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contd. on pg 2

December '11Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Juhu, Mumbai 400 049

Vol. XII Issue 12

Centre Stagewith Prithvi Regulars

Trough the month of November,shows were suspended at Prithvi

as the theatre remained closed forrenovation. PTNotes spoke tosome of the groups who regularly

 perform at Prithvi about howthe renovation is aecting their

 performance schedules, and thealternate spaces available for

 performance in Bombay.

Preetha Mathur (Ank):  When I rst heard about the renovation,to be honest, I was very apprehensive. You

know how this construction business works – once they get in, they keep nding new things to x, and they just don't leave! Weare all working with very tight dates andschedules, and Prithvi's dates are mightily precious to us.

But I also know that the renovation isnecessary – lots of things have to be xedand changed – the theatre itself, and also themake-up rooms, etc. I know the changes areneeded, but I'm praying it gets done soon,because apart from working and doing shows, we're also unable to watch plays,

 which is one of our favourite pastimes!You know, when you speak of alternate

  venues, it is not that they don't exist,because there are spaces, like the Mysore  Association, which have all the facilitiesneeded in a theatre; its a beautiful space,and though its actually quite a largeproscenium theatre, it has an intimate feel

to it. The problem with spaces like theseis the management – the management hasto have a theatre mind. If the management

is at odds with theatre, thenit never works. We wouldonly be able to performthere if the people in themanagement do their bit,

 which is not happening.In fact, a while ago, four theatre groups – 

 Ank, Ekjute, Yatri and IPTA – we decided we would try an experiment together; webooked bulk dates at Mysore Association,and we were convinced that ultimately theaudience will come, since the theatre itself is centrally located and easily accessible.However, it was very disappointing to ndthat the management, who had initially promised to help with publicity and otheraspects of the production, did not live upto their promise, and the shows suffered.

I can understand that certain venues havetheir own compulsions; like the Sathaye

auditorium, which is part of a college, soyou cannot expect their management to putin too much extra effort. Another space thathas great potential is the Nehru auditorium;the problem is that it is too expensive. Noone performs there on weekdays. Since it'sa funded venue, if the management decidedto so something about it, it could becomea great space. Actually, we've performed atthe Nehru auditorium's own festivals, andit is a great experience; the theatre is fulland the audience is extremely enthusiastic.But as soon as the shows are ticketed, the

people disappear! We've been telling themto start ticketing the festivals also, just sothat people fall into the habit of paying forshows...but the trouble is nobody wants todo anything! Prithvi closes down for onemonth an everyone's schedule is going haywire!

I remember there was some talk about

the Birlas making a theatre somewherein Malabar Hill – I had heard about thisthree years ago, but I'm not sure what hashappened since then...and the NCPA'seconomics, well, I just don't understand it! What we really need are small spaces like

Prithvi. We need to get the government andthe Municipal Corporation interested, sothat even when they get proposals for thesebig malls that are getting made, with theve lm screens, they can denitely affordto make one small theatre! It can even belocated in the basement, if necessary.

We all have these ideas, but we just don't

Preetha Mathur

Pg 1 & 2 Centre Stage with Prithvi RegularsPg 3 Reflections Pg 4 & 5 What’s On in December Pg 6 Café Chatter Pg 7 ReflectionsPg 8 Front Row Murmurs

What we really need are small

spaces like Prithvi. We need

to get the government and

the Municipal Corporation

interested, so that even when

they get proposals for these big

malls that are getting made,

with the five film screens, theycan definitely afford to make

one small theatre!

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in a place that people visit frequently.Like, for instance, if you see the case withthese small Udipi restaurants, they have alldisappeared off the streets; but in the foodcourts, they are still thriving. Now I'm notsaying theatre is an Udipi, but you get thepoint! But then, the problem that comes upis that of professionalism and the quality of  work in this kind of space.

Theatre groups denitely do need morespaces – what do you do when you arenot performing at Prithvi and NCPA? Thetouring culture has not arrived for everybody.But largely, because the general standard of performance is not high, it is very difcult tocreate these 'alternate spaces'.

