, but it's not often that we get to see a child's
vision of hell on earth. "Children of the Pyre" has been one of
the most successful Indian documentaries made recently. It has
won awards for Best Documentary at various festivals including
Montreal, Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, USA and Sao
Paulo besides winning a special jury award at the national film
awards of India.
PEN [2nd Sat]
Literary encounters
Sat 10th | 6:30 pm | Prithvi House
A MATHEMATICAL ODYSSEY FROM LEWIS
CARROLL TO STAINSLAW LEM
Readings that will look at, explore and engage with the presence
of mathematics in world literature.
Caferati [4th Tue]
Tue 27th | 7 pm | Prithvi Café
Open Mic @ PRITHVI CAFÉ
You are invited to recite, declaim, sing, dance, perform in any
way you like 2 minutes of your own work. Sign up at the Prithvi
Cafe at least 30 minutes before start time to be eligible.
FREE unless mentioned otherwise.
What’sOn
Notes
• Premier Show
• NO LATE ADMITTANCE.
• No refund or exchange of tickets.
• Children below 6 years not
allowed.
• NO PARKING INSIDE JANKI KUTIR.
• PAY & PARK OPP MAHESH
LUNCH HOME.
• This program is subject to change.
• Box Office timings 1 pm - 9 pm.
P*
Home delivery : 3989 5050
Online booking
www.bookmyshow.com
www.prithvitheatre.org
44 55
Mon 26th | 7pm | Prithvi Theatre
POETRY AND SCIENCE, THEATRE
AND NATURE
A Presentation by Ruth Padel
Prize-winning British poet, novelist and non-fiction
writer Ruth Padel will read from her poetry as well
as her prose, while reflecting on her seemingly
diverse yet deeply interconnected long-term
preoccupations with the natural world, classical
Greek theatre, the enigma of science and especially
genetics, and, of course, the enduring presence of
the poem. Ruth Padel's books include the novel
*Where the Serpent Lives*, two books on ancient
Greek tragedy, an eco-travel book set in Asia's
forests, as well as several books on approaching
contemporary poetry, and eight collections of
poems, among them *Rembrandt Would Have
Loved You* (1998), *The Soho Leopard* (2004),
and *Darwin: A Life in Poems* (2009).
PEN All – India
Centre, Bombay

