This document summarizes the experience of Geetanjali Kulkarni working in Hindi theatre over the past few years. She began her career working in Marathi theatre for 15 years before joining the theatre group Avyaykar. Since then, she has worked on 3 commercial Hindi plays that had audiences of over 500 people. Working in theatre for so many years across different genres has provided her invaluable experience in craft and understanding how to engage audiences. In today's world, understanding the medium is very important for theatre makers to effectively convey their ideas. She finds reflecting on her experiences through writing helpful for self-analysis and helping new artists.

1. 1
contd. on pg 2
but it was ethnomusicology - the sociology
of music making. That’s what a lot of my
theatre is about – history and social context.
So the idea was, there is a (musical) form and
here is something that tells you little more
about it. So next time you hear a kajari, you
already know something about it. Or you
have a historical event where music played a
big part. So it immediately made the music
with Stories in a Song
August '11Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Juhu, Mumbai 400 049
Vol. XII Issue 8
Pg 1, 2 & 7 Centre Stage with Stories in a Song
Pg 3 Back Stage with Geetanjali Kulkarni
Pg 4 & 5 What’s On in August
Pg 6 Reflections Pg 8 Film Review: Arna's Children
Centre Stage
Stories in a Song is about the
music itself. In all the other
plays, the text was fore-
grounded and the music was
back-grounded. In Stories, the
songs are the play. The text is
very transparent, it sets you
up for the music, not the other
way round.
Arpana’s new production,
Stories in a Song, involved a unique
collaboration between the director,
musicians and actors. Choiti Ghosh
talks to Sunil Shanbag about his
continuing love affair with musical
theatre; Shubha Mudgal and
Aneesh Pradhan tell PT Notes
about Baajaa Gaajaa, Stories in
a Song, and more.
Choiti Ghosh: The first thing I’d like to ask
you - why stories in a song? Where did the
idea come from?
Sunil Shanbag: Well, you were part of
the beginnings of this interest in music
when we did Mastana Rampuri. It started a
production earlier with Cotton 56 where for
the first time I used live music. And it was
a fantastic experience! I had tasted blood!
Then the next production was Mastana, and
then Sex, Morality and Censorship. In both
the text allowed the use of live music. On
the one hand that was happening, and on
the other Shubha (Mudgal) and Aneesh
(Pradhan) came and saw Mastana Rampuri.
And I was very worried about how they
would react to it because we were untrained
singers. But they were very excited. “It
was fantastic how the actors were able to
express through song,” they said. I started
thinking about this. Why did they respond
so favourably to actors? What is it that
delighted them, and continues to delight
them about actors? I realised that actors
much freer than musicians. They are ready
to take more risks with themselves, and
work in a team. Musicians on the other
hand, tend to work a lot
by themselves, their art is
more inward looking, and
often quite rigid in terms
of performance presentation. Actors also
tend to emphasise text, and the words of
the song become very important. So the
decision was, if we were ever do something
serious with live music, it has to be with
actors who can sing, not with musicians
who perhaps can act. I was very clear in
my mind. The next question was where
do you find actors who sing? You’re not
talking about singing a few light-weight
songs. You’re talking about
singing serious music! So this
conversation has been going on
now for at least two years with
Shubha and Aneesh.
Then Shubha
came up with
the idea to tell
stories of
music, which
immediately
was of great
interest to
me because
it was actually
not just music,
Bahadur Ladki
(Stories in a Song)

2. 2
and the historical event come
alive. Shubha’s approach was very
exciting. That’s really how we decided
to do ‘Stories in a Song’.
CG: From Cotton to Mastana to Sex
Morality to Stories, the role that music
has played in your theatre has changed,
evolved. Comment?
SS: In Cotton 56, music did two things.
One – it established the culture of the
mill workers in which music played
a big role. The story of Girangaon
cannot be told without its music! The
political process of Girangaon, of
that movement, was also very strongly
coloured by music. Music was used
as a vehicle for transmitting ideas and
ideology by the shahirs. So, in Cotton 56
music was used to create both layers.
Several of the songs in the play were
actually sung at that time. So there is a
certain archival value to the songs also
- songs of revolution that were sung by
Amar Sheikh and shahirs of that time. And
then, there’s a certain emotional layer that
also gets built in. There were certain songs
that were not necessarily sung in Girangaon,
but songs that told what the character felt.
Nagesh’s song – ‘Zohar mai baap’ is not
a song from Girangaon, but a song about
the class… a very famous poem by a Dalit
writer talking about deep anguish. And an
assertion also.
Centre Stage contd. from pg 1
CG: How did the choice of music and
choice of stories happen for this play?
SS: Shubha has little notebooks that are
a treasure house of her immense research
into music over the years. In rehearsals
there would be 20 of us in this office
room…singing, chatting … and she would
say, “Ok, listen to this song.” She has an
insatiable curiosity towards music and she
has collected many, many songs. And every
song has a story. Her songs are never just
songs in themselves, they all come with a
story, a history.
CG: So this is her research.
SS: Ya. She’s collected songs and collected
stories around them. The ‘Gandhiji and
Tawaif’ piece is referred to in a very famous
book. We took that story and dramatised it.
The key of that story was that the tawaifs
were singing patriotic songs as part of their
repertoire. But it became clear that unless
you show the “before” there’s no point in
showing the “after”. So we contrasted the
patriotic song with a beautiful Thumri sung
in a very traditional, erotic style.
‘Chandni Begum’ came out of a very
tiny incident in the novel Chandni Begum
by Qurrutulain Hyder. It was a small little
side story, but we pulled it out and made it
the main story. At one point Shubha was
very keen to incorporate an interesting
incident from Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy.
But somethings don’t take to theatrical
treatment, so we dropped it. The story
about the English woman learning a
Hindustani song is from an academic work
- research done by an ethno-musicologist.
We created a fictional encounter from it.