Manoj Shah (Ideas Unlimited):It's not affecting only me, but theaudience and the

'hang-out' people,since Prithvi is adaily hang-out joint.But we know its forour own good, thisis what one has togo through. It'sgood that its going to be renovated – 

both the construction and the constitution!We're trying out different spaces to see

 which one works out, and we're trying tond new spaces as well. But it is difcult to

match up to the kind of  gharana that Prithvihas built, where its not just about the spacebut also about the entire team that managesthe space. None of these alternate venueshave actually worked out – various groupshave their own problems in different spaces.

There is a strong camp that exists at theNCPA, and even though the prices haverisen, performances are happening. See, evenif petrol prices rise, the cars are still running on the road, na? If you have bought a caryou have to use it. So even with productions, we have to face the odds, we can't sit at home

and perform for three people!I perform in Mysore Association,

Bhavan's, Borivali, I travel out of Bombay,and I will be traveling out of India soon.Prithvi ne ek mahine ke liye ghar se bhagaaya hai! 

Even I am looking for a permanent spaceto perform. In fact, I've been suggesting that we should be given a space to perform withina temple. I've been looking for charitableorganisations that realize that theatre is asspiritual and as important as religion! Yousee, even if someone can buy a new house in Juhu somewhere...it costs about 15-20 crores

I think...and let us perform there – they can call it whatever they want – Kilachand,Manekchand, or Pepsi, we don't care!  We just want to perform! We promiseto run it 24 hours. I've been saying this tothe media, and to newspapers, and now I'mmaking this announcement through thePTNotes also!

2

Centre Stage contd. from pg 1

Nadira Babbar

Makrand Deshpande

Manoj Shah

have any energy to pursue them – we're all so busy trying to keep

ourselves above water, that we can'tfocus on anything else. I hope Sanjna's Junoon can do something about this!

Nadira Babbar (Ekjute):

  Are you talking about the physical  renovation, or the other one? (Laughs).  Well, Prithvi is an excellent theatre toperform in; we all love performing atPrithvi. This is very welcome news,that Prithvi is being renovated, it willdenitely do some good, it'll be evenbetter than it was!

Makrand Desphande (Ansh):I'm more than happy about this renovation.If it doesn't happen, then also we keepcomplaining. It's true that theatre must goon, and we must keep performing, but wehave to take care of the external body also.Baarish mein khadi hai bichaari . I think whatthey are doing is the best, and this shouldkeep happening. People should spend thistime on working on their productions, onthinking about what kind of work they wantto do. This is like a forceful vacation, wherepeople should reect on what they havedone so far, and on their activities in thecoming year. It's good to take this kind of time to reect, because, after all, we are hereto do good theatre, not to make money.

But actually you should ask theaudience... I'm sure they are missing   watching plays... unke upar sadma pahuncha hoga! As for us, the theatre groups, well I sitat Prithvi and watch the renovation that is

getting done. I feel that just as we participatein all the other Prithvi activities, even withthis, we should take some interest in what ishappening and how it is happening. It's all very necessary and I'm looking forward tothe changes.

Lots of regular theatre groups are trying hard, and spending money to try andperform in different spaces. Buch eachspace comes with its own complications;some of them are located in areas where thatkind of culture isn't thriving; some smaller venues are not accepted as theatre spaces;

so as theatre people, we do face certainlimitations – we're trying to build theatre ina scenario where the other mediums are sostrong. I think the way forward is maybe tobuild a theatre in a mall! It should be located

People should spend this time on

working on their productions, on

thinking about what kind of work 

they want to do. This is like aforceful vacation, where people

should reflect on what they

have done so far, and on their

activities in the coming year.

As for your question about how my group is getting affected by the renovation... well, in any case we hardly get any dates inPrithvi! Out of the 365 days in a year, we

must be getting only about 15, and we'realways looking for more. Maybe the goodthing is that the other groups who get moreregular dates than us, aren't getting themnow...I'm happy about that!

But we are looking forward to what willhappen after this renovation – I hope they make seven oors in the building! Like agreat culture tower; and every oor couldhave different types of theatres – somesmaller ones, some of them larger; they could also have lots of other facilitiesconnected to theatre, like a library, and

so on. Every oor should have lots of different things! If they let me manage it, I would give them a lot of suggestions! Butjokes apart, all of us are looking forward tothe new design.