6
Snippet
THE MADNESS OF A
DISAPPEARING NUMBER
By Sanjna Kapoor
It has been a long and arduous journey
over the past three years, one that was filled
with hope, a great amount of persistence,
perhaps at times sheer stubbornness and
heartbreaks at each point, and there were
two points, when we had to throw all
hope out of our hearts and abandon the
dream! I speak of the journey to bring UK
based theatre company Complicite's A
Disappearing Number back 'home'. A play
that just had to be seen in India!
Today we are delighted that Indian
audiences will be able to see this most
compelling piece of theatre. A play
important for several reasons – firstly
because of the sheer magnificence of its
theatrical form itself, secondly because
it celebrates our great mathematician
Ramanujan and his most fascinating
mathematical concepts, and takes them
beyond just maths into the world today
– engaging our minds and touching our
hearts. The most amazing aspect that led
to the realisation of this dream came about
through a wonderfully unexpected channel.
I was approached by Prof Raghunathan,
a mathematician at TIFR, he explained
to me that the prestigious International
Congress of Mathematicians (ICM), an
august gathering of the world's best minds
which meets every four years, was to meet
in Hyderabad this August. And they would
love to host A Disappearing Number during
their event.
What a superb opportunity – we just
Number to India! And to put it in Simon
McBurney’s words we were overcome by
our inextinguishable need for theatre, for
"live experiences that tell us about our
place in the world".
I am delighted to say the madness
persisted and the madness won! I look
forward to seeing this play again on Indian
soil.
could not miss this chance to try once
again! And try we did! Thanks to the British
Council generously coming on board and
Tata Photon our Chief Sponsor and a host
of others who believed in this project, we
finally embrace the challenge to bring this
unique theatrical treat to you, our faithful
audience!
When the performance ended, in the
Barbican in London, in 2007, I was moved
to tears. With me was my aunt, Felicity
Kendal who had recommend I invite
Complicite to India over 10 years ago. That
recommendation lead to a meeting, and
many letters and faxes (before the time of
e-mail… do you remember such a time?)
and seven years later we forged a mutually
respectful relationship with Complicite,
through working together to bring their
Measure for Measure to the Prithvi Theatre
Festival 2005. The seed of the Ramanujan
play idea was already germinating in Simon
McBurney's mind. And now here we were
watching his masterpiece that evolves
around one of India’s geniuses, Ramanujan
and takes one on a journey through his
mathematically fascinations, opening
up for us the world of maths and its
creative impulses and wondrous patterns
connecting to how similar patterns play
through our lives today.
Somewhere somehow I felt we were
connected to the play in more ways than
one. The one thing I was clear about was
that I was NOT bringing it to India! It
would be too expensive. I was resolute!
Even though I felt deep in my heart that
this play had to be seen in India… but I was
overwhelmed with the sheer immensity of
it all.
I guess those moments of realistic
pragmatism were short lived and soon
enough we were overcome by our
passionate desires to bring A Disappearing
An award winning British play
Inspired by the legendry mathematical
collaboration of Ramanujan and Hardy
August 9th, 10th, 11th 2010, 7:30 pm
At the Jamshed Babha Theatre, NCPA
Tickets sale begins July Fri 16th for
NCPA members & Sun 18th for public.
Tickets prices at Rs 2,500/-,
Rs 2,000/-, Rs 1,000/-, Rs 500/-
Senior Citizen & Student discounts on
certain tickets (ID must be shown).
Ticket available at NCPA Box Office,
Prithvi Theatre & BookMyShow
Home delivery 39895050
A host of events connected to this
production will be held at Prithvi
Theatre through the month of July.
A school & junior college programme
will also be conducted taking a Maths
Mela to schools as well as an education
programme to sleet institutions cross
the city.
Shyamanand Jalan
In Memoriam
Director and actor Shyamanand Jalan
passed away in a Kolkata hospital on
Monday 24th May at the age of 79 after
a 62-year career in theatre. He was the
founder-director of Padatik. Jalan’s ascent
into national prominence began with his
production of Mohan Rakesh’s Ashadh ka
ek Din in 1960. He had first met Rakesh by
chance at a Sangeet Natak Akademi awards
function. Rakesh gave him the script of his
play soon after. Jalan's instincts told him
that the play was going to hit a spot in Hindi
theatre that hadn't been hit before; but his
colleagues felt otherwise, chiefly because
it in 1970, after it had been hailed as a
modern classic. Unlike his close friend in
Mumbai, Satyadev Dubey, Jalan never took
liberties with a playwright's text. If he saw
problems, he would discuss them with
the writer, requesting him to see what he
could do about them. Jalan belonged to that
generation of theatre practitioners who
rejected melodrama outright in favour of
a natural idiom. "We thought melodrama
meant excessive gesticulating and
shouting." But Shombhu Mitra corrected
that idea. "You can do whatever you like on
the stage so long as it is true to the spirit of
the play. When it is not true, anything
can degenerate into melodrama.
Nothing is melodramatic in
itself." Jalan admitted that this
thought influenced much of his
future work.
Two years ago I had the
of its long speeches. Finally
they made a concession
to Jalan. He was to
do Act Three which had the
speeches, to see how they worked on stage.
Jalan has gone on record to say, "they
worked so well, everybody was stunned,
including myself." The play was staged in
full and Mohan Rakesh became one of the
famous four whose names have entered the
canon as India's first modern playwrights.
The other three were Badal Sircar, Vijay
Tendulkar and Girish Karnad.
Some of Jalan's other notable
productions were Tendulkar's Sakharam
Binder and Kanyadaan, Badal Sircar's Evam
Indrajit and G. P Deshpande's Uddhwasta
Dharmashala. Besides these he did Rakesh's
Lehron ke Rajhans in 1964, but shied away
from doing Adhe Adhure when it was
offered to him because it struck him as
lacking in coherence. He finally directed
Prithvi Theatre, British
Council & Tata Photon
present...
Complicite's
A DISAPPEARING
NUMBER
For more information look up our
website www.prithvitheatre.org
contd. on pg 8