Pia Sukanya had come to audition and
she sang an Indian song. She had to go
to Delhi after, and I thought she was not
really interested. I put her out of my mind,
but she came back 2-3 weeks later said she
was still interested. With her accent and
her looks I thought she could play this
Englishwoman. I told her, “All I know
is that in the end we’re going to play an
operatic piece”. She asked me to Bluetooth
the piece to her in the manner of tech-
savvy young people. She came back to me
after some time and said, “Ok, I know the
piece”. I said, “You know the piece?” She
said, “Yes, I can sing it.” I asked, “You can
sing this stuff?”. She said, “Ya. I’ve never
trained, but I like opera, and yes I can sing
it”. So the end changed in my head. Until
then it was about an Indian woman singing
a song and this western woman not being
able to sing it. It had everybody laughing
at the Englishwoman because she’s so
incapable, but now in the end when she
starts singing her music, everybody’s like,
“Wow! She can sing!” From the nautch girl
in the story, to the audience, everybody’s
amazed. She transforms from a buffoon
to larger than life, a giant on stage. It is
one of the most liked pieces in the play.
If it had not been Pia, the story would’ve
been a simple – Oh Indian culture is very
great and the British knew nothing (which
was one of my worries also) – to a much
deeper, richer story where the two women
come together through music.
The remix story, came out of simply the
idea of copyright. We developed the story.
I worked very closely with Shailendra Barve
and Ketaki Thatte. Shailendra programmed
the music in such a way that you could see it
coming together. And Kajari... we wanted a
strong, popular form. So we would’ve done
it like a normal kajari, and then Shubha
comes one day with her little book and
says, “You know what, I found an English
Kajari.” She told us the story and that’s how
that came. One of the fantastic things was
that we found singers who could sing pretty
well. It’s an amazing group of actors. And
Shubhawascarefultocomposesongswithin
each of their range. Makarand Deshpande
was brought in just for that classical piece
because he is a trained classical singer, he
is not really an actor. But having done the
first show, he was brought into the Kajari.
He was a good match for Namit (Das) and
took the Kajari to another level.
CG: The singer-actors. The performers.
For every play you go on this hunt till you
find the perfect actor for a particular role.
You’ve brought some very unusual actors
to the Prithvi stage. How did the hunt for
performers happen for Stories?
SS: We sent the word out and we held
auditions. And it was mostly to Shubha and
Aneesh’s credit. It was not like an audition.
Anybody could come and sing whatever
they liked. It can be daunting to sing before
them. But they’re so encouraging, and not in
a patronizing way. I think everybody needs
to learn that. They will look for the positive.
They’ll note the problems of course, but
will say, “Oh, this is what she can do very
well”. A lot of people came in for auditions,
and I think we have included 90% of the
people who showed interest. Actually I
cant think of a single person we rejected.
There are two reasons – one, that not many
people came. And secondly, there is a lot
more talent than we know of. These are not
unknown actors to the Prithvi world. None
of them were, “oh where did you discover
this gem?” Nothing like that! The surprise
was more – I didn’t know she could sing so
well! That is a huge plus.
CG: Is it true that the entire cast came
together for the first time during the first
show in Pune?
SS: No. But that was the first run of
the entire show! A few hours before the
performance! We’d rehearsed for a month
and except for the last few days, we worked
episodically, according to the availability of
the actors.
CG: But that would not be possible in a play
with a continuous, linear story.
SS: You would be surprised. That seems
to have become the norm of play-making.
Actors are doing so much work nowadays.
And I’m really afraid of that. How do you
contd. on pg 7
One of the fantastic things was
that we found singers who could
sing pretty well. It’s an amazing
group of actors. And Shubha
was careful to compose songs
within each of their range.
In Mastana Rampuri, the songs told the
story and carried it forward. I love verse
because it has a way of making complex
views very synoptic… it played that part
and also gave a flavour of the time.
In Sex Morality, the music very clearly
defined the Tamasha, Lavani stream of
the play. One of the key characters who
undergoes a transformation – it denotes
her world.
Stories in a Song is about the music
itself. In all the other plays, the text was
fore-grounded and the music was back-
grounded. In Stories, the songs are the play.
The text is very transparent, it sets you up
for the music, not the other way round.
Except in Chandni Begum (one section of
‘Stories’) - the story about the family of
singers that struggles to survive - that was
the only piece that was theatrical in the play.
Only in that piece music has been used as
an add-on to the text.

3. gaItaMjaila kulakNaI-¹ AiBanaya ka AnauBava
e@Trsa AalasaI haoto hOM Apnao p`aosaosa ko baaro maoM ilaKnao
sao tao vaao dur hI Baagato hOM. Aro baabaa ijatnaI caaho
ei@TMga krvaa laao pr ilaKvaaAao mat² maOM BaI ]nhIM maoM sao
ek hUÐÐÊ laoikna saca yah hO ik Apnao Aap kao samaJanao ko
ilae yah bahut ja,$rI haota hO ik hma ApnaI AiBanaya
p`iËyaa kao vya@t kroMÊ [saI sao hma Apnao kama ko p`it
sajaga rhoMgaoM. [saka fayada Kud kao tao haogaa hI laoikna
saaqa hI saaqa sah klaakaraoM AaOr nae klaakaraoM AaOr
documentation ko ilae BaI ]pyaaoga haogaa.
ipClao dao saalaaoM sao maoM ihndI naaTkaoM maoM saiËya $p sao
kama krnao lagaI hUÐ .[sasao phlao maOM marazI naaTkaoM maoM k[-
saalaaoM sao kama krtI Aa[- hUÐ. raiYT/ya naaTya ivaQaalaya
sao pasa krnao baad maOMnao ‘AaivaYkar’ saMsqaa ko saaqa tIna
caar saala kama ikyaaÊ ]sako baad maOMnao proSa maaokaSaI
ko tIna commercial naaTk ike ijanako 500 sao
j,yaada Saao hue.Aap khoMgaoM ik maOM yah saba @yaaoM bata rhI
hUÐÊ mauJao lagata hO ik yah AnauBava e@Tr ko ilae bahut
j,a$rI haota hO.Aap Agar 1000 baar sToja pr AaeM
tao vah comfort Alaga iksma ka haota hO.NSD maoM
maOMnao jaao saIKa ]saka kOsao ]pyaaoga hao sakta hO vah maOMnao
[nhIM Saao ko daOrana jaanaa. yah saba naaTk comedy
qao [sa vajah sao timing AaOr craft pr AcCa kama
huAa. proSa Kud bahut hI baohtrIna inado-Sak hOMÊ ]nhIM ko
naaTkaoM sao maOMnao Sa$Aat kI.
mauJao lagata hO ik Aaja ko daOr maoM inado-Sak bahut
mah<vapUNa- hao gae hOMÊ @yaa AaOr iksa trh sao naaTk
idKayaa jaae yah inado-Sak hI decide krto hOM.Aaja
naaTkkaraoM kI kmaI hO [silae ideas kao phuÐcaanao ko
ilae inado-Sak ek AhM BaUimaka inaBaato hOM.