As for other spaces to perform, well yes,there are a few spaces that do exist; such asMysore Association, which is 20 years old.But all of us are so connected to Prithvi,that we nd it hard to leave; like you wouldsay in Hindi, “gaiyya ko ek jagah baandhne ki aadat hai!” . Practically, and theoretically, weshould look for more spaces and alternate

 venues...but where do we nd such spaces? Theoretically I could even use my terraceto perform, but then there are all sortsof logistical issues, like how do we makeit soundproof? There is so little spaceavailable, and it is so noisy everywhere. That's the horrible price we have to pay, Iguess, for our progress.

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hO ijana ko saaqa kama ikyaa ]naka [samao M matBaod hao tao vah [sao yaqaa yaaogya samaJanao kao svatn~ hOM ¸ pr ifr BaI yah maoroilae saaOBaagya hI hO ik ]nako saaqa ko AnauBava nao klaa ko saaqa saaqa jaIvana maoM BaI bahut kuC isaKayaa hO. kuC daost banao kuC sahkmaI- banaokuCººº banao saba kuC banaa hI¸ ibagaD, a kuC BaI 

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Reflec tions

3

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javaaba na tao maoro pasa tba qaa naa Aaja hO tlaaSa Aba BaI jaarI hO pr vaao khta qaa ik “ipClao saat janmaao M ko kmaao - Mkao rMganao ko ilayao hma [sa janma mao M rMgakmaI- banao hO M”.

Coming Up:Writers Bloc!

For Rage's Writers' Bloc Festival next year, from 104 scripts that came in from all around thecountry, 12 playwrights were chosen to be trained by the best in the business, The Royal Court  Theatre, UK. With major support from the British Council and JSW Foundation,these 12 playwrights have worked for one year on developing new and exciting plays, which will be performed for the very rst time by some of the most talented theatregroups from Bangalore, Bombay, Chennai, Delhi and Pune in January 2012. This willbe a true celebration of the written word, with workshops, platform performances, thepublishing of Rage's very rst collection of plays and host of other events.

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Play for the Month of December 2011 at Prithvi Theatre Partners@Prithvi

December

Alliance Françaie@Prithvi

[3rd Wed]Rendez-vous avec le cinéma français

Wed 21 | 7 pm | Prithvi Houe

MON ONCLE D'AMERIQUE (1980) 125 MINsCast: Dépardieu, Anny DupereyDirector: Alain Resnais

 The lm is built around the ideas of French physician,

 writer and philosopher Henri Laborit, who plays himself in the lm. It uses the stories of three people to illustrate

Laborit's theories on evolutionary psychology regarding 

the relationship of self and society. They are RenéRagueneau (Gérard Depardieu), a successful textile

company executive who is suddenly faced with the lossof his career; Jean Le Gall (Roger Pierre), an ambitious

politician with a desire for total power, both private

and public; and Janine Garnier (Nicole Garcia), Jean'smistress and a would-be actress who makes a noble

sacrice only to nd that, like most noble sacrices, it's

a self-defeating gesture.

PEN@ Prithvi[2nd Sat]Literary encounters

PEN @ Prithvi is on hiatus for the month of December. You can look forward to monthly PENactivities once again from January onwards.

Chaar Small deals with four original short plays... Seven year old'Dadu tiwari' comes to mumbai...'Do deewaaney' reach for happinessin this city of dreams.. For another couple things are 'Same same butdifferent'.. and how some things have 'Laash-ting impressions'.

Exploring the controversial issues of morality and censorship.

A musical collage of theatre, literature, and history.

A touching and insightful look at one mans battle with pain andcancer in the 70s, when medical science still had a long way to go.

Cock takes a playful, candid look at one man's sexuality and the difficulties that arise when you realize you have a choice.

A humorous and poignant look at the phenomenon of chance vs.fate, and everything in between.

A delightful comedy about a young couple who find themselves insticky situation involving babies, fathers, elections and a chemist!

A powerful and searingly truthful look at marriage, exploring the themes of fragmentation and incompleteness at the individual,familial and social levels.

“The Water Station” is a two-hour, wordless performance, written byan award-winning Japanese playwright Shogo Ohta. The play is aboutloneliness, the need for sustenance and the fragility of love.

Three men fighting for their place in a park but is it reallya park bench that they are fighting for?

A journey through the magical world of questions'.

A young girl relishes her new found stardom after she suddenly,mysteriously starts writing beautiful poetry.But no one knows thatit is not her, but a magical red pencil that is responsible.