7
From cubicle bound software employees to
exorcists, social networking sites to ancient
relics, the Actors Ensemble India Forum
trilogy of plays based on Bangalore take
you through the city, encompassing its light
and dark shades. Ram Ganesh Kamatham
who also wrote and directed Crab and
Project S.T.R.I.P, brings together three
plays themed strongly around Bangalore,
set and written over different periods of
time. The plays, Dancing on Glass, Creeper
and Bust have been written over six years,
as a reaction by the playwright to his city.
The first play, Dancing on Glass, written
in 2004 is set amidst the call centre boom
and its effect on the people of a rapidly
changing city. The play follows two central
characters struggling with life amidst the
chaos while trying to deal with the death
of a close friend.
It evokes not just
strong pathos but also
constant hilarity through
witty writing, impeccable
comic timing and strong
performances.
Creeper, written in 2007 under the Sarai-
CSDS Independent Research Fellowship,
isthesecondofferinginthistrilogy.Creeper,
like its name, crawls into a darker space,
looking at a future overrun by technology.
The play is an experiment in form, changing
and morphing, like its lead actors. Requiring
more audience interpretation, this play
doesn't let the audience sit back and be
passive. With a narrator and a sutradar
that don't agree, the murky corners of social
networking and a mysterious box, Creeper
has to be experienced to be understood.
The third play, Bust, premiering this
month is Kamatham's most recent project,
developed under a Robert Bosch Art Grant.
This play is a result of several months of
research into the history of the city by
the playwright. Bust revolves around three
women looking for an ancient relic buried
deep within the city. The mysterious relic
is guarded by super natural forces that
challenge the protagonists in this exciting
adventure. The story is interspersed with
several historical facts, local legends and
myths about the city.
Moving from an account of the city to a
depiction of a possible future and reverting
to history, these three plays come full
circle. While the underlying theme remains
the urban landscape, each play explores
different aspects of human interaction
and the complexities of these relationships
set in entertaining, intriguing and innovative
scripts, led by captivating characters. All
three plays will be premiering in Mumbai
at Prithvi on the 20th, 21st and 22nd
of July.
The actors ensemble India forum
trilogy by Prathyusha B.V.
The Actors Ensemble
India Forum Trilogy
Photo credit: Virginia Rodrigues
The story is about their lives. How their
existence is threatened by the mill. No
matter what I watch in the future, this
one will always stay on top," he concludes.
But not all are convinced to carry out the
tough job of choosing a single play at
Prithvi over others. Twenty-three-year-
old freelance writer and student Reema
Gehi is ready to fight but at no cost will
choose one play. The theatre fanatic
is hell bent on talking about the three
best stories told at Prithvi. The one she
watched at nine: Ramu Ramanathan's The
Boy Who Stopped Smiling for offering an
unmatchable experience to a nine-year-
old, Motley's Ismat Aapa Ke Naam for the
unbeatable magic of the Shah family and
Rajat Kapoor's C for Clowns for making her
feel like a child again. "I saw C for Clowns