maOM iqayaoTr maoM jaba na[- na[- qaI tao Apnaa AnauBava
kBaI ilaK nahIM pa[- Ê mauJamaoM vah pirp@vata hO ik nahIM
[sako baaro maoM saMSaya qaaÊ Aba laga rha hO ik caaOdh saala
kama krnao ko baad kuC caIja,oM imalaI hOM jaao Aapkao bata
sakUM. p`aosaosa ko baaro maoM ilaKnao ka Aa%ma ivaSvaasa Aayaa
hO [sailae yah kaoiSaSa kr rhI hUÐ.
yah laoK hO ‘sex morality and
censorship’ AnauBava ko baaro maoM hO.
saunaIla Saanabaaga ko inado-iSat k[- naaTk maMO doKtI
Aa[- hUÐ AaOr ]nako saaqa kama krnao kI [cCa BaI
qaI [sailae 4¹5 saala phlao maOM ]nasao imalaI BaI qaI
laoikna tba maaOka nahIM imalaa. dao saala phlao ‘sex
morality and censorship’ Sau$ krnao vaalao
qao jaao censorship issue pr AaQaairt hOÊ [sa
naaTk maoM ]nhaoMnao ‘saKarama baa[MDr’ kao maMicat krto
samaya Aa[- kiznaa[-yaaÐÊ kmalaakr saaMrga ka ]sa daOr maoM
censorship ko iva$Qa JagaD,a AaOr sa<ar ko dSak
ka jaaoSaÊ [sa saba ka bahut hI saundr imaEaNa ikyaa
hO.[sa naaTk maoM vah saKarama ka p`vaoSa BaI idKanaa
caahto qaoÊ ]nhaoMnao mauJao laxmaI ko ikrdar ko ilae pUCa
Back Stage
with Geetanjali Kulkarni
3
AaOr maOMnao turnt ‘haÐ’ kr dI. [sako mau#ya karNa qao :
1) naaTk ka ivaYaya bahut hI mah<vapUNa- AaOr
contemporary qaa.
2) saunaIla Saanabaaga [sako
inado-Sak qao.
3) ivajaya toMDulakr ilaiKt
naaTk ko AMSa krnao ka maaOka qaa.
4) maora ihndI ka phlaa naaTk qaa.
irh-sala Sau$ haonao maoM ABaI samaya qaa [sailae maOMnao
‘saKarama baa[MDr’ daonaaoM BaaYaaAaoMÊ ihndI AaOr marazI maoM
pZ,aÊ ‘baa[-MDr cao idvasa’ jaao kmalaakr saaMrga Wara iliKt
baa[-MDr maMicat krto samaya Aa[- kiznaa[-yaaoM ka ivavarNa
hOÊ ifr sao ek baar pZ,a.Aaja tk maOMnao ivajaya toMDulakr
ilaiKt naaTk pZ,o yaa doKo qaoÊ ]namaoM kama krnao ka maaOka
nahIM imalaa qaa.NSD ko baadÊ phlaI bar realistic
SaOlaI ko naaTk krnao ka BaI maora phlaa AnauBava qaa.
marazI maoM maOMnao j,yaadatr ka^maoDIja hI kI qaI.
ko saaqa haonao vaalaI cacaa-AaoM maoM hI
samaJa Aayaa.
jaOsaa ik maOMnao phlao BaI kha hO ik maora
ivajaya toMDulakr ko pa~ inaBaanao ka yah phlaa
maaOka qaa.]naka naaTk krto hue ]nakI laoKnaI
kI takt kI AnauBaUtI hu[-. ]nakI jaIvana ko baaro
maoM samaJaÊ ]nako naaTkaoM maoM idKtI hO.naato¹saMbaQaÊ
pa~aoM ka powerplayÊ ]nako Andr kI ihMsaaÊ
yah saba pZ,to hue ka AnauBava AaOr yah saba
krto samaya ka AnauBava iksa trh Alaga hO
samaJa Aayaa. krto samaya kI AnauBaUtI k[- gaunaa
enlighten krnao vaalaI qaI.irh-sala ko daOrana
maora haqa fracture huAaÊ [saka mauJao e@Tr ko
taOr pr fayada hI huAa. ]sa dd- kaÊ [sa TUTo hue
haqa ka maOMnao laxmaI ko characterization maoM
]pyaaoga ikyaa. toMDulakr samaaja maoM CupI ivaBa%sataÊ
ihMsaa Apnao pa~aoM ko Wara idKato hOM. maOM ijasa
pirvaar maoM plaI baZ,I hUÐ Ê ijasa vaatavarNa sao AatI
hUÐÊ ]samaoM ]prI taOr pr yah ihMsaa nahIM dIKtIÊ
laaogaaoM maoM icaZ, yaa gaussaa bahut haota hO pr ]sao idKanao
maoM vah Drto hOM. laoikna laxmaIÊ capaM ÊsaKarama ko pa~
ijasa trh sao ilaKoM hOMÊ ]samaoM laoKk nao ]sa ihMsaa kao
ibanaa iksaI iJaJak ko idKayaa hO [sailae vah saccao hOM.
toDMulakr ko pa~Ê ]nako saMvaad kI trh logical
AaOr well crafted haoto hOMÊ haMlaakI hma pcaasa ko
}pr Saao kr cauko pr ifr BaI hma irh-sala ko daOrana
savaaMd casually nahIM baaola pato.e@Tr Agar ]sako
internal logic kao samaJao tao pa~ kao Kaojanao kI
p`iËyaa idlacasp haotI hO. hma irh-sala ko daOrana eosaI
abstract caIjaaoM kao ZUMZto hOM jaao Saayad imala BaI nahIM
patI AaOr Agar imala BaI jaae tao hmaoSaa saaqa rhogaI
[sakI BaI kao[- gaarMTI nahIM haotI. jaba kuC haqa nahIM
Aa rha haota tba jaao tklaIf haotI hO vah BaI ek
interesting phase haota hO.
naaTk maoM laxmaI kI dao baar saKarama ko Gar maoM
entry haotI hOÊ daonaaoM baar ]sakI pirisqatI BaIYaNa
hO .maoro ilae hr baarÊ hr Saao maoM yah entries ek
challenge haotI hOÊ hr baar maOM laxmaI ka pUra
vyi@t%vaÊ ]sa pa~ ka sa%yaÊ saaqa laokr Aanaa caahtI
hUÐ. ijasaka kao[- nahIM hOÊ ijasao pasa¹pOsao naaOkrI nahIM hOÊ
vah laxmaI mauJao Andr sao ihlaa dotI hO .