Tagore’s famous story about a homesick Afghani and his friendshipwith a little girl in Kolkata.

A man buys a girl and bring her home to bear a son for him.

For sixty years, the Nation's vision has been buried in the sands.

Thank God for "FRIENDSHIP".

Adapted from humorous short stories by Munshi Premchand.

T.Pot Production's

CHAAR sMALL

Arpana's

s*X, M*RALITY AND CENs*RsHIP

Arpana's

sTORIEs IN A sONG

Thespo Festival, Brihan Maharashtracollege of commerce, Pune :

PATIENTThespo Festival, Clustalz Mumbai &Allmytea Production's :

COCK

Thespo Festival, Zero budget Production's :

EK DON ADICH

Thespo Festival, M.M.C.C Art circle's

JANHIT ME JAARI

The Primetime Theatre Company's

ADHE ADHURE

The Japan Foundation and Theatre Roots & Wings'

THE WATER sTATION

aRanya's

PARK

Gillo's

KYUN KYUN LADKI

aRanya's

LAAL PENCIL

Ipta'sKABULIWALA LAUT AAYA

Ipta's

EK BAAR PHIR

Ipta's

AAALL IZZ WELL WITH sHUTURMURGH

Ekjute's

YAAR BANA BUDDY

Ekjute's

MUNsHIJI KI GUDGUDIYAN 2

Writers: Trishla Patel, Sanjay Dadhich,Purva NareshDirector: Trishla Patel

Developed by: Shanta Gokhale &Irawati Karnik Director: Sunil Shanbag

Writer: Aslam Parvez, Ashok Mishra,Vikram Phukan & Anil DeshmukhConceived by: Shubha MudgalDirector: Sunil Shanbag

Writer: Siddhesh Purkar, Raviraj GandheDirector: Suraj Parasnis

Writer: Mike BartlettDirector: Manish Gandhi

Writer : Sunil Tambat & AniketDirector : Aniket Patil

Writer: Chinmay R.Kulkarni &Chetan DangeDirector: Abhishek Dave &Chinmay R.Kulkarni

Writer: Mohan RakeshDirector: Lillete Dubey

Writer: Shogo OhtaDirector: Sankar Venkateswaran

Writer & Director: Manav Kaul

Writers: Mahashweta deviAdapted & Director: Shaili Sathyu

Writer & Director: Manav Kaul

Writers: Zaheda HinaAdapted & Director: Ramesh Talwar 

Writer: Raman Kumar Director: Amrit Pal

Writer: Gyandev AgnihotriDirector: Ramesh Talwar 

Writer & Director: Nadira Zaheer Babbar 

Writer: Munshi PremchandDirector: Santosh Tiwari

Hindi

Hindi

Hindi / English

Marathi

English

Marathi

Marathi

Hindi

Non-verbal

Hindi

Hindi

Hindi

Hindi

Hindi

Hindi

Hindi

Vikalp@Prithvi[Last Mon]Documentaries and short lm screenings

Mon 26 | 7 pm | Prithvi Houe

BILAL A documentary lm by Sourav Sarangi

On a Saturday evening Kolkata-based lmmaker Sourav Sarangi, 45, received a panicky phone call from his wife toorganise a hospital bed for an eight-month-old boy with aserious head injury. This child went on to become a subject of a heartrending documentary that’s captured the imaginationof the world. Sarangi’s Bilal is a lm shot entirely in a tiny,dank room in Kolkata’s Taltala, a working class neighbourhood where Bilal lives with his blind parents.

“The boy’s life fascinated me. He knows how to communicate with his parents through sound and touch. Also he is neveraimless. Either he’s guiding his blind parents through the trafcor getting into mischief with his brother Hamza,” says Sarangi who is an FTII alumnus and has been making documentriesfor 20 years. The 88-minute lm has been made after editing 160 hours of footage. “The lm is not issue-based and I amnot trying to resolve a problem. I have just observed Bilalclosely,” says Sarangi.

