Theatre

I had the good fortune of attending two very good theatre shows in the city - The Vagina Monologues (18 May) and History of India (20 May).

The Vagina Monologues is a world famous play, written by Eva Ensler, enacted in India beginning 10 years back. As Indians, we must make it a point to see and experience theatre of this kind. Indians, because of our mindset and our strong, most of the times misconstrued beliefs of male heirarchy and dominance. For those who attended expecting something base and 'stimulating' it was stimulating, but differently. The enactment had me smiling, laughing, intrigued and thinking when I emerged. Powerhouse performances by all the ladies, topics that now discussed freely - rape, child abuse, discovery and yes, the free use of words like vagina, cunt, orgasms, clitoris, a breaking out of a feudal bondage of thoughts. Watching it at Prithvi was like actually being a part of the conversation.     

The History of India - Virritten - A stand-up comedy by Vir Das was hilarious, to say the least. He has a funny take on everything we hold sacred - the Rigvedas, the Mahabharata, the Taj Mahal, the trio of Lal-Bal-Pal, Gnadhiji, Nehru, Ambedkar. He takes a dig at Indira Gandhi, the emergency, Morarji Desai, Indian films, Baba Sehgal (India's first Rap song Thanda Thanda Pani, wearing yellow shorts so tight, one could actually 'count the sperms'!!!). He leaves no one  - Bengali's Sardars, Gujaratis, Parsis. Surprisingly, he has no funny takes on Tamilians, keralites or anyone south of the Vindhyas. Vir Das is constantly improvising, interacting with the audience, making us look at the funny side to History as was always there - the usual Indian reticence smothering it. A refreshing look at History. Again, a must watch.

Theatre leaves you with the feeling of having experienced something stupendous, an effort that has no re-takes, a right there-or never situation and the wonderful sense of involvement.  

            

Mumbai Musings

Nearly a year since I last wrote. Am I losing it? The touch I mean, not my senses! But I guess this mad city does this to you. Mumbai leaves you gasping for breath. But first things first. In August 2011, Sona surprised me in the morning one day when he told me I had been posted to Mumbai. What??? The initial sense of wonderment gave way to dismay and then anger. Protest was not going to help. As it is, there had been this niggling feeling that people were manipulating my entry into Mumbai. I have this propensity to look at the Sunny side of things. I saw this as a professional upgrade. But Archana saw it as a mega-ton disaster. She had her views - of being picked up from a merry carousel and left on the sidelines. To Aadya, it made no difference. Anyway, here we are, in Mumbai, since Nov 2011. Professionally, I couldn't have for anything more satisfying. But personally, everyday, or rather, evening, is a constant search for recreation for the family. But then, this is giving us the opportunity to explore the city. Where else would you see a roller coaster that covers an entire floor, including an 'O' twist? Anyway, this city has been a part of our lives from my childhood. This time I get to actually stay in it an experience its myriad moods and colours, the fervour of the Ganesh festival, the hustle-bustle, the 'couldn't-care-less' attitude and the angst, ours included.