SabdaoM maoM vya@t krnaa kizna hO laoikna laxmaI ka
pa~ inaBaato samaya maOM Apnao Aap kao ]sasao AilaPt nahIM
rK saktI.]sa pa~ maoM AaOr mauJa maoM ek naata banata hOÊ
hr baar ek gahraÊ gahna AnauBava imalata hO.
‘sex morality and censorship’ ka
pUra p`aosaosaÊ ]sako Baart Bar maoM hue Saao nao mauJao bahut
enrich ikyaa. naaTk ko AaiKr maoM hma ek gaanaa
gaato hOM “maOM hUÐ ek kzputlaI naaTk kI duinayaa maoMÊ sapnaaoM
ka saaOdagarÊ rMgamaMca ka bainayaa BaI maOM” yah gaanaa gaato
hue ifr maoro mana maoM bahut savaala ]zto hOMÊ ek klaakar
ko naatoÊ [sa daOr ko baaro maoMÊ naaTk ko baaro maoM Ê jaIvana
ko baaro maoMººº
maOM Apnao naaTkaoM sao AilaPt nahIM hao saktIÊ vah
maora ihssaa hOM AaOr maOM ]naka. maOM bahut KuSanasaIba hUÐ
ik mauJao eosao naaTkaoM ka ihssaa haonao ka Avasar imalaa.
mauJao naaTk Apnao jaIvana kao samaJanao maoM madd krta hOÊ
[saIilae maOM naaTk krtI hUÐ.
naaTk ko AaiKr maoM hma ek gaanaa gaato
hOM “maOM hUÐ ek kzputlaI naaTk kI duinayaa
maoMÊ sapnaaoM ka saaOdagarÊ rMgamaMca ka bainayaa
BaI maOM” yah gaanaa gaato hue ifr maoro mana maoM
bahut savaala ]zto hOMÊ ek klaakar ko
naatoÊ [sa daOr ko baaro maoMÊ naaTk ko baaro
maoMÊ jaIvana ko baaro maoMººº
irh-sala Sau$ hu[-Ê saunaIla ko saaqa kama krnao ka
maora phlaa Avasar yaa [sailae ik maOM ]nakI p`iËyaa sao
vaaik,f nahIM qaIÊ ifr BaI mauJao phlao hI idna sao irh-sala
maoM maj,aa Aanao lagaa.mauJao saunaIla ko kama krnao ka trIka
bahut hI psaMd Aayaa. saunaIla bahut intelligent
vyai@t hOMÊ ]nakI naaTk kIÊ samaaja kIÊ saaih%ya kI
samaJa bahut gahrI hOÊ [na sabaka rajanaOitk va saamaaijak
dRiYTkaoNa vah Apnao klaakaraoM kao samaJaato hOM AaOr
saaocanao ko ilae p`vaR<a BaI krto hOM. mauJao BaI [sa dRiYT
sao naaTkÊ ]sako pa~ AaOr [sa saba ka samaaja sao naata
samaJanao maoMÊ AaOr ]saka analysis krnao maoM rsa AayaaÊ
[sa vajah sao yah pUra p`aosaosa maoro ilae bahut mah%vapUNa-
qaa. saunaIla nao ijasa trh sao mauJao laxmaI ko pa~ ko baaro
maoM batayaaÊ ]saI sao maora AaQaa kama hao gayaa. laxmaI ko
fantastic $p sao mauJao saunaIla nao hI phcaana krvaa[-.
caIMTo sao baat krnao ko dRSya maoM vah ]sakI SaarIirk
kamanaaAaoM ka hI extension hOÊ yah baat BaI saunaIla
Geetanjali in Sex, Morality and Censorship

4. Plays for the Month of August 2011 at Prithvi Theatre Partners@Prithvi
August
Alliance Française@
Prithvi
[3rd Wed]
Rendez-vous avec le cinéma français
Wed 17 | 7 pm | Prithvi House
HIROSHIMA MY LOVE (1959) 90 mIns
Cast: Emmanuelle Riva, Eiji Okada
Directed by: Alain Resnais
Hiroshima mon amour is an acclaimed 1959 drama film
directed by French film director Alain Resnais, with a
screenplay by Marguerite Duras. It is the documentation of
an intensely personal conversation between a French-Japanese
couple about memory and forgetfulness. It was a major
catalyst for the Nouvelle Vague (French New Wave), making
highly innovative use of miniature flashbacks to create a
uniquely nonlinear storyline.
PEN@ Prithvi
[2nd Sat]
Literary encounters
Sat 13 | 6:30 pm | Prithvi House
CHANCES OF ARCHITECTURE
Reading Alain de Botton's The Architecture of Happiness
A Talk by KAIWAN MEHTA
As an individual’s affair with architecture grows, it begins
to mould various relationships of seeing and living: one
travels with history, finds oneself telling tales around real and
imagined architecture to build the finite objects that we call
buildings. Alain de Botton's extended essay, The Architecture
of Happiness, sets off such a lingering affair with architecture,
pursued through seeing and writing. Kaiwan Mehta will attend
to these processes, as he discusses ways in which architecture
is produced through the interconnected experiences of living,
seeing, thinking and telling.
Caferati
[4th Tue]
Open-mic @ Prithvi Café
Tue 23 | 7 pm | 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 Café at least 30 minutes before
start time to be eligible
Thespo @ Prithvi : Hara Masala's
NAALI KE KUTTE
Writer & Director: Siddharth Kataria,
Aniket Behera
HindustaniTue 2 9 pm
Wed 3
Fri 5
Thu 4 Hindi
At a remote border outpost, a lone Indian soldier gets some new
company – from across the border. Join them for some fun and
games behind enemy lines.
Hindi
9 pm Ipta's
KABULIWALA LAUT AAYA
Writer: Zaheda Hina
Adapted & Director: Ramesh Talwar
Tagore’s famous story about a homesick Afghani and his
friendship with a little girl in Kolkata.
The story is one out of those million little birds who
know no boundaries.
A Hilarious look at the generation gap within a family.