Hindi

Thepo@Prithvi[First Tue & Wed] Theatre by youth (Tickets Rs 80)

Tue 13 | 9 pm | Prithvi Theatre

Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce, Pune's

PATIENT (MARATHI)

See play schedule

Wed 14 | 9 pm | Prithvi Theatre

Clustalz Mumbai & Allmytea Production’s

COCK (ENGLIsH)

See play schedule

Thu 15 | 9 pm | Prithvi Theatre

Zero Budget Production's

EK DON ADICH (MARATHI)

See play schedule

Fri 16 | 9 pm | Prithvi Theatre

M.M.C.C Art Circle's

JANHIT ME JAARI (MARATHI)

See play schedule

 Theatre Workshop

13, 14, 15 & 1 6 | 10 am to 5 pm | Prithvi HoueFor details contact: thespo13@thespo.org

Chai & Why?[1st Sun] TIFR creates accessible discussions of interesting scientic issues

sun 4 | 11 am | Prithvi Theatre

BLACK HOLEs: LIFE AND DEATHOF MAssIVE sTARsBy Prof Pankaj Joshi, TIFR 

 What happens to a massive star when it exhausts its internalfuel that keeps it shining and hot? The star would collapsecontinually under the force of its own gravity, creating asingularity in the Universe which is ruled by the QuantumGravity regime. There begins the journey into the fascinating  worlds of Black Holes a nd Fireballs...Welcome to an amazing arena of the Cosmos!!

FREE unle mentioned otherwie.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.

No tes Home Delivery:3989 5050Online booking:www.bookmyhow.comwww.prithvitheatre.com

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Thu 1PRITHVI THEATRE WILL BE CLOsED FOR RENOVATION. THE CAFE AND BOOKsHOP WILL REMAIN OPEN.

TO BE ANNOUNCED.

Caferati[4th Tue]Open-mic @ Prithvi Café

Tue 27 | 7 pm | Prithvi Café You are invited to recite, declaim, sing, dance, performin any way you like 2 minutes of your own work. Sign up at thePrithvi Café at least 30 minutes before start time to be eligible

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Te scene at last month's Chai & Why was denitely a departure fromthe norm; Prithvi was in the midstof being renovated, construction

material lay in neat piles all around,the session was held in PrithviHouse instead of the theatre, withthe audience sitting on the oor.

 What wasn't unusual, though, werethe crowds that thronged around,

 waiting to get in. Chai & Why hasbecome an eagerly awaited event ineveryone's monthly calendar, and

 Arnab Bhattacharya, who organisesthese interactions, tells us about how

it all started and how it has grown.

Chai & Why  actually started by chance.In 2008 Sanjna had come to meet somepeople at TIFR because at that time she  was interested in getting Complicite's  ADisappearing Number  to Bombay,  and was  wondering if she could use the HomiBhabha auditorium. Unfortunately ourauditorium was undergoing some repairsand in any case, that play didn't come thatyear, it came later (in 2010). I wasn't therefor that meeting, but I ran into her at the

 TIFR canteen. She was very interested inpartnering with us. I already had this ideato start a Cafe Scientique type of thing.

Café Chatter

I think unless you have an

appreciation of science, all

technology becomes magic –

and that is dangerous.

We've consciously never put an

age limit for the audience, and

it is impressive how many kids

show up and ask really good

questions.

many of the younger faculty and Mastersand PhD students are very willing to be apart of this. We've had about 66 sessions, sofar and we have hardly repeated a speaker.

I think it is important for the TIFR tothis kind of outreach for two reasons,mainly. One is that is that after all we are

spending public money, so the publicshould know what we are doing. This isthe sort of political, proactive answer. Butthe second reason, which I think is moreimportant, is that in today's world, youcannot live without science and technology.It exists all around you – even in the mobilein your pocket. And I think unless you havean appreciation of science, all technology becomes magic – and that is dangerous.Science and technology inltrates everything  – whether it is detecting the LBW in cricket,or our mobile phones, or the barcodes onproducts in the supermarket. And sincethe science we learn in our textbooks islargely irrelevant, what we are trying todo is to bring cutting-edge science to thepublic. The public has questions, but they don't know who to ask. So we get in expertsand organise the Chai & Whys  aroundtopics of debate.

