If you can start by giving us a quick background of Kabir who was from the 15th Century. Where was he from? Few theories of birth and death? Saint yet married with kids? Not a conscious poet and didn’t like weaving? etc… What is Kabir Vani and it’s in which language? What is Sadhukkadi / Panchmel Khichdi? Why did […]
Performing arts
History of Ghatam
How did Ghatam come to be? A brief history? Can you share the nuances of initial iterations before we landed in Ghatam? What is it made of and how did we arrive at such a shape and form? Why there are so few women in percussion? In of the talks by Dr. Ashok Ranade, he mentioned […]
O Gaanewali
How did you get into Thumri? Why Thumri? What is O Gaanewali? How was the concert / idea conceived and why? Can you talk a little bit about ‘musicality’ of Thumri (about the particular style of shrungar ras) and how over time artists have had to rethink their approach to what sounds “good”? It was […]
Baithak Foundation
What is Baithak? Pt. Bhimsen Joshi once said in an interview, “Can a student sit for 4 hours at a stretch? He does 22 asanas in half an hour concert. So let’s start with the etymology of the word Baithak. What according to you Baithak is? What is Baithak Foundation and how did it come […]
Theatre and education (5th Anniversary)
You have spoken about this at length in “Movement and Me” podcast by Naatya Mandalam. But just to set the ball rolling, can you start by briefly sharing, how was your passion for theatre + story telling ignited? Knowledge is explosive. Can’t be contained in walls, books or libraries. How can theatre be used as […]
Publishing a poem
You have published 50 books of poems. How do you select these poets? Kudos and Congratulations about Witness … Blockbuster project … Can you give some idea bout the process and details of publishing a book on poems. Challenges you faced and how you overcome them? Tips for a young publisher? … From knowing what […]
Project87
Before we jump into Project87, can we start with some background about post Independence theatre in Mumbai? … For example the plays staged by Ebrahim Alkazi on Meghdoot Terrace or Naseeruddin Shah and Rage theatre group at Prithvi and NCPA … Or the stage adaptations by Naushil Mehta and Bharat Dabholkar … Indian English language […]
Conversation on theatre (Marathi)
You’ve penned Mahanirvan at a very young age. Since then the play has acquired cult status. When today’s Satish Alekar looks back at the Satish Alekar of Mahanirvan, what are the good things he sees? Recently i saw Mahanirvan at Prithvi and you said it’s running for more than 47 years. Most of the artist […]
Readings in the shed
What is Readings in the shed? How has the journey been so far? From living rooms to various sheds. Why are you doing it? Can you share few highlights about the sessions you have conducted so far? Any particular which you remember vividly? Which format is closer to this format – Abhivachan, Katha-kathan or a […]
Design of languages
In India, Sir George Grierson’s Linguistic Survey of India (1903-1923)—material for which was collected in the last decade of the 19th century—had identified 179 languages and 544 dialects. The 1921 census reports showed 188 languages and 49 dialects. The 1961 census reports mentioned a total of 1652 ‘mother tongues,’ but the data of 1971 showed […]