As a desperate search for answers threatens to choke life
in tumultuous times, life rises beyond the relevance of
these questions…
6 pm & 9 pm
6 pm & 9 pm
8 pm
Yatri's
HADH KAR-DI AAPNE
Yatri's
CHINTA CHHOD CHINTAMANI
Ank's
PRASHN PANCHALI
Writer: Vasant Kanetkar
Director: Om Katare
Writer: Vasant Kanetkar
Director: Om Katare
Writer: Suneeta Budhiraja
Director: Dinesh Thakur
Hindi
Hindi
Hindi
Sun 7
Sat 6
Tue 9
In drought-stricken times, a stranger claims to sell Rain and
dares you to dream! Is he a magician, a fraudster or a miracle
man? Can he bring rain?
A hilarious look into the life of a well-meaning hypochondriac
who turns his life upside down with his irrational fears.
8 pm
6 pm & 9 pm
Ank's
RANG BAJRANG
Ank's
HAI MERA DIL
Writer & Director: Dinesh Thakur
Writer: Ranbir Singh
Director: Dinesh Thakur
HindiWed 10
Fri 12
Sat 13
Thu 11
Vikalp@Prithvi
[Last Mon]
Documentaries and short film screenings
Mon 29 | 7 pm | Prithvi House
SENGADAL THE DEAD SEA 102 mIns
Directed by Leena Manimekalai
On the Indian mainland, across the waters, arrive the Tamil
refugees from Sri Lanka, dispossessed of their lands and Gods,
to an uncertain future with ever receding hopes of return.
Hope is a big word and resistance but a tired expression. Three
decades of struggle for a nation is washed out, a race obliterated.
There is no one fighting their war back home now, and the
misery spills over to the Indian shore where fishermen fishing
in in ignorance of ‘friendly’ and ‘enemy’ waters get dumped
as rebels, spies and smugglers. Manimekalai, the filmmaker,
Munusamy, the fisherman, Rosemary, the social worker in
Jesuit Christian Refugee Services, try hard to retain their sanity
in this mad jumble, as Soori, a half-wit Sri Lankan Tamil, who
connects to the world through his radio, stands aloof in this
bleak world of despair sending lightning jolts of truth into the
dark recesses of History.
Thespo@Prithvi
[First Tue & Wed]
Theatre by youth (Tickets Rs 80) Workshop for youth
Tue 2 & Wed 3 | 9 pm | Prithvi Theatre
Hara Masala's
NAALI KE KUTTE (Hindustani )
See play schedule
NO THESPO WORKSHOP THIS MONTH
Chai & Why?
[1st Sun]
TIFR creates accessible discussions of
interesting scientific issues
Sun 7 | 11 am | Prithvi Theatre
GROWING OLD IS BAD ENOUGH, WHO
ORDERED SENILITY?
Prof. Sudipta Maiti, TIFR
Why do we need to grow old at all? If we feed our body, give
it enough rest, take care of it, why can’t it go on forever? And
worse, even if we accept the body getting weak, why does the
mind have to fail? Why do dreadful brain disorders such as
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s come with old age? The answer:
some of our proteins gang up and declare a mutiny. Why do
they behave like that? How far are scientists from quelling this
mutiny? Let’s find out.
FREE unless mentioned otherwise.
Prithvi Corpus Fund Patron
P* Premier Show
(A) Suitable for Adults only
• 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.
• Tue 23 - Sat 28 ESSAY
COMMUNICATIONS' FESTIVAL
NotesHome Delivery:
3989 5050
Online booking:
www.bookmyshow.com
www.prithvitheatre.com
Writer: Asghar Wajahat
Director: Dinesh Thakur
Ank's
JIS LAHORE NAHI DEKHYAN
Hindi
10 am
6 pm & 9 pm
Sun 14
Sun 14 The story of two communities, who have suffered first-hand the
horrors of partition and still have the strength and humanity to rise
above petty hatred.
9 pm
6 pm 9 pm
6 pm 9 pm
9 pm
3 pm
6:30 pm & 9:30 pm
11:30 am
6:30 pm & 9:30 pm
9 pm
9 pm
6:30 pm & 9:30 pm
9 pm
6:30 pm
9 pm
Writer & Director: Manav Kaul
Writer: Sophocles
Director: Bijon Mondal
Writer : Late Shri Dharamvir Bharti
Director: Bijon Mondal
Writer: Javed Siddiqi
Director: Salim Arif
Concieved, Scripted and
Directed: Salim Arif
Writer: Javed Siddiqi
Director: Salim Arif
Writer & Director: Gulzar Saab
Writer: Gulzar Saab Director: Salim Arif
Writer & Director: Nayantara Roy
Writer: Javed Siddiqi
Director: Salim Arif
Writer: Gulzar
Director: Salim Arif
Writer & Director: Manav Kaul
aRanya's
ILHAAM
Ranga Theatre's
OEDIPUS
Ranga Theatre's
ANDHA YUG - A FUSION
Essay communications'
SUNTE HO
Essay communications'
GULON MEIN RANG BHARO
Essay communications'
MULLA RE MULLA
Essay communications'
YAAR JULAHE
Essay communications'
KHARAASHEIN - SCARS FROM RIOTS
Working Title's
DIRTY TALK
Essay communications'
HUM-SUFFER
Essay communications'
KAPTAN CHACHA - A PLAY
PERFORMANCE BY PHYSICALLY
CHALLENGED CHILDREN
aRanya's
MAMTAZBHAI PATANGWAALE
Hindi
Hindustani
Hindi
Hindi
Urdu
Hindustani
Urdu
Urdu
English
Hindi
Hindustani
Hindi
A middle aged banker stumbles upon ‘enlightenment’...Therein
begins the battle between the world outside and his world inside.
The story of a man who unwittingly moves closer to the
unhappy fate he is struggling to avoid.
One of the most significant plays of modern India, Andha Yug is a
profound meditation on the politics of violence and aggressive selfhood.
SUNTE HO is a letter of power that interrogates, destabilizes and
finally rejects the oppressive and callous citadel of patriarchy.
Life, letters and poems of Faiz in a unique show.
Re-live the laughter sprinkled, thought-provoking company
of philosopher, Mulla Nasiruddin, who is remembered for
his funny and eye-opening stories
Poetry Reading: Gulzar Saab reads his translations of Tagore poems..