when I was 11, I revisited it again three
years ago. I was floored! Choosing one
would be unfair,” she asserts. Prithvi sure
doles out entertainment, however theatre
spills out into learning for many. Shrushti
Ruia has just turned 19. As a kid she
would hang out with her parents at the
café and watch children's plays in summer
vacations. Then one day, the teenager
watched Vagina Monologues. And she had
to watch Mahabanoo Kotwal and her
team of actors again, to come to terms
with the play. The architecture student
of NMIMS was stunned "The various
stories broadened my mind. I was blown
away. I made my friends watch it too. It
was entertaining for sure, but for us girls
it was more of learning," she quips.
with some croissants for company. The
banker by profession tunes to theatre for
soothing her soul. The Yatri Festival made
her laugh nonstop. She is all for good comic
timing, and the winner here is her most
recent watch: Nadira Babbar's Yaar Banaa
Buddy. "It's hilarious without being juvenile.
This story about four friends is so much
today. It's like taking a good look inside
your living room. The actors are not acting.
It's just too real to call it acting." If comedy
at Prithvi is a must-watch so is some serious
drama. Anand, a 35-year-old theatre-lover
lives at the café. He pens stories, also acts
once in a while. He is in a dilemma for
he cannot pick one play. It's a tough call
between Cotton 56 Polyester 84, Sankraman
and A Special Bond. In Kamtanath's
Sankraman, Anand dwelt on the very many
shades of old age and how the young too
get around doing the same odd things at
some point. Naseeruddin Shah, the lead
in Sankraman is the key reason for making
the experience so memorable for him.
"His quirks were jaw-dropping. The play
talks about the circle of life. It's beautifully
done. The family from Uttar Pradesh in
Sankraman is a delight to watch. Their
point of views, their mannerisms are all to
die for." He has watched Akarsh Khurana's
A Special Bond countless times for Trishla
Patel's performance and the treat that the
children's play is. However, his loyalties
towards Sunil Shanbag's Cotton 56 Polyester
84 are too evident. Anand watched the
play as a young boy at Prithvi. It gave him
goosebumps. "I am a son of a mill worker.
One can never part with good stories.
They stay with us, resurfacing at times,
reminding us of their unforgettable
beginnings, disturbing conflicts and
teary-eyed endings. Surinder Almada,
an elderly woman is playing host to her
elder brother and his wife from Delhi.
Their first stop: Prithvi. For years, she
has sauntered in lazily, nibbled at the
muffins and watched evening shows.
It's been twenty-five years and counting.
Rakesh Bedi's plays are her first choice.
However, the one play that has refused
to leave her mind is Rahul Da Cunha's
Class of ’84. "I think I first saw it nine
years ago at Prithvi. I took Rajit Kapoor
and Shernaz Patel's performances home.
They painted a happy picture of college
days. Every time I watch their splendid
reunion of college mates and the loss
of a dear friend, I am hooked. The play
just ferries me back to the days of yore.
Add to that witty dialogues, unbelievably
real performances and of course an
unnerving story— all reasons
enough for me to book my
seat in advance," she says
with a smile.
At the far corner of the
café, Prete Nambiar,
is poring over her
notes on Risk
Management
by Chesta Wadhwani
Café Gup