  The other thing that has always beenreally important for me is to reach out tokids. They have not forgotten how to ask questions and they are not allowed to doso in their schools. We have special Chai & Whys  for children during Summertime.Maybe we should call it Doodh & Why  instead of chai...well at least Prithvi does itsbit by giving the kids Rasna! Even for theregular sessions, we've consciously neverput an age limit for the audience, and it isimpressive how many kids show up and ask really good questions. Kids today read a lot,are exposed to a lot of information, and

Chai & Why sessions in progress.

don't hesitate to ask questions like adultsdo. They often end up asking questions thatare pertinent and sometimes difcult toanswer. There is so much diverse researchthat is happening at TIFR and most of thescientists don't realize that the work they dois exciting. They wonder why anyone would want to hear about it – but there are aspectsof their research that could be interesting to a lot of people.

  We have had people who have tried toreplicate Chai & Why , have tried to plagiarizethe name and the concept. There wassomething started called 'Tell me why withChai'. I nd this all very attering! Chai & Why is now a registered property; people areinterested in holding Chai & Whys in Delhiand all that, but we have always worked hardto ensure a minimum level of quality, so wecan't really afford to franchise it.

We've learned many things from ourinteraction with Prithvi as well. Earlier weused to make 50 posters and send it toPrithvi to publicise the Chai & Whys . Thenone day Sameera said nothing doing, we'll

just do this online. So I was forced to createa Facebook account for Chai & Why  andnow we get more than 10,000 hits a month!I just wish we could have more sessions onthe interaction between arts and science,especially since it is located at Prithvi.But this kind of thing is extremely time-consuming to organise; it is much easier topresent on a topic that is already the subjectof your research. But hopefully we can domore of that in the future.

“I am currently doing my PhD at IFR,and I had attended some sessions of theChai & Why discussions on Graphineby Professor Mandar Deshmukh, onOrigami and Mathematics and onNeutrinos. On the morning of April3rd 2011, I gave a talk on 100 Years of Superconductivity as part of Chai & Why. People of all ages were present,and I was a little surprised that theyshowed up on the Sunday morning aerIndia won the Cricket World Cup. Iknow that people had done some basic

reading on the subject and were ableto ask good questions. IFR is doing a great job at reaching out to the non-science community, such as visiting schools and doing demonstrations.”

-Madhavi Chand

I tried to approach some of the cafes inBombay with this concept, but they werejust not interested. But when Sanjna heardthe idea, she immediately jumped at it,and we decided to try it out as a monthly program for a couple of months. Theresponse to the rst one itself was amazing.I think this is partly because the title Chai & Why has no mention of science in it – theminute people hear the word science they get turned off! And in that sense, Prithviis a neutral space and they have contacts with the press, so there was a lot of buzzaround it. If it had happened in TIFR, noone would have heard of it!

When I started off with Chai & Why Ihad to coax and convince people from TIFR to speak about their work, but now it hasgrown. Lots of people now ask to do Chai & Why . I guess this is because the formatis much more informal than a lecture, and  As told to Sharvari Sastry and Aadya Shah

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Procession. Rat was playing Khoka and waslate, so he survived the massacre. Whencontacted about this coldly calculated act of institutional violence Sanjna simply said, “Idid it for the love of theatre!”) Somewherealong the way, Anisha complained that Rat was simply costing too much, that PTNotescould not afford three of his idiotic andarbitrary performances every month – so we had to cut back on his funding.

As for me, I sometimes wonder what thehell Rat is doing… And why on Earth heis doing it! And there ends my questioning.One cannot subject Rat to extensive criticalinquiry, feminist or otherwise, one cannotreally explain Rat or Rat’s actions, one cankill Rat’s entire theatre group, but never Rat.My theory is that Rat is actually me looking at Rat looking at me looking at Rat and soon... (Its not a very good theory.) Yet, Rat isneither theory nor practice, but also either. And the nal paradox, Rat is simply Rat. Or

not. Rat is…I salute you Rat, resilient, inexplicable

spirit of the theatre…

The Prithvi Calendar 2012 is available the

the Prithvi bookshop

alarm, no need to create panic. There werethings to do, mischief to make, spectaclesto create - but this was not one of thoseoccasions. This was an occasion to simply be “in the moment” with the mostfundamental tool in the performer’s arsenal – observation. Then Rat was gone.

That was my rst meeting with Rat.When PTNotes was being re-launched

in mid-2009 in a new avatar I was sitting in on a meeting about the new visual styleof the newsletter. We were looking forsomeone to head this creative departmenton a monthly basis and on the ground, when I remembered Rat. It seemed logicalto ll this vacancy with a theatre person.It was tough nding Rat – we auditionedextensively. It was actually the quiet butimmensely talented Sachin Jadhav, underthe expert guidance of Anisha at KaDesigns who found Rat. Rat was the only one able to do a deep “amarcha” stance, like

the one Vinay Kumar from Adishakti doesin Brinhalla. In my mind it’s a rather iconicframe, something that suggests a theatrebody-mind-spirit of total commitment. And Rat matched it. (Though his breathing and eye movement could do a little polishing   with some more Koodiyattam exercises.Rat once poured a bucket of ghee underhis eyelids and stared at a candle all day toenergise his eyes, but ended up eating theghee, with the candle for dessert.)

Rat has had a tough time, like anyone inlove with theatre. In an early meeting, critic

Shanta Gokhale insisted that since Rat wasself-destructive, arbitrary and a pest thatRat must be male. Sanjna went one upand confessed that she had perpetuated asmall genocide of Rat’s entire theatre groupsome years ago. (It was in the middle of arehearsal of a rat translation of Badal Sircar’s

Te incorrigible PNotes Rat,aer sauntering up and down the

 pages of this newsletter, has nowburrowed his way into the Prithvi

Calendar. Te 2012 Calendar hasbeen conceptualised as a tribute tothis delightful vermin. Ram GaneshKamatham, former editor of PNotes, regales us with the storyof how he rst discovered Rat.

7

I rst met Rat some years ago at Prithvitheatre. Another Thespo had concludedand Quasar was debrieng the tired teamof volunteers on the steps of the Prithvifoyer. There was quite a mix of youngsters

and I was half listening to Quasar, half scanning the faces of the team but mostly listening into a conversation that washappening behind me, that was showing promise of turning into a lovers’ spat.(This is a dirty habit of writers at cafes. They seem to be intensely occupied withtheir coffee, but are mostly eavesdropping in the hope of catching a bit of interesting dialogue.)

In the midst of this large canvass of observation, a small detail emerged. Amidstthe feet of the volunteers was Rat. Rat was

also incidentally listening into Quasar’sdebrieng, while nibbling on what appearedto be either a noodle or a shoelace. ThenRat, remembering a previous engagement,scurried through the jumble of shoes andbags, towards the theatre entrance.

At this point I found my mouth half opening to shout the word “Rat!” whilemy thoughts had raced ahead and createda picture of leaping, dancing Thespo  volunteers and Quasar’s measured speechdestroyed by wild shrieks. As if reading my mind, Rat looked directly at me. It was aquiet, almost casual look. Rat observed me.I observed Rat. Rat observed me observing Rat. And so on…

In that moment there was anunderstanding. There was no need for

Reflections

In an early meeting, critic

Shanta Gokhale insisted that

since Rat was self-destructive,

arbitrary and a pest that Rat

must be male.

Announcemen tDuring the course of 2011 to 2012 Prithvi  Theatre is undergoing many different

types of transformations. Firstly wehave initiated much needed repairs &upgrading of the basic structure andfacilities within the theatre and we hopethat in the process we will not disrupttoo many of its normal activities.

It has become evident that there aremany more avenues for promoting and improving Professional Theatre inIndia. Maybe too many, to be addressedunder just one umbrella. So, to widenthe horizons of promoting Professional Theatre in India, Sanjna Kapoor will be

moving on to set up a new company ‘Junoon’. Prithvi will continue to do what we have been doing in the last 33years with the same energy and aims, while incorporating some new ideas andinnovations – which will be personally supervised by Kunal Kapoor, along witha new team that will be set up for thispurpose.

We are condent that our plans for thefuture will not only strengthen Prithvi Theatre’s objectives, but also greatly addto creating new avenues for strengthening 

 Theatre in India.This 2012 will be an exciting year of 

change and transformations, and we  wish to share this experience with ourtheatre groups, partners, audiences, and  well-wishers, and look forward to yourcontinuing support and contributionsthat we have always received.

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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 for download at www.prithvitheatre.org Editor in chief Shanta Gokhale Executive Editor Sharvari Sastry  Editors (Hindi) Gopal Tiwari and Shabnam VadheraDesign Ka Designs Illustrations Sachin Jadhav 

Front Row

Snippet

Murmurs

 Write in! Email us at ptnotes@prithvitheatre.org 

or snail mail at Prithvi Teatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road,

Mumbai 400 049

 Aadya Shah reviews two lms by

Alain Resnais, which were screenedas a part of Vikalp@Prithvi

  Alain Resnais is one of the elements of the Rive Gauche or Left Bank which isassociated with the French New Wave.  The topography of his lms is lined withhabitual themes like memory, forgetfulness,nostalgia, illusion and a pre-occupation with the past.

His unconventional mode of lmmaking can be seen as simultaneously ingenious andirritating. The subject matter, on more than

one occasion, never fails to bafe, perplex,confound and bewilder. He clearly isn’t astickler for rules, with unpredictability interms of story and editing being his strong suit. Two of his lms, Last Year in Marienbadand Muriel or The Time of Return wereboth screened at Prithvi Theatre.

In Last Year in Marienbad, a man (Giorgio Albertazzi) and a woman (Delphine Seyrig)meet in a magisterial resort chateau at anundisclosed location. The man is convincedthat he’s met the woman the previous year,fallen in love with her and made plans to

run away with her. The woman claims thatthey’ve never met and that she doesn’t

remember any of it. A third man (SachaPitoëff), presumably the woman’s husband,is also makes his presence felt.

So really, is he telling the truth? Or is shesimply denying the affair? And is any of itreal at all? Amidst a hazy storyline, we’renot given any concrete evidence to work  with, all the while wondering along with theprotagonists, what is real and what isn’t.

The man’s voiceover narration is in pasttense as the scene unfurls before us inthe present. Scenes leap from the presentto the supposed past and back, staccato-like, yet not without a lyrical quality. It issuccessful in suggesting the disconnectionand abstraction that pervade the peopleand the drowsy atmosphere in the lm.

The camera work of Sacha Vierney islustrous as it swimmingly sweeps down inblack and white, with long tracking shots. A majority of the lm is blanketed by theplangent expanse of organs, the kind of 

dramatic music that works very well with ahorror movie.

Having aged over forty years, the lmthat was once heralded as stupefying isnow bordering on unfathomable andfrustrating. Is this lm merely a study instyle and mastering the ne art of being ambiguous, or a rendition of art way aheadof its time that has simply aged?

Muriel or the Time of Return revisits thetheme of war, after his Resnais’ rst lm,Hiroshima, Mon Amour. We’re introducedto Helene (Delphine Seyrig), a middle-aged

 widow and antiques saleswoman, and herstep-son Bernard (Jean-Baptiste Thiérrée)

 who live in the town of Boulogne-sur-Mer.Helene runs into her old love Alphonse(Jean-Pierre Kérien). As Helene is hauntedby her past experience with Alphonse,Bernard is haunted by his experiences fromthe war in Algiers, where he had partaken inthe event of torturing and killing a girl.

Unlike his two previous cinematicoperas, cinematography by Sacha Vierney 

substitutes black and white with colour,  which somehow doesn’t have the sameeffect as Resnais hoped it would. Thelm unravels itself in a linear manner; it isjust as complex yet not as bewildering asMarienbad.

Architecture is manipulated to make thepresence of passing time known. Timeis a stentorian presence that conjoinsMarienbad and Muriel. In the former, theredoesn’t seem to be a well-dened sense of time or place, whereas in the latter it is theopposite. However in Muriel, a personal

love story between two people is juxtaposed with the effects of the repugnancy of war.It seems to inquire into how a person cannally seek closure and move on from thepast. The lm also helped shed light on the Algerian War of Independence.

Dealing with recurring themes andmotifs, you can say that he makes thesame lm over and over again. In a world where movies are told in a linear narrative,and have some amount of predictability,Resnais’ lms may seem slightly corrodedand weary to watch, yet undoubtedly each

one has its subtle nuances, tones and artisticexecution that make them memorable.

Robert Kanigel, a Science writer who has written anexcellent biography of the legendary Indian mathematicianSrinivasa Ramanujan, will be visiting India giving lecturesin different cities. His visit is a part of the 125th anniversary 

celebrations of Ramanujan's birth. TIFR has organised a public lecture by him at theNehru Centre on December 24 at 5 pm.

Last Year in Marienbad Last Year in Marienbad Muriel or The Time of Return