If I say that any drama is more read than performed in India, would you believe it? You don't need to believe me. I would advise taking this exercise. Reflect for a while- How many plays have you read till now? How many plays have you watched in theatres?
A Two-Day Itinerary to Dharamsala and McLeodganj
Nestled in the lap of the Dhauladhar ranges, Dharamsala and McLeodganj offer both an escape from the mundane world and the courage to return there again. Buddha and his teaching feel alive there in the truest form possible. Though Dharamsala and McLeodganj are known mainly for the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism, the towns existed … Continue reading A Two-Day Itinerary to Dharamsala and McLeodganj
Limerick: Evening and Night
A limerick is a short form of humorous, often nonsensical verse. It consists of exactly five lines following a strict AABBA rhyme scheme, where the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with each other (three metrical feet), and the third and fourth lines share a different rhyme and rhythm (two metrical feet).
Book Review: Corridor by Sarnath Banerjee
Comic books and graphic novels are a great medium. It's incredibly underused! -Darren Aronofsky Visuals have always appealed to people more than anything. The increasing screen time over social media and OTT platforms is a testimony to it. However, a graphic novel, with illustrations alongside the text, is truly underused and undervalued, as noted by … Continue reading Book Review: Corridor by Sarnath Banerjee
Crossfade- Episode 4: Anatomy of Theatre
Derived from the Greek word 'theatron,' theatre refers to a place of viewing. To understand the structure of such theatre, consider it a room where the fourth wall is removed, allowing the audience to see what happens inside. A proscenium theatre is divided into two sections: the stage (where the actors perform) and the house (where the audience sits). Let's look at the stage first.
Book Review: Common Yet Uncommon by Sudha Murty
The book collects 14 stories centred around Karnataka, which also includes a preface and an epilogue. Murty highlights the hybridisation of culture, food habits and language, particularly in Karnataka's northern region. She reiterates the statement, "No wonder it's said for every 150 kilometres that you travel in our country, you will see a change in food habits and dressing style" (p. x),
Norbulingka Institute: A Jewel of Tibetan Culture in Dharamsala
Norbulingka, nestled in Dharmsala, Uttarakhand, India, surpassed my expectations. What I had assumed was a typical monastery turned out to be a centre of varied cultural activity. Norbulingka Institute, as I reflected on the title once again, with the tagline 'Heart of Tibetan Culture,' I found the centre doing justice to it.
Naya Theatre’s Adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Naya Theatre, curated by Habib Tanvir in 1959, aimed to reverse the colonial trajectory of Indian theatre while connecting it to India's culture and tradition. Tanvir is known mainly for two interventions in Indian Theatre. The first was that he introduced local artists in his performance, and the second was that he broke away from the proscenium theatre into diverse spaces. He adopted the folk form Nacha of Chhattisgarh, in which music and songs play a complementary role in the performance.
Crossfade- Episode 3: A Scene in a Play
These elements that promote the Karyavastas are called as Arthaprakritis – the causations. They are five. (1) Bija – Germ, (2) Bindu – Prominent point (3) Pataka – Episode (4) Prakari – sub-story and (5) Karya – denouement.
Book Review: Day And Dastan by Intizar Hussain
I was familiar with Hussain's writing and his reflections on partition through his novel Basti (shortlisted for the Man Booker in 2013), which was part of my bachelor's syllabus. Through this book, Day And Dastan, which collects two novellas into one, I once again got an opportunity to peek into the fragmented and dilapidated world of Hussain, caused by partition