8
Published for private circulation by Sanjna Kapoor for Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Mumbai 400 049.
Tel 2614 9546 Email ptnotes@prithvitheatre.org Web www.prithvitheatre.org
The views expressed in PT Notes are those of the authors. PT Notes is available online at www.prithvitheatrenotes.blogspot.com
and is available for download at www.prithvitheatre.org
Editor in chief Shanta Gokhale Executive Editor Ram Ganesh Kamatham Design Ka Designs Illustrations Sachin Jadhav Doodles Siddharth Kumar
Tom-tomming is not one of our fortes.
We at Paperback@Prithvi Bookshop
hand-pick our books, and then let our
shelves speak for themselves – you
could call it “stock-talking”.
As if this attitude (what else do you
call this?) is not enough, we take risks
– some calculated, some not so – that
other so-called bookstores and chains
would dare not, stuck as they are in the
display-what-sells-and-play-it-safe warp.
The only thing apart from books that
Paperback@Prithvi Bookshop displays
is DVDs, and that too documentary
films made by independent makers.
No greeting cards, no masala films, no
cheap toys. This is harsh reality, captured
by the likes of Anand Patwardhan,
Rakesh Sharma, Madhushree Dutta,
Yasmine Kabir, Reena Mohan and T
Jayashree.
For us at Paperback@Prithvi
Bookshop, Kamalabai, Breathing
without Air, Remembrance of Things
Present, The Nest, They who walked
Mountains, Our Symbol, Listen to the
Wind and around 200 other such titles
make us proud. The other bookshops
can have their bestsellers, but these are
ours, and we like to keep it that way.
(You could write to paperbackindia@
gmail.com for any book/DVD you
would like to order. The bookshop will
try its best to procure it for you)
Write in! Email us at ptnotes@
prithvitheatre.org or snail mail.
Paperback @ Prithvi
rooted fears through the
brilliant metaphor of fag-end
chess moves, Beckett disturbs
our mechanised slumber, leaving us with
no choice but to introspect within. And
this introspection is collective – of actors
and audience alike. Location, props,
stage, space, time all come way down the
line.
This review, in a strange way, upheld
Brecht's alienation effect that Beckett
so deftly employed in Endgame. That
the context proved largely personal is
perhaps a stalemate. Probably, there's
something funnier than unhappiness
after all. Beckett may not have been
aware.
Warm regards
~ Sudhir Raikar
Dear Sudhir
Thank you for your very valid critique.
Different people enter the theatre in
different ways. Too often a director
blocks the many interpretations that a
writer's work is capable of. In this case
McBurney did the opposite for Sameera.
He opened up the play to her and allowed
her emotions to enter the piece. We
appreciate your well-informed, analytical
and personal reaction.
~ ED
Letters to the Editor
Dear Sir/Madam,
The June 2010 issue made for some
interestingreadingespeciallytheSummer
Time round up and the "Reflections on
Akarsh Khurana" by Sanjana. The latter
was a pithy account of a personal tale
of trials and triumphs that also brought
home certain glaring truths that theatre
activists continue to grapple with.
In sharp contrast, Sameera's review
of an Endgame production unknowingly
kept herself centre stage. While
McBurney shared the podium with her,
poor Beckett seemed only incidental.
There is nothing wrong in applauding
the theatrical brilliance of a certain
production. Attributing one's lack of
insights and humour to formative years
is also fine... but why make the memoir
too personal for comfort with details
like the sibling's eye for detail, one's
travel itinerary, jet-lagged states and the
punctuality in showing up at the theatre
in time.
In exploring some of our deep-
Voyeur
Foyer
British Council
and Bombay's leading
theatre company Rage,
bring The Royal Court Theatre,
London to town for the third time.
For Writers' Bloc 3. The two earlier
efforts, yielded successful festivals
in 2004 and 2007 in which 20 new
plays were premiered. This October,
the first two-week residential workshop
will take place with our mentors from the
Court. So what will you learn? Improving
your dialogue. Fine tuning your structure.
Three dimensionalising your characters.
And strengthening your sub-
text. Sounds
too good to
be true? Well
here's the catch.
You have to send
in a one-act or a
full-length play
(in any language) to
apply. The Royal Court
Theatre will then select a final twelve
playwrights for the workshop. For further
details call Rage at +919773612114. Or
e-mail us at writersbloc@ragetheatre.co.in.
An amazing pot of gold awaits you. Your
play could be produced at the Writers' Bloc
3 festival in 2011. So don't wait… Your
deadline: July 15th, 2010

opportunity to see alavish new
production of Lehron ke Rajhans in
the space Jalan had created in his
home for intimate performances. That
was perhaps his last gift to theatre in
Kolkata. To keep this magical space
alive and throbbing might be the best
way to pay tribute to Shyamanand
Jalan's memory.
In Memoriam contd. from pg 6

PTNotes_Jul10

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (7)

Similar to PTNotes_Jul10

Similar to PTNotes_Jul10 (15)

PTNotes_Jul10