A collage of poems and stories on theme of communal riots - on the
predicament of the individual caught in a situation not of his making.
A sexy look at India's “censored-bored”, told through the story of a
young England-returned scientist who has got everyone rooting for him.
HUM-SUFFER is about the need for an individual search for love,
closeness and some form of happiness - it is as much about love,
as it is about marriage and relationships.
The importance of Republic Day and the National Tricolour
is brought forth in this story by Gulzar Saab.
There was nothing that Bikki loved more than to fly kites. And
there was no one he idolised more than Mumtaz Bhai..
Tue 16
Fri 19
Sat 20
Sun 21
Tue 23
Sat 27
Sat 27
Sun 28
Sun 28
Tue 30
Wed 31
Wed 24
Fri 26
Thu 25
Tue 23
Thu 18
Wed 17
The journey of Rabindranath Tagore’s life, which seemed to be
directed in an endless pursuit of truth, the spirit of the universe itself.
Nabashruti's
ANANTERO JATRI
Writer & Director: Dr. Nalinee MadgavkarCommentary
in Hindi &
songs in
Bengali
P*
LITERATURE LIVE! PRESENT AN EVENING
WITH PATRICK FRENCH
Monday, August 8, 7:30 pm, Prithvi Theatre
A panel discussion with Patrick French, a British writer and historian based in
London, whose latest book, India: A Portrait, an intimate biography of 1.2 billion
people, has been the subject of much praise and debate, especially for his analysis of
what is called the ‘Mummy-Papa syndrome’ in Indian politics as becoming a Member
of Parliament has practically become a hereditary business. French will talk about his
book, engage in discussion with panelists and take questions from the audience.
ENTRY FREE.

5. scene of Bruce Lee training with a young
student of the martial arts. The first
sidekick that the young lad throws at Lee
is merely mechanical and Lee rebuffs it –
insisting that the boy kick with feeling. The
second kick is also rebuffed because the
boy has kicked with anger. On the third
try the boy manages to satisfy Lee when
he delivers a kick with feeling. He delivers
a movement with total immersion in the
movement. If you merely substitute the
sidekick with a line of dialogue, the three
stages of developing intention are evident.
The first is a mere mechanical delivery of
the line bereft of intention. The second
is an imposed intention, where there is an
emotional investment – but not necessarily
the right one or the organically inherent one.
The final stage is when the line is delivered
with the right intention and where the
performer has disappeared because he has
immersed himself totally in the line. Be it a
line or a sidekick, we are then confronted
with the idea of acting in totality, of acting
with complete commitment to the
intention.
This is where it begins to
get mystical because in this
state of total immersion, all
intention begins to dissolve.
Suddenly the line is simply
delivered without thought. There
is a moment of blankness and at the
same time extreme clarity. The kick
is delivered at the right instant, with
the perfect timing seemingly without
conscious effort on the part of the
practitioner. And as Lee famously
said, “It hits by itself.” In this state
of heightened consciousness time
begins to dilate. A moment can be
sliced into a much longer time and there
is a sense of detachment where the doer
of the action is merely observing himself
doing the action, outside of himself.
Perhaps this is the ultimate convergence
of the two paths – a heightened state of
consciousness that transcends the physical
and ventures into the meta-physical. A
state of freedom, of clarity – a mind-space
beyond thought, where one is absolutely in
the moment and absolutely free to act…
66
While training in Kalaripayyattu,
Ram Ganesh Kamatham begins
to discover the fundamental
connection between the martial art
and an actor’s craft....
I recently met a martial artist who had
spent the last 17 years in Japan training
his art. What was especially interesting
about this artist was that he was also a
street performer, calligrapher and potter.
While his mastery of the martial art
was exceptional, what was even more
exceptional was the nature of his street
theatre routine. It involved riding a 10-foot
unicycle, while juggling chain saws! The
circumstances through which his artistic
evolution occurred were also profoundly
insightful. Once while in training the artist
faced a situation where weapons were
being thrown around at adversaries and he
was struck by how this seemed to be very
much like juggling. Another time he saw the
handling of concealed weapons and was
prompted to investigate sleight-of-hand
tricks and magic. On yet another occasion
the study of swordplay brought him to the
Reflections
On more than one occasion I
encountered the statement that
if you wanted to be an actor you
had to learn Kathakalli and if
you wanted to be a warrior then
Kalari was the art to study –
and invariably both forms were
invoked in the same breath.
Breath that is usually held in
reserve for explosive movement
or concealed to mask the instant
of attack can be redirected
towards voice and the production
of sound. Similarly energy that
is stored to enable movement
against an adversary is now
redirected towards the magical
space between audience and
performer.
It is in some way an attempt at locating
the contemporary practitioner between
both worlds – where one draws from both
martial forms and performative techniques
for self-development.
Perhaps the most compelling evidence
of this intersection is in the use of stances
and postures in both martial arts and
theatre. In the marital arts the stance is
invariably a guard or a defensive/offensive
posture with certain attributes that serve
different functions. Weight distribution
with an emphasis on the front foot could
suggest an attacking posture and weight
towards the back foot could imply a
defensive posture. Beyond mechanical
function the posture also does things to
the inner state – perhaps increasing a sense
of rootedness, or sometimes invoking an
animal spirit. (There’s enough mumbo-
jumbo about various esoteric fighting styles
to infer what this could mean. Praying
mantis style, drunken monkey etc…) This
change in inner state is especially useful
for stage performers. Often a simple
change in breathing converts a
fighting stance into a wonderful
stage posture. With just a few
modifications, the posture
is adapted from serving the
functional needs of combat
into a theatrical state of
heightened energy. Breath that is
usually held in reserve for explosive
movement or concealed to mask the
instant of attack can be redirected
towards voice and the production of
sound. Similarly energy that
is stored to enable movement
against an adversary is now
redirected towards the magical
space between audience and performer.
Another point of intersection is the idea
of moving as one. On stage we can instantly
recognise when a performer has moved
with complete conviction. We intuitively
sense things like body intention and the
unity of movement. Often we work with
the idea of rooting movement in different
energy centres of the body or at the very
least with the idea of a limb leading a
particular movement. Exactly the same idea
holds true for the martial artist. A lot of
training emphasises the idea of moving in
totality – the idea of investing completely
in a movement with the full body, mind
and soul. This idea of holistic movement is
also interlinked with the idea of intention.
In dialogue we are always playing with
intentions, rehearsing to explore the subtext
and eventually rendering a particular set of
intentions to each line – thereby making
artistic choices on each line. In combat we
are often striking with intention, not merely
mechanically striking. In fact, at higher
levels of some martial arts, the intention
itself is enough to produce a reaction in
the adversary.
Perhaps the most memorable exploration
of this concept occurs with the famous
study of calligraphy. In all instances the
idea of play simply led him to the interplay
of one form with the other.
Thisencounterpromptedmetointrospect
a little about the intersection of theatre and
the martial arts. We are fortunate in India
to have very lively traditions that exemplify
cross training and inter-disciplinary
osmosis. While training Kalaripayyattu I
often encountered Kathakalli performers
who moved in an almost identical fashion
to Kalari exponents – sometimes even
employing identical stances. On more than
one occasion I encountered the statement
that if you wanted to be an actor you had
to learn Kathakalli and if you wanted to be
a warrior then Kalari was the art to study –
and invariably both forms were invoked in
the same breath. This observation is neither
intended to obfuscate the infinite variations
between the two forms, nor is it to lump
the two traditions into one common basket.

6. One of the main concerns of Baajaa Gaajaa
therefore, is to create a space where music
lovers can enjoy and acquaint themselves
with as many forms of Indian music as can
possibly be showcased in the event.
b. Our aim is also to bring together the
alternate or independent music industry
that has sprung up in India in the last decade
or so, and which addresses the needs of
musicians and music lovers whose interests
and tastes are varied and not restricted to
mainstream film music alone. Seminars,
workshops, discussions are organized to
identify challenges faced by independent
record labels, self-publishing musicians,
and others involved in the complex process
of music making.
PTN: Why did you choose to locate the fest
in Pune?
AP: One of the reasons was because Pune
has been a major centre for music-making
in India. But equally important was the
fact that hiring a venue that would provide
multiple spaces for day-long activities was
an impossible task in the metros. Ishanya,
the venue in Pune, came forward to
support the festival, but becoming a Joint
Presenting Partner, which meant that we
had access to multiple spaces at absolutely
no cost. Naturally, we had to arrange for
all the other infrastructure like sound and
lights, but this was a huge boon to us.
PTN: You did the research for Stories in a
Song. Which texts have the songs and stories
come from?
AP: We had seven stories in the
presentation. They came from:
1. The Therigatha collection of poems
by Buddhist nuns. Translated by Anil
Deshmukh (from English translations by
Uma Chakravarti and Kumkum Roy)
2.AmritlalNagar’sYehKothewaliyan.Adapted
for the stage by Aslam Pervez
3. Qurrat-ul-Ain Haider’s Chandni Begum.
Adapted for the stage by Ashok Mishra
4. Based on Bahadur Ladki by Gulab Bai,
adapted by Purva Naresh and Raj Kapoor.
5. Hindustani airs was written by Vikram
Phukan. It was based on Ian Woodfield's Music
of the Raj: A Social and Economic History
of Music in Late 18th-Century Anglo-Indian
Society and other writings from eighteenth
and nineteenth century British authors.
6. Whose Music is it? was written by Vikram
Phukan. The ideas come from personal
experience that Shubha and I have gathered
as practitioners in the field.
7. Information sourced from Dr. Arjundas
Kesri’s Kajri Mirjapur Sarnaaz
PTN: The last story belongs to today, it
traces the journey of a hit film song back
to its classical bandish roots. What is your
position on remixed and plagiarised songs
in terms of copyright?
AP: Our position is very clear. The creative
urge will and must manifest itself in a work
of art, but this should not happen at the
cost of another artiste's rights. In other
words, one needs to acknowledge the work
that is the source of inspiration and one
needs to compensate the original right-
holder monetarily too.
PTN: How did you compose music for
people who were not necessarily trained
singers? Did you have a chance to judge
their competency? Were you involved in the
audition process as well?
Shubha Mudgal: There was no formal
audition as such but Sunil had arranged an
interaction between the actors and both
of us, where we heard each of them sing a
piece of their choice. This gave us an idea
of the timbre and texture of their voices,
the range of their voices and their musical
preferences to some extent. That really
helped us immensely, both in selecting
the right compositions and in composing
for some of the sequences. Aneesh and I
had also seen the actors perform in Sunil's
Mastana Rampuri at Prithvi some years ago
so we knew that we were working with a
very tuneful set of actors. And once we
started preparing for Stories in a Song, we had
several opportunities to meet and work out
the music with them.
PTN: What is your personal reaction to the
play? Do you think it succeeds in creating
a significant interaction between music and
theatre?
AP: We loved the way it has all come
together. Whether or not it has succeeded
in creating a significant interaction between
music and theatre is for the audience and
critics to decide. For us, it has been an
enriching experience to work with theatre-
people. It is not the first time that we have
done so, and yet, we feel musicians need to
learn a lot from the discipline and dedication
that exists in other fields like theatre.
That is not to say that this is completely
lacking in the world of music, but in this
particular instance, we learnt a lot from
this interaction. We hope to continue doing
such collaborative work with Sunil, and in
the process, perhaps, motivate musicians
to take a more keen and active interest in
theatre. Particularly in cases such as Stories
in a Song, there is a scope for musicians to
participate in the production in multiple
ways, provided they are open to the idea.
In a situation where there is a constant
pressure to present yourself on the concert
platform, the interaction between music
and theatre may open new possibilities. It
has happened several decades ago, and it
should happen again.
7
It has been an enriching
experience to work with theatre-
people. It is not the first time
that we have done so, and yet,
we feel musicians need to learn
a lot from the discipline and
dedication that exists in other
fields like theatre.
do anything new? How do you do anything
that requires figuring out? A lot of the
theatre is then just put together because
that is all you can do with the time. And
then that becomes an excuse also for doing
mediocre work.
CG: So what kind of music do you listen to?
SS: All kinds of music.
CG: I remember once driving with you
somewhere and you were listening to
reggae. And I was very shocked!
SS: Reggae is very much music of my
generation. I grew up with Bob Marley. I
don’t listen enough to Indian Classical and
I feel the lack of that. I listen to most of my
music while driving. I can’t listen to music
on headphones because I can’t cut off the
world. I need to be part of the world.
CG: Something about the serious image and
something about the music…..
SS: Doesn’t quite match no? I remember we
were driving back from a Mastana rehearsal
and you freaked out because I was listening
to the reggae version of ‘Summertime’!
PTN: Could you give us a brief introduction
to Baajaa Gaajaa, your annual music fest in
Pune?
Aneesh Pradhan: The annual festival
is called Baajaa Gaajaa: Music from
21st Century India. This event is initiated
by our record label Underscore Records
Pvt Ltd (www.UnderscoreRecords.com)
and is dedicated to the magnificent diversity
of Indian music and to the tireless efforts
of countless musicians, instrument makers,
gurus, innovators, technical experts and
music lovers who cherish and nurture
Indian music. So far, we have had three
festivals since 2009. The public response
has been good, but and more importantly,
several musicians from every section of the
music making community come forward to
participate in the festival. So, rock musicians
listen to folk music and vice versa, arts and
music impresarios from across the world
get to listen to lots of different kinds of
music under one umbrella, and there is no
hierarchy among the forms of music or the
practitioners. It isn't often that one gets
to meet instrument makers, but at Baajaa
Gaajaa, people were able to do not just
that, but school children could even attend
workshops conducted by an instrument
maker from Miraj.
Our aim in organizing this festival is
two-fold:
a. To showcase Indian music in all its
richness and diversity. Today, music from
Hindi films is fast becoming the sole
representative of Indian music globally.
While we are all extremely proud of the
success and popularity of Indian film
music, it is also a matter of great concern to
us that slowly all other forms of music such
as folk music, tribal music, classical music
systems such as Hindustani and Carnatic
music and many other forms of music are
becoming marginalized and face extinction.
Centre Stage contd. from pg 2

7. adolescent children in Jenin, where death,
destruction and paranoia are considered
mundane. The theatre group acted as a
canvas upon which the children could
voice and vent their angst, frustration and
fear into better outlets. Arna’s son Juliano
Mer Khamis filmed footage of the theatre
group and served as co- director for this
documentary along with Danielle Danielle
of the Netherlands. Through Juliano’s
on-screen and off-screen presence, we get
well-acquainted with brothers Youssef and
Nidal and their friends Ashraf, Ala, Zakaria
and Daoud as they put on plays, put forth
their opinions and appreciation for Arna’s
hard work. However, there isn’t a much
coveted happy ending to this tale.
After Juliano returned to Jenin, years
after his mother’s death, he slowly began
tracking down each of Arna’s Children.
The theatre had already been destroyed by
then. It turns out that most of the kids,
now grown-up, went on to lead a life of
militancy and violence, taking cue from
their surroundings.
“Acting is like throwing a Molotov
cocktail,” says Youssef. Youssef went on to
join the Islamic Jihad and was killed along
with Nidal. We first see Ala staring bleakly
into the sunlight as he sits on the rubble
of his house which was demolished by
Israeli forces. Ala grows up to become the
leader of the Aqsa Brigades in Jenin. On
26th
November 2002, he was killed. Just two
weeks after the birth of his son.
With a subject as delicate and intricate as
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 Sharvari Sastry Design Ka Designs Illustrations Sachin Jadhav
This is why
With great editing, the film
roams to and fro from the
past and present, giving the
contrast between childhood
and adulthood.
Vikalp @ Prithvi Film review:
Arna’s Children
Aadya Shah responds to
Juliano Mer Khamis’ provocative
documentary on the theatre
established by his mother Arna in a
ravaged refugee camp in Palestine.
we fight
A car ambles its way through a street
flanked by protesters at an Israeli Highway
checkpoint. We catch sight of an old
woman, one of the louder protesters,
yelling “You’re the face of the occupation!”
Meet Arna Mer Khamis, a woman elderly
in appearance but young and feisty in
demeanour, in spite of suffering from
cancer. She, a Zionist, married a Palestinian
Arab and settled on the West Bank. She
spent majority of her life trying to better
the education system after the schools were
closed down by the Israeli occupation.
She was awarded the Right Livelihood
Award, the Swedish parliament’s equivalent
of the Nobel Prize. She used the prize
money to open the Freedom Theatre
- giving sanctuary to a handful of pre-
the calamitous situation on the West Bank,
the documentary is handled intelligently.
With great editing, the film roams to and
fro from the past and present, giving the
contrast between childhood and adulthood.
Juliano silently tries to fathom what
led these talented kids to join in on the
brutality. It’s a sheer vestige of a debauched
system where war is a contagious disease.
In a war-torn region, catharsis was gained
through performance art. Later on, the
same war was waged against war, only
this time, through death. But, can art
really sustain itself against violence and
politics? Can art really be the form of
salvation that can combat the inertia and
hopelessness of war?
On 4th April 2011, Juliano was shot
dead outside the theatre. An unlawful
murder of a true artist and an attempt
to denigrate art and any form rebellion.
‘Arna’s Children’ serves as a canticle sung
fearlessly, denouncing war and its loathsome
implications and upholding art as a form
of sublimation and tranquillity.
Write in! Email us at
ptnotes@prithvitheatre.org
or snail mail at Prithvi Theatre,
Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road,
Mumbai 400 049
Goodbye Ram!
Hello Sharvari!
A note from Sanjna Kapoor
Two years ago PTNotes was reborn in
its present avatar. An avatar that was the
realisation of many people’s inputs and
energies. Ram Ganesh Kamatham was the
one who pulled it all together and gave it
shape. Today, Ram our errant Executive
Editor is off gallivanting again … but
this time … no … he’s not climbing the
impossible mountain ... instead he will be
digging his nose into mountains
of books … at SOAS! He is doing
a Masters in Media Anthropology.
Thank you enormously for
breathing life into this new avatar
of PTNotes. And for giving birth
to our incongruous rat … Prithvi Theatre ka
keeda! We shall miss you. And hope you will
return to be a part of the PTNotes family
again sometime soon. Here’s wishing you
the very best and stay warm in damp and
grey London!
But life is not all grey and damp back
home with PTNotes! We have cheerful
Sharvari Sastry who has come on board
as Executive Editor under the gentle gaze
and guidance of Shanta Gokhale who
continues to be our inspiration as Editor-
in-Chief. I cannot help but mention that
Sharvari, many moons ago used to attend
our Summertime workshops!
We look forward to this new energy
and welcome Sharvari on board! Here’s
looking forward to many more interesting
PTNotes.
PS: Dare I say ‘thank you PTNotes’ as
my Hindi’s improving with the monthly
Hindi page I am forced